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There’s no great mystery as to why Newt Gingrich’s support collapsed in Iowa: Mitt Romney and his friends spent nearly $4 million in three weeks to tear Gingrich apart.
But before the disgraced former House Speaker began calling Romney a “liar,” he used a different word to describe his recent experiences: Gingrich said Sunday he felt “Romney-boated” by the attacks. The reference, obviously, referenced the loathsome Swift Boat ads run and financed by Bush/Cheney allies in 2004, casting doubts on John Kerry’s heroic military service.
It was a fascinating choice of words for Gingrich. As Eric Boehlert explained this morning, “Newt Gingrich, a leader of the modern-day conservative movement, presidential candidate, and proud Republican partisan adopting language that acknowledged the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are synonymous with unsubstantiated campaign attack ads. With his ‘Romney-boated’ comment, the former Republican Speaker of the House reinforced what progressives have been saying for years.”
Quite right. And as it turns out, some of the Swift Boat liars aren’t happy about it.
John O’Neill, the swift-boat captain who led the anti-Kerry movement, is none too pleased with the comparison. “To me, it reflects Gingrich’s very cynical hypocrisy, which he shares with Kerry,” O’Neill tells National Review Online.
O’Neill proceeded to elaborate on his disdain for Gingrich, but the larger point is unavoidable: the Swift Boat liars lied about a war hero, they got caught, and their legacy is a standard for vicious campaign smears.
O’Neill may not like the comparison, but when the attack fits….
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chi res on January 03, 2012 12:45 PM:
It's laughable to think of draft-dodging Gingrich as anything close to a war hero.
c u n d gulag on January 03, 2012 12:46 PM:
The only thing that John O’Neill, the swift-boat captain who led the anti-Kerry movement, ever proved, was that you didn't need to be "too swift" to captain one of those boats.
And I'm glad Newt started using that term.
Though, the only reason he may have, was that if he put "gate" at the end, like the everyone in DC and the MSM does on everything else, it wouldn't really fit too well here.
Not that that ever stopped them before...
stormskies on January 03, 2012 12:48 PM:
As nasty and sadistic as Gingrich has been in his past, and present, the karma created speaks for itself .. and yet, typical to Repiglicans, he is now feeling victimized ... Repiglicans have zero capacity to accept the responsibility in their own actions. Thus, always needing to find scapegoats so as to avoid ever looking at themselves in any degree of self awareness, or self responsibility.
kanopsis on January 03, 2012 12:53 PM:
SWEET!
Bruce K on January 03, 2012 1:03 PM:
Steve,
I wonder what the archives contain about Gingrich's commentary at the time about the charges contained in those Swift Boat ads. I'll bet you ($10K) that at the time he at least implicitly bought into the attacks on Kerry's war record.
just bill on January 03, 2012 1:05 PM:
what has newt been smoking? first calling romney a liar, and now admitting the truth about swift boaters?
Marko on January 03, 2012 1:07 PM:
That's it Newt, show 'em what a REAL scorched-earth campaign looks like.
FriscoSF on January 03, 2012 1:20 PM:
No honor among THIEVES
It's like watching Rats scuffle over garbage
Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To join the Texas Air National Guard
hells littlest angel on January 03, 2012 1:26 PM:
I love to watch right-wing cannibalism, but how do they stand the taste?
Danp on January 03, 2012 1:32 PM:
but how do they stand the taste?
I hear it's a lot like chicken, but with a Santorum after taste.
martin on January 03, 2012 1:34 PM:
the Swift Boat liars lied about a war hero, they got caught, and their legacy is a standard for vicious campaign smears.
Because of which they are honored by the right-wing as truth tellers and are reserved a lovely space in the conservative welfare establishment.
Daniel Buck on January 03, 2012 1:39 PM:
Steve,
Back in 2004, Gingrich applauded the Swiftboaters. Dan
==========================================
REASON
Two Months Hate
The politics of paranoia and hatred
Cathy Young | September 7, 2004
Excerpt:
"Still, that doesn't change the fact that the Republicans have capitalized on largely unsupported, damaging accusations. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has said that the Swift Boat veterans are 'the conservative movement's answer to Michael Moore.'"
Full text here:
http://reason.com/archives/2004/09/07/two-months-hate
==============================================
Redshift on January 03, 2012 1:48 PM:
There's so much pot calling the kettle black in those statements, it's a wonder a black hole didn't spontaneously form in Iowa.
zandru on January 03, 2012 2:04 PM:
The Irony is...
... that there's not even a need to lie when you're trying to smear Gingrich.
ckelly on January 03, 2012 2:52 PM:
And I'd bet my house that Gingrich was completely supportive and fully in favor of the Swift Boat attacks on Kerry at that time.
Robert on January 03, 2012 2:57 PM:
Yes the political process wreaks of fraud, cynicism and hypocrisy. Gingrich-a professional liar of great/ill repute- could also have said he had been 'swift birth certificated'.
Squeaky McCrinkle on January 03, 2012 2:58 PM:
John Kerry served honourably in Vietnam, but I think the label "war hero" is a tad over the top. After all, he's no John McCain (snark).
Robert on January 03, 2012 3:36 PM:
Kerry was clearly a "hero: by any reasonable standard:
Bronze Star, Silver Star and three Purple hearts, all honestly, and bravely, obtained.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/kerry/service.asp
As for McCain, no comment.
Rick on January 03, 2012 6:27 PM:
Did I miss something? Is there any evidence that the anti-Gingrich ads were lies?
That is what separates this smear campaign from the actual Swift Boat ads - the Swift Boaters had to make stuff up.