Situational electoral ethics

By Liam Day
July 14th, 2008

Jeff Jacoby has a piece in yesterday’s Globe criticizing Democrats for a certain level of hypocrisy on the issue of a candidate’s military service. Whereas in 2004 they let no opportunity to extol John Kerry’s service go by, many Democrats this year seem intent on attacking John McCain for his.

My question for Jeff would be is what Democrats are doing really all that different from what Republicans did to John Kerry four years ago? After all, swiftboating has become part of the political lexicon. (I suppose Republicans at least had the good sense to use a shadowy 527 to launch their attacks, rather than trotting out respected (maybe formerly respected) party leaders, including, even, a former standard bearer.)

Back in May Pioneer hosted Gene Healy, senior editor at the Cato Institute, to discuss his new book, The Cult of the Presidency. Gene likes to use a term called “situational constitutionalism” to describe the

tendency to support enhanced executive power when one’s friends hold the executive branch.

What should we call Jeff’s distaste for Democratic attacks on John McCain’s service record? Situational electoral ethics? What is wrong in 2008 was equally wrong four years ago.