Wait a second

Via Eschaton. I clicked through because Atrios had posted a link to a clip from a Hardball show where Matthews goes ballistic on Matt Dowd of Bush/Cheney '04 for using a severely edited Hardball clip in their campaign adverising. But what got me was something Dowd said afterward:

[. . .]

MATTHEWS:[. . .]

Quote—this is Harkin speaking, the senator from Iowa. [Link to Harkin's statement here.] “I just outrages me that someone who got five deferments during Vietnam and said he had ‘other priorities‘ at that time would say that... When I hear this coming from Dick Cheney, who was a coward, who would not serve during the Vietnam War, it makes my blood boil. He‘ll be tough, but he‘ll be tough with someone else‘s kid‘s blood.”

He called him a coward a number of times, Matt. Your response?

DOWD: I think it‘s just outrageous that Tom Harkin, a surrogate for the Kerry campaign, that would do it. Bill Clinton served the presidency with distinction without having served in Vietnam or in a war. Ronald Reagan served a presidency with distinction without having served a war or in a world war. And I think this name-calling is very unfortunate that has to happen in this environment.

MATTHEWS: Tad, your turn?

[Kerry/Edwards' Tad]DEVINE: Well, first, Chris, I think we just made some history. We‘ve heard the Bush campaign say that Bill Clinton served the presidency with distinction. That‘s a breakthrough. We‘ve turned the corner on that one, I‘ll tell you that. [my emphasis]

[. . .]

Like I said before, the wheels are coming off the Republican wagon.