Oh for the days when reporters reported the news with integrity.

ABC News Online reports the comments of a veteran recently:

Evans, a Marine reconnaissance pilot and forward air controller in Vietnam, still believes Kerry’s statements about American atrocities and war policy were treasonous.

“His photo hangs in a Hanoi museum in a war crimes room,” Evans says, “and he’s listed as a foreign hero.” Mike Cerre, “Mixed Feelings,” ABC News Online (August 15, 2004).

As has been detailed elsewhere, the story isn’t true.

In the old days, reporters writing a story like this would have followed the quote with statements pointing out that there is no “war crimes room,” that the picture was taken when Kerry was part of a delegation of veterans’ groups visiting Vietnam partly to find out what happened to soldiers still listed as “missing in action,” that other officials whom not even Evans would accuse of being treasonous are pictured alongside Kerry in that museum and readers would not be tricked into thinking that taking part in the attempt to bring home the remains of MIA/KIA soldiers shows a lack of integrity.

On the other hand, how smart is Evans, anyway?

“The issue of character and trustworthiness are so vitally important for somebody who is a commander-in-chief,” Evans adds, reflecting on how he’ll vote. “I’m not even going to address the domestic issues or other political things.”

Makes perfect sense to me. A nation that theoretically values peace doesn’t care about the quality of life at home “or other political things.” All that matters is that we elect a man who would lie to the entire country in order to get us into a war that is bankrupting us, in order to open new markets for Halliburton and funnel off American dollars and American jobs.

“Character” and “trustworthiness.” Here’s character for you: The President of the United States says, “There ought to be limits to freedom” because someone poked fun at him on a website. Here’s trustworthiness for you: The President of the United States, who never flip-flops:

BUSH WANTS OSAMA DEAD OR ALIVE . . . “I want justice. And there’s an old poster out West, I recall, that says, ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive.'” [President Bush, on Osama Bin Laden, 09/17/01]

…BUSH DOESN’T CARE ABOUT OSAMA “I don’t know where he is. You know, I just don’t spend that much time on him . . . I truly am not that concerned about him.” [President Bush, Press Conference, 3/13/02]

And, of course, there are the still missing Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Much more of Bush’s character and integrity and we won’t have a United States for which to elect a President.