It's all right when it's for the left.

John Kerry fought back Thursday against campaign allegations that he exaggerated his combat record in Vietnam, accusing President Bush of using a Republican front group "to do his dirty work" and challenging Bush to debate their wartime service records.

MoveOn.org, a liberal group funded by Kerry supporters, is airing an ad accusing Bush of using family connections to avoid the Vietnam War. It also asks the president to denounce an ad that aired early this month by "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth," a GOP-leaning group of Vietnam veterans who say Kerry exaggerated his actions to win Vietnam War medals.

Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said the charge that Bush was in league with the group criticizing Kerry's war record "is absolutely and completely false. The Bush campaign has never and will never question John Kerry's service in Vietnam."

Yet the White House refused to condemn the ad questioning Kerry's war record.

"Let's not be selective here," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said in Crawford, Texas, where Bush is spending the next week. McClellan said Bush has been on the receiving end of more than $62 million in negative, false attacks by independent groups and "the president has condemned all of the ads," both those that criticize him and those that go after Kerry.

So, it is okay for the left-sponsored groups to bash the current President. Heaven forbid that something comes out from the right. I guess freedom of speech isn't truly free, unless you are a Democrat or a Bush-hater. Just now, the Drudge Report is reporting a Salon.com article about the Kerry campaign wanting the publisher of "Unfit for Command" to withdraw the book. Something about the book being full of "proven falsehoods". I guess sworn testimony from 65+ Vietnam veterans is a lie when it goes against the one other running for President. I don't think that any of Michael Moore's works have been banned or withdrawn, and they have been shown to be full of "proven falsehoods".

Interesting thought from Boortz: Just wondering, but if the Washington Post wants to use the Freedom of Information Act to get copies of someone's (Larry Thurlow) military records, why not John Kerry's?