Classless display continues to haunt Mean Jean

UPDATE 1400:

This all got so much more interesting (at least inside the beltway and blogosphere).

Kos points out that Colonel Bubp is now denying some of his comments to Mean Jean.

From the Enquirer:

Danny Bubp, a freshman state representative who is a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve, told The Enquirer that he never mentioned Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., by name when talking with Schmidt, and he would never call a fellow Marine a coward.

"The unfortunate thing about all of that is that her choice of words on the floor of the House - I don't know, she's a freshman, she had one minute.

"Unfortunately, they came out wrong," said Bubp, R-West Union.

AND:

"I could just imagine how nervous she must have been on the floor with everyone watching," Bubp said. "I don't want to be interjected into this. I wish she never used my name."

Methinks the lady's surrogates doth protest too much...

Remember this from Sunday in the New York Times:

Several Republicans who were on the House floor said afterward that Ms. Schmidt did not appear to know she was referring to a much-decorated veteran.

"The poor lady didn't know Jack Murtha was a Marine - she really just ran into a hornet's nest," said Representative Jack Kingston of Georgia.

Representative David Dreier of California said, "Very clearly, she did not know that Jack Murtha was a Marine."

This has "rookie mistake" written all over it. Schmidt probably thought she had something very effective to make a name for herself in the chamber.

My read is Bubp's now backing away from Schmidt. I don't believe that she was unaware of what she was doing, though -- everyone knew by Friday afternoon that Murtha was an ex-Marine.

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FROM 1300:

Via Howard Kurtz's Media Notes.

"Mean" Jean's (Schmidt) Marine is now fully involved in the dust up. Max Blumenthal at the Huffington Post looks into the background of Danny Bubp, who apparently was more than willing to be fodder in partisan, classless bickering:

"A few minutes ago I received a call from Colonel Danny Bubp, Ohio Representative from the 88th district in the House of Representatives. He asked me to send Congress a message: Stay the course," Schmidt declared from her lectern. "He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message, that cowards cut and run, Marines never do."

Blumenthal's overview about Bubp:

A quick glance at Bubp's background reveals him to be a low-level right-wing operative who has spent more time in the past ten years engaged in symbolic Christian right crusades than he has battling terrorist evil-doers. And throughout his career, Bubp's destiny has been inextricably linked with Schmidt's. Bubp may be a Marine, but his view of Murtha as a "coward" is colored by naked political ambition. He is nothing more than cheap camouflage cover for the GOP's latest Swift-Boat campaign.

A partisan hack? No kidding.

Ohio - 2 is going to be a very interesting race in 2006. The Ohio2 Blog should be equally interesting.