The latest propaganda from the right-wing involves a “news” story about Sen. Hillary Clinton secretly releasing details about Sen. Barack Obama supposedly attending a Madrassa – a radical Islamic religious school – in Indonesia. Fox “Republican” News ran with a story. CNN sent a reporter to the school.

The story tuned out to be an attempted smear. The school offers no single religious doctrine and is well regarded academically.

This is a preview of Republican “swift boat” style attacks to come, with Fox News willing to offer virtually anything to damage Democratic presidential hopefuls such as Clinton and Obama. That Fox News would release this shadowy story revealed what many now realize: it is little more than the news wing of the Republican Party.

“Swift boating” refers to the treatment Vietnam war hero John Kerry received, compared to the “pass” that stateside silver spoon kid President George W. Bush enjoyed. The politically connected Bush served stateside at a time when being poor often meant receiving a one way ticket to Vietnam, rifle in hand, yet Kerry was “swift boated.”

The “swift boating” approach is reminiscent of Watergate. I believe President Richard Nixon ordered the burglary at the Democratic National Committee offices in Washington to see if Democrats knew of illegal campaign contributions he had received. At the same time, Nixon allowed the Republican party to smear Democrats, saying they had “evidence” that Fidel Castro had donated to the Democratic party.

How little things have changed and how unfortunate for America.

Mark Tardif, Waterville