Look Ma: I'm Journalisming!

I've been avoiding coverage of Paul Hackett's campaign in the OH-2 special election that's taking place today because the A-list folks are doing that and I've been a bit busy.  Plus I'm not as into the 'inside baseball' stuff when it's not national or personal.

But I read at Eschaton this AM that the GOP is pulling out their favorite play from Satan's Political Handbook and trying to smear this honorable Marine who served in Fallujah.  They already used that tactic earlier in the campaign, and now they're doing it again on election day.  Sick.

Bottom-line: Hackett's opponent, Jean Schmidt, claims that he is lying about how if elected he "will be the only member of Congress to have served in Iraq", using the military service of GOP Congressman Kirk (IL-10) as proof.

Some folks expressed concern that Kirk was endorsing this election day slime.  So I called up Matt Townsend, Kirk's spokesperson, and asked him what the scoop was.  In short, Hackett's opponent did contact Kirk's office about his bio, but the Congressman had nothing to do with the smear.

Now Mr. Townsend could be lying to me, just as these political types have been lying to journalists forever.  But I think it's a good thing that Kirk's office is trying to distance the Congressman from Schmidt's vile campaign.

All of this also bodes well for Hackett in my mind.  Clearly an act of desperation from a wicked bad candidate who really looks like she could lose to a Dem in a district that went 70% for Bush in 2004.

ntodd