Strib Weighs In

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Sen. John McCain said it all, and said it straight: The TV ad smearing Sen. John Kerry's Vietnam War service was "dishonest and dishonorable." Just as important was what else McCain said: "It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me."

Indeed it was. McCain was referring to vicious lies told about him during the 2000 Republican primaries; they were both false and effective. Now, as then, it is absolutely critical to the workings of this democracy that honorable men and women of all political persuasions step up to expose and discredit these shadowy character assassins.

It's beginning to happen. After weeks of simmering as a "he said, she said" series of attacks and defenses, the sleazy story of a new group calling itself Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is being laid bare for all to see. It's an ugly sight, full of old grudges, changed stories, unfounded insinuations and outright falsehoods.

Nearly all of Kerry's Vietnam crewmates, no matter their politics, have stepped up to defend him as a courageous leader. And now several newspapers have examined two sets of information: Vietnam War documents, and data showing funding and other ties between the newly formed veterans' group and GOP operatives close to President Bush and his political adviser, Karl Rove.

The records plainly point to McCain's conclusion: The accusations are dishonest, dishonorable -- and entirely reminiscent of the lies spread about McCain in 2000.

Kerry took them on full bore last Thursday, declaring, "I'm not going to let anyone question my commitment to defending America -- then, now or ever." It's critical to the American political process that he did -- and not just for the sake of his presidential campaign. Vicious falsity cannot be allowed to stand.

The anti-Kerry effort seems to have begun last winter, when Roy F. Hoffmann, a Swift boat commander in Vietnam, became upset at his negative portrayal in the book "Tour of Duty." Fellow veteran Adrian Lonsdale says it was Hoffmann who got him and others involved, and whose phone calls led them to help from GOP donors and political operatives in Texas -- including Merrie Spaeth, the spokeswoman for a group that ran $2 million worth of attack ads against McCain in 2000.

To give you a flavor of the group's inconsistencies: In 1996, Lonsdale spoke of the bravado and courage of Swift boat officers: "Senator Kerry was no exception. He was among the finest of those Swift boat drivers." Yet in this year's TV ad, Lonsdale said Kerry "lacks the capacity to lead." Veteran George Elliott says in the ad that Kerry "has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam." Yet Elliott wrote the Silver Star nomination for Kerry in 1969. In an official report he wrote: "In a combat environment often requiring independent, decisive action Lt. j.g. Kerry was unsurpassed. ..."