Why would anyone smear Jack Murtha? Keith Olbermann clears it up for us.

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Olberman: The attempt to Swift-Boat Pennsylvania Congressman and honored Vietnam Vet Jack Murtha has not only failed... but the boat was swamped and the malefactors washed overboard.Our third story on the Countdown: A Florida newspaper admits it misquoted Murtha's comments, which had allegedy included "his" belief that the U-S was the greatest threat to international peace.
The newspaper has now admitted its reporter -- or somebody -- screwed up and screwed up badly. Murtha was merely quoting an international poll that said many people in many other countries felt that way.

The paper has corrected its Killian Memos-level mistake...

The Conservative propagandists who then slammed Murtha, like Bill O'Reilly?

Don't hold your breath.

Murtha spoke Saturday in the Miami area...

And the next day's editions of the South Florida Sun Sentinel continued an article with this eye-popping sentence."American presence in Iraq is more dangerous to world peace than nuclear threats from North Korea or Iran, U.S. Representative John Murtha said to a crowd of more than 200 in North Miami Saturday afternoon."

Conservative web spinner Matt Drudge put a link to the paper on his website and presto - cue a flurry of right-wing outrage.
Fox News chimed in -- with Billo using it as an example of why --quote-- "Murtha has lost all perspective."

And he's an expert on that.

The Wall Street Journal opined on it.

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich even said he hoped congress would censure the congressman for his comments.

Only problem?

Murtha never said that.

After a rival newspaper's reporter issued a statement saying Murtha was merely quoting polling -- The Sun-Sentinel has now issued a correction -

"An article in Sunday's editions misinterpreted a comment from U.S. Representative John Murtha at a town hall meeting in North Miami on Saturday.
"In his speech, Murtha said U.S. credibility was suffering because of continued U.S. military presence in Iraq ,and the perception that the U.S. is an occupying force.

"Murtha was citing a recent poll, by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, that indicates a greater percentage of people in 10 of 14 foreign countries consider the U.S. in Iraq a greater danger to world peace than any threats posed by Iran or North Korea"

The Wall Street Journal put a clarification link on it's article..
To his credit, Brit Hume of Fox News redd the correction on the air, but hasn't changed anything in his article that still cites the same misquote.

Mr. O'Reilly presumably stuck his fingers in his ears -- or stuck something in them -- and went "wooo wooo woo I can't hear you."