Swiftboating: A New Low in Dirty Politics

Political dirty tricks have long been a staple of American elections. But now there's a relatively new black art in the mix -- a form of attack politics funded to the tune of millions and featuring a wide network of surrogates eager to get into the fight. It's dirty tricks on steroids, and it's called swiftboating.

The term "swiftboating" was coined in the 2004 presidential election, when a bunch of Navy swiftboat veterans, bankrolled by Texas tycoon Robert J. Perry, formed the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and targeted Democratic candidate John Kerry. It's come a long way in a very short period of time, with Perry's original cash quadrupled and then some. The practice of swiftboating is usually applied to a candidate, particularly a veteran, but any politically active person who challenges the Republican powers-that-be can become a victim. The launch of such an attack is tantamount to a charge of cowardice, with a whiff of treason hovering somewhere nearby.

Although swiftboating was perfected in 2004, the actual practice started in 2000, when primary challenger George W. Bush went after veteran and former P.O.W. Sen. John McCain in the South Carolina primary. Veterans had formerly been off limits, but Bush's 2000 presidential campaign changed the rules forever. Now Republicans even go after generals. Bush's campaign was orchestrated by Karl Rove, whose mentor was hardball political guru Lee Atwater, and it succeeded in taking McCain out of the presidential running. Later, swiftboating was utilized by the now-disgraced Ralph Reed, who successfully attacked decorated war hero and triple amputee Sen. Max Cleland.

If a victim dares to let a swiftboat attack go unchallenged ... well, look what happened to John Kerry. Candidates have learned the hard way that they have to fight back.

Campaigns of misinformation

Swiftboating has little to do with the truth. It's a smear campaign waged on misinformation and allegations so damning the public is disinclined to give the target the benefit of the doubt. The significant money that goes into swiftboating campaigns is hidden as much as possible and used in unmistakably shifty ways. The group doing the swiftboating is usually a 527, a tax-exempt organization that can raise limitless amounts of soft money.

The next time you hear something negative about a candidate from a group you've never heard of, ask yourself who stands to gain from the attack? The next time you hear outlandish allegations popping up out of nowhere, check and see if a "Vets for Fill-in-the-Blank" group is involved. Since the success of Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, scores of similar groups have proliferated. But it doesn't have to be a group; individual candidates are taking up the task of swiftboating their opponents themselves.

I recently chronicled the Republican campaign to smear Rep. John Murtha for The Patriot Project, an organization created to combat swiftboating. However, Murtha's swiftboating goes well beyond just one group. A whole network of conservatives from news organizations and cable channels to bloggers and radio hosts is set on destroying Murtha.

The swiftboating of Rep. Murtha is the most deeply rooted and far-flung effort since the attack on John Kerry. It's even spawned a political candidate to run against Murtha in '06, Diana Irey, who has her own "Vets for Irey" site. The swiftboating began when Murtha changed his mind and spoke out about Iraq. The anti-Kerry Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are organizing against Murtha, with original swiftboater John O'Neill launching a coordinated attack against him in October, right before elections.

Swiftboaters don't follow any rules. Even a parent caring for a deathly ill child is fair game.

Rep. Curt Weldon has been swiftboating veteran Joe Sestak for months. When Sestak's 5-year-old daughter, Alexandra, was clinging to life because of a malignant brain tumor, Weldon criticized Sestak for having his child treated at a hospital in Washington, rather than one in Philadelphia or Delaware. After that, Weldon attacked Sestak for wearing the uniform, a charge that was easily rebutted.