Semantics & Swiftboating

From the excellent American Thinker,
Redefining 'Swiftboating' and Rewriting History by Henry P. Wickham, Jr.

If the words "swift" and "boat" must be combined and turned into a verb, then let us insist on its proper use. The word as a verb originates from the campaign undertaken in 2004 by the Swift Boat Veterans in response to the John Kerry presidential candidacy. The word means, or should mean, the exposure of a fraudulent autobiography of one seeking political office or public influence. It is the correction of a personal and professional record that has been selectively and dishonestly compiled, as the Swift Vets did so effectively to that of John Kerry.

[...]

Every time that a candidate today complains of being smeared by calling it swiftboating, he seeks the same exoneration or immunity that this redefined word gives to John Kerry, and, perversely, that candidate reinforces the false impression that the Swift Vets did something dishonorable in their campaign against John Kerry and in Vietnam years ago.

If dems don't want their candidates swiftboated, i.e., having their past exposed, they should do a better job of vetting them. The problem is there isn't a person in the current Democratic panoply of stars who can afford to have the contents of his or her closet exposed. Bummer!