Thelma Drake is acting outraged about a DCCC video that briefly depicts flag-covered coffins of American soldiers in describing the many failures of Bush and his fellow Republicans. Even though Phil Kellam took no part in making, funding, contributing, or disseminating the video, Drake has tried to make this an issue in her own re-election campaign. Setting aside this video for the moment, Drake lacks whatever moral high ground she's pretending to have to begin with. She directly smeared Iraq war veteran David Ashe in 2004 in a swiftboat style attack that went over like a lead balloon:
But earlier this month a campaign mailing for Drake accused Ashe, a veteran of the war in Iraq, of "weakening the war on terror" by supporting Sen. John Kerry for president.... [T]he pamphlet hasn't gone over well in a district that includes Langley Air Force Base, Fort Monroe Army Base, Naval Station Norfolk and Oceana Naval Air Station.So, Drake has directly questioned the patriotism of a combat hardoned vet less than two years ago! No third-party swiftboating here - Thelma's fingerprints are directly on that smear. This is the recent past of a woman now so indignant over the treatment of our soldiers in a political video?[From the Oct. 29, 2004 Daily Press (not available online)]
Give me a break.
(note: the picture above looks to be from a similar Drake ad questioning Ashe's courage, but not the Drake campaign ad I described above. If anybody has the "weakening" flier, please send it to us.)