SWIFT-BOATING FOR THE NOT PARTICULARLY SWIFT

You know, if you're going to engage in right-wing character assassination, at least pretend to have firsthand knowledge of some bad thing a Democrat did. Don't be like Bill Fry at BootMurtha.com.

Fry's "smoking gun" #1:

John Murtha spent a few years in the Marine Corps as an enlisted man and then went to college, got a Reserve commission, and joined the 34th Special Infantry Company in Johnstown. He later became the Commander Officer. I spent my first tour in Viet Nam in 1965 and 1966 and therefore missed Murtha, the war hero. However, I had a tour at Headquarters, Fleet Marine Forces Pacific, in Hawaii in 1968 and 1969, and the stories were still bouncing around about this reserve major from Johnstown who went to Viet Nam and sent his daily information to the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat telling his fantastic was stories.  They were labeled "Murtha Sends". While in FMF Pac I was the Head Systems Officer in the Computer Automated Center. I had the opportunity to design and implement a system to control and track all awards coming through FMF Pac. Having heard of this war hero from Johnstown, I took it upon myself to look in the data base and, lo and behold! There were no personal awards for Murtha.

"I never met the guy, but everyone told me he was a big jerk. And then -- probably because I just had a hunch he was going to become a filthy DemonRAT traitor congressman 37 years later -- I looked up his records. And what do you know? He really was a liar! True story!"

Fry's smoking gun #2:

During discussions with the Director of Westmoreland County Information System, I just happened to mention that I was raised up the road about 30 miles and mentioned my high school. He said, "Hey, I have a good friend who taught there -- Bob Wagner."

I was elated and asked if I could get in touch with Bob. He called him on the spot, and we had a short phone reunion during which he asked me to come to his house for a visit after a planned dinner with the Users Group. This I did, and we had a great evening....

In the course of the evening we talked about the 34th Infantry Co., and Bob said, "Hey did you run into a Major in Viet Nam by the name of Murtha? He took a year off from washing cars to go to Viet Nam and politic his way into Congress. Then Bob told me what a disgrace he had been in the eyes of the officers with whom he served.

"Hey, that's what he told me. Secondhand hearsay isn't good enough for you? What are you, some kind of liberal French pinko terrorist?"

I guess all the competent character assassins are asking Rove for too much money these days.