You read this Roll Call article, and you get the feeling that the author was doing his level best not to laugh at Murphy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=R-lDL9_qDDs
For those without video: it’s an ad that compares what Rep. West and Mr. Murphy were doing on the night of February 16, 2003: West was getting ready to deploy to Iraq, while Murphy was ending a night of bar fights and public intoxication by getting arrested. Hold on, let me preserve a screen shot for posterity:
God, but this business is fun, sometimes.
Anyway: the Murphy campaign is mildly upset about it being pointed out that their guy is a drunken bar brawler, so they hit back by reminding Roll Call that Allen West had to retire from the Army after he got some information out of a jihadi by firing a bullet past the guy’s ear, with the tacit understanding that the next bullet fired would be shifted six inches to one, critically important, side. This is notable for two reasons:
- The Patrick Murphy campaign apparently thinks that Florida voters are going to have a reaction besides West shouldn’t have done that… where he could get caught;
- They had to complain to Roll Call; it was about the only way that they could get a response up handily. You see, the DCCC just cancelled ad buys in FL-18.
In other words: in case you’re wondering what a campaign on a downward trajectory actually looks like, try looking at Patrick Murphy’s.
Moe Lane
PS: Allen West for FL-18.
“Call of Duty: Allen Westfare” — coming soon to XBox360 and Playstation3 consoles everywhere.
I think it’s important to point out that the information was time-sensitive *AND* related directly to the safety of the troops under West’s command.
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Which, IMHO, makes it all the more commendable.
What this should teach Patrick Murphy is if you are going to question the honor of a Lt Col who doesn’t apologize to terrorist but shoots at them by saying he’s a Granny-beater, you best be prepared for some blowback.
Wait, is Murphy actively trying to get people to vote for West?
Are you thinking, Trent, that Murphy figured out a way to make more money by losing? That his campaign is something out of “The Producers” ? (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063462/)
I don’t see another explanation either, I just want to know how it works…
Mew
Reminds me of the counter to Ted Kennedy’s slogan “Where was George?”
“Dry, sober, and home with his wife!”
Reason number one made me laugh out loud because the only reason the Colonel was “caught” was because he reported the incident immediately. Honor. Duty. Sacrifice. Those words, in that precise order, are taken very seriously in a war zone.