The Execrable Alan Grayson

Is Alan Grayson the most loathsome member of Congress? Up against some pretty impressive competition, Grayson, who has likened fans of Glenn Beck to Klansmen and compared the state of American health care to the Holocaust, distinguished himself last week with the release of two campaign ads that present an impressive case for his topping the loathsome tables. The first ad informs viewers that Grayson's opponent, Republican Daniel Webster, is a draft dodger that "doesn't love his country." Prepare to be revolted:

It is no surprise that MSNBC host Ed Schultz, who frequently accuses his ideological opponents of lacking patriotism, has praised the oafish Grayson for his "honesty." Indeed, while appearing on the Ed Show, Rep. Grayson claimed that he was maligned by those on the right for "just telling the truth."

The indefatigable non-partisans at Factcheck.org beg to differ. Analyzing the content of Grayson's draft-dodger attack ad, Factcheck said it's "one of the nastiest [ads] we have seen so far this year, and it's false."

But the ad's charge is disproved by the very documents that the Grayson campaign provides to support their claim. A Grayson spokesman provided copies of Selective Service documents that were obtained under a public records request in June. They show that far from refusing to serve his country, Webster reported for a military examination as soon as he graduated from college, only to be disqualified on medical grounds.

Much more detail here.

In a follow-up ad, Grayson compares Webster to a member of the Taliban. Yeah, those are the bearded guys who once executed burqa-obscured women in Kabul soccer stadiums. His opponent is pretty much exactly like those people. It seems to be a rather popular comparison amongst Democrats these days.