Hannity And Swiftie O'Neill: A Slimy Marriage Made In Heaven

On the heels of Senator John Kerry finally getting to confront one of the cretins who helped finance the Swift Boat Liars in their 2004 quest to smear his Vietnam service, Swift Boat founder John O'Neill went on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes last night to keep his 15 minutes of dubious fame going.

Despite the fact that the men who actually served with Kerry in Vietnam were not only behind him, but participated in his presidential campaign, despite the truth that the Swift Boat Liars' claims have long since been debunked and despite the likes of John McCain, John Warner and other prominent Republicans calling the allegations pure trash, O'Neill always has a home whenever he can slither into the Fox News studios.

The ultraconservative Sean Hannity began by taking Kerry's questions on whether someone with Sam Fox's clear ethical shortcomings should be the new U.S. Ambassador to a Club Med, much less an important ally, and turning them into evidence that Kerry is "bitter and angry over his defeat."

Hannity, who accused Kerry of "badgering" Fox by actually asking questions in a Senate hearing -- I think Sean got a little spoiled by the do-nothing Republican Congress -- is, of course, full of crap.

Hannity goes on to say he's "going to get to the bottom of whether or not Kerry is allowed to use or misuse his position here" because he's just so damn shocked to see someone question the character of a Republican when, in his universe, it's only pre-slimed Democrats who can have their character scrutinized.

The disgusting spectacle included Hannity saying that it's not Kerry who has been victimized by this whole issue -- which O'Neill single-handedly started, with money from the GOP -- but that O'Neill himself was the victim.

"I want to ask you this, because you talk about the politics of personal destruction," said Hannity. "Clearly, you're the victim of this here."

Earth to Sean: Calling O'Neill a victim is a bit like me grabbing a woman's butt on a New York City subway and then whining when she kicks me in the groin. Swiftie O'Neill's the poster boy for the politics of personal destruction, not a victim.

But you really have to stop for a minute and be absolutely amazed at how topsy-turvy the U.S. political scene has become in the last few years that people like Hannity, Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin crawl out from under their rocks to fervently support Chickenhawk-in-Chief George W. Bush, while viciously smearing a Veteran like Kerry, who was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts in Vietnam.

Jim Rassmann, the man who Kerry pulled out of a river in Vietnam while under fire, was a registered Republican, but spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 to say that "I've seen John Kerry in action. I know his character. I've witnessed his bravery and leadership under fire" and appeared in a Kerry campaign ad to say "When he pulled me out of the river, he risked his life to save mine."

Del Sandusky, one of Kerry's former Swift Boat crewmen, was serving with Kerry when their boat was ambushed and said of the actions for which the Massachusetts Senator was awarded the Silver Star, "the decisions that he made saved our lives."

The subtext of everything Hannity and O'Neill have ever said about this subject is that Rassmann and Sandusky are lying and that the Smear Twins -- two dudes who wouldn’t know the truth if it slapped them in the faces -- are telling the truth.

Sam Fox himself testified before Congress this week, calling Kerry "a hero" and saying that he respects his "dedicated service to this country." Even Bush has called Kerry's military service "honorable" and -- how's this for broad, right-wing support? -- even Bill-Freakin'-O'Reilly once said in a '60 Minutes' interview of the attacks on Kerry, "It's terrible. It makes me sad that this happens."

But that doesn’t stop a bottom-feeder like Hannity and a man like O'Neill -- who's accomplished nothing in his life but hurl slime at an honorable man -- from dusting off their tired, old lies to continue their disgusting mission.

To me, the best/worst part of the interview was when O'Neill said that Kerry broached this subject when questioning Fox on Tuesday because "he just won't let it go. You know, he spent 37 years obsessed with three-and-a-half months in Vietnam. Everybody else went about their business, had jobs, you know, did other things."

Now, that's rich.

Compared to the embarrassingly-slim resumes of Hannity and O'Neill, Kerry has raised a family, served in public life as a prosecutor, was the Lt. Governor of Massachusetts and, for the last 22 years, has been a United States Senator.

By contrast, O'Neill has built a cottage industry out of not so much what happened in Vietnam but what did not happen. While Kerry's gone on with his life, served the public good and become an accomplished human being, O'Neill's spent the 37 years since Vietnam chasing the ghost of a young John Kerry, while his own pathetic life flies by.

And Hannity? Well, he's just Sean Hannity. And how much more do you need to add to that?