Notes From D.R. | Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene

Remember the summer of 1999, when the press became obsessed with rumors that then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush had once been addicted to cocaine? The press pursued the cocaine rumors for months in an obvious attempt to force Bush out of the 2000 Presidential race. The effort didn’t succeed, much to the eternal chagrin of progressives.

I can’t help thinking about the media frenzy over the Bush cocaine rumors these days, as the fallout continues over Massachusetts Democrat gubernatorial nominee
Deval Patrick’s claim that supporters of Republican opponent Kerry Healey were responsible for the revelation that his brother-in-law was an unregistered sex offender. Much like the Bush cocaine rumors, no evidence has surfaced to validate the claim that Healey supporters were in on the leak. However, Patrick evidently hopes to do the same damage to Healey that the press temporarily did to Bush in ‘99.

Seven years ago, the idea behind the media’s pursuit of the cocaine rumors was to label Bush a hypocrite, someone who talks the moral talk but doesn’t walk the moral walk. This time around, the idea behind the Patrick allegation is to sell the notion that Healey’s supporters are Nixonian in their duplicity and unscrupulousness.

The effort to sully Bush’s reputation was a disaster, and the effort to besmirch the integrity of Healey’s supporters is also likely to fail. In fact, if Healey ends up winning the November 7 gubernatorial election, we could point to Patrick’s allegations against Healey’s supporters as the point where his campaign cracked up.

UPDATE: Deval’s got "drive," doesn’t he?