Swiftboating

A while back, I blogged about Representative Peter King's (R-N.Y.) wish to sue the New York Times over exposing a Bush administration program examining money-transfer records to hunt terrorists. Obviously, King is a complete loony. But Rep. King is going to have to bring his game up. Sadly (more like depressingly), he no longer wins first prize in the "Let's make the most outrageous statements possible" game.

Frankly, this story is the gift that keeps on giving. I was convinced King's statement could never be topped. But then, I saw a clip from Pravda - excuse me, Fox News that absolutely blew my mind away. Apparently Brian Kilmeade, co-host of Fox & Friends, has the answer to not only end this brouhaha, but to ensure security and liberty for America for the rest of time.

Let's create an Office of Censorship. Why? To vet all stories past the following question: "Does this hurt our country or is it of, you know, news value?" Kilmeade, you win this round.

But again, I'm still not all that impressed. In fact, I probably would have let this whole charade slide if it weren't for the name of the program: The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Transcommunication. S.W.I.F.T. Suing newspapers, offices of censorship - that I can handle. But Swiftboating my own name? That's simply too far.

Andrew Swift
Editorial writer