Who started it?

Dear Editor,

I read with disdain as Mr. Matson closed his letter recently "Still Swiftboating."

For anyone to suggest that liberals are swiftboating President Bush or any Republican has apparently forgotten the past six years. In the past six years during elections Republican campaigners have "swiftboated" three men running for office.

The first was in the 2000 Presidential Election when Bush supporters attempted to downplay the fact that John McCain had been a POW in Vietnam for five and a half years also calling into question his service all together. It worked as then Governor Bush picked up the GOP nomination.

Then in 2002 they went after Senator Cleland of Georgia. They ran ads featuring Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden and questioned Cleland's patriotism. Cleland had also served in Vietnam and gave three limbs for his country.

In 2004 the "swifting" went full steam as the Bush team questioned not only John Kerry's service in Vietnam but whether or not he had even deserved his purple hearts. Without any evidence they convinced a lot of Americans that Kerry had somehow cheated to get his medals.

Currently they are going after Representative Murtha, calling into question his service in Vietnam, prompting one Representative from Ohio (who had one a special election over a Iraq war veteran's service into question) to call Representative Murtha a coward on the House floor.

As for the Democrats plans for Iraq. They have several plans that they have brought before the American people, but to date the "liberal" media have ignored it.

In closing, in America, you can support your troops without supporting a war. It happened in World War I and we survived that. I supported the war in Afghan-istan and still support it because the job was not finished. As we come to the fifth anniversary of 9/11 it is VERY important to remember who planned and initiated those attacks. His name is Osama bin Laden.

Michael Curtis,

via e-mail