Last week, Rep. Jean Schmidt of Ohio called Rep. Jack Murtha of Pennsylvania, the decorated war veteran who recently called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, a coward. Needless to say, her ad hominem didn’t go over well. From The Washington Post:
Rep. Jean Schmidt flung the word “coward” at a decorated war veteran from Pennsylvania last week, but the Ohio Republican’s comments landed with a splat in her own Cincinnati district, where some supporters are backing away as she scrambles to explain what she meant.
Judging by her words yesterday — the first after avoiding the public for three days — Schmidt doesn’t understand what the fuss is about, and sees herself more as victim than villain. “I am amazed at what a national story this has become,” she said in a statement. “I have been attacked very personally, continuously since Friday evening.”
Well, boo-hoo. Is it at all surprising that Saturday Night Live made fun of her? Or that The Cincinnati Enquirer criticized her? Or that her own friends are backing away from her? Sure, there’s a lot of partisanship in Washington, a lot of senseless name-calling, but there’s a big difference between respectful disagreement and disrespectful childishness.
Is Schmidt a coward herself? You make the call.
But what other word do you have for someone who took such a cheap shot at a distinguished American, hid from public view when the public turned against her, and now can’t even understand what she did that was so wrong?
More here.