Americans should sink those Swift boat tactics
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Re “ ‘Swift Boat’ Veterans Set Sights on Rep. Murtha,” Aug. 13
The Swift-boating of Sen. John Kerry was an effective tactic in the 2004 presidential election. So effective, in fact, that I’m certain that John O’Neil, the Swift-boaters’ principal spokesman, still has a smirk on his face. The fact that their charges were false had little effect on the minds of those who were disposed to believe them. The repetition of the charges by the American media amplified them even after sufficient evidence had surfaced to debunk them. Now these same reprehensible Rovian smear tactics are being used against Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.), another man who has honorably served his country in the military and in Congress. Hopefully, for the good of our country, they will have little effect.
JIM RASSMANN
Florence, Ore.
Rassmann is a former Army Special Forces officer who served with Kerry in Vietnam.
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