Wampum

One tactic of the right has been to use selective and creative editing of remarks by John Kerry to twist his meaning. The issue of John Kerry's call for a more "sensitive war" is only one example.

I have not yet seen condemnation of that tactic by the right. The absence of such condemnation could be taken as agreement that such tactics are fair. If so, there should be no outrage if Kerry or groups unsympathetic to President Bush use a little creative editing of their own.

It would not be difficult to create an ad that suggests that Mr. Bush's policies have resulted in a war on terror that, in Mr. Bush's words, "I don’t think you can win."

Similarly, it should not be too difficult to craft an ad that suggests that Mr. Bush's Iraq policy has been, once again using Mr. Bush's own description, "catastrophic."

If those ads run, what are the chances that the right will think that turnabout is fair play?

Update:

Just to be clear, I am not in favor of selective or creative editing by either side. I prefer a more straightforward approach. For instance, I see nothing wrong with an ad that runs a clip of Mr. Bush calling the war in Iraq a "catastrophic success, " and then noting that Mr. Bush is half right.