Mud slinging by Democrats

One wonders what the next October surprise will be in this year's senate race that hasn't already been made up and thrown against the barnyard door to see what will stick.

The International Association of Firefighters (Tester's mouthpiece) recently threw up the gauntlet, attacking Sen. Conrad Burns for his lack of support for 911 and telecommunications. Telling the truth would seem to be less effective, as this is the exact opposite of his record.

Tester chides Burns for supposedly supporting a 23 percent national sales tax in a questionnaire to the National Taxpayers Union when he said so such thing. I know because I looked it up and the claim is an outright lie, and Tester didn't even return their questionnaire.

Maybe the $60 million in new fees to Montanans from Tester's 2005 legislative session was more than Tester wants to take credit for.

One year ago, the Montana Democratic Party hired a young political operative whose resume included several of the dirtiest, mud-slinging national campaigns in recent history. His self-acknowledged purpose was to destroy Burns so any Democrat could win the seat. Dedicating himself to a profession of personal destruction, unfortunately for Montana, this young man is good at what he does.

Fact in point is Tester's made-up attack on Sen. Burns' lack of support for veterans. A sham to say the least, and every vet knows it, although pulling the rug over one unsuspecting voter must count as a victory.

If anyone believes that Tester won't march to the beat of national Democrats like Schumer, Pelosi and Reid (who have already stated that all Democrats "will toe the line"), then all you have to do is look at the attempt at the personal destruction of Sen. Burns and Tester's quiet acquiesance toward it.

Coming from the national party, you expect it; coming from Montana, Tester should not embrace these tactics. Either way, Montana loses without Sen. Burns.

Dale Williams

Whitefish