I Rarely Agree With A Republican, But . . .

. . . this G.O.P. operative really nails it (from Talking Points Memo via Daily Kos):

Discrediting a critic's argument isn't enough, because it takes too much time in an environment when time is everything. Campaign politics are the primary frame of reference for politicians in Washington today. Republicans of late have practiced this trade more aggressively . . . Karl Rove's influence on GOP political operatives may be even more profound, and GOP political operatives have vast influence in Republican politics.

Finally and very frankly, Democratic politicians tend to be wimps. . . . This encourages Republican political operatives to use rough tactics.

I don't think this is a matter of ideology. In fact I don't know what it is. I just know if I were a Republican politician there wouldn't be many Democratic politicians I would be afraid of. . .

He is absolutely right. The most memorable example of this is when John Kerry delayed in responding to the Swift Boat traitors. As David Mamet stated, Kerry's immediate response should have been to say that George W. Bush deserted his post during the Viet Nam War. But Democrats don't generally operate that way, and they -- and the American people as a whole -- have paid a heavy price as a result.

John Murtha seems to understand this -- he essentially responded to Cheney's attack on anti-war Democrats by calling Cheney a draft dodger. That is how this game is played; and the sooner all the Democrats realize this, the better it will be for the country.