The DSCC’s Short Memory

Democratic operatives are already circling the wagons around Senator John Walsh (D., Mont.) following a report that he plagiarized his master’s thesis, reminding voters of his military service while on tour in Iraq.

Those tweets are from Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee executive director Matt Canter, who insisted his point, apparently that Walsh’s alleged dishonesty had to be seen in light of his meritorious service, wasn’t politically motivated

But Canter seemed to have a much different take during the last election cycle when he repeatedly called into question the integrity of Ohio Republican Senate candidate Josh Mandel, who served two combat tours in the Marine Corps Reserve.

It’s surely imminent that Canter will make sure to praise the honor of the vets on the other side of the Senate ballot this year – for example, Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton, an Army captain who completed two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, challenging Democratic incumbent Mark Pryor. When Pryor said that Cotton’s service gave him a “sense of entitlement,” Canter was silent.

Iowa Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst served overseas in Kuwait as a company commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and currently commands the largest battalion in the Iowa Army National Guard. The Republican Senate candidates in Alaska, Louisiana, New Jersey, and New Hampshire also served their country in uniform.

So if Canter feels like laying down a lot of Twitter attacks this cycle, he’s got some disclaimers to make.