Howie Kurtz props up GOP's Specter smear 

And he's a media critic. Good God.

Yesterday we very patiently explained why there was nothing to the WashTimes hit piece on Specter suggesting that he claimed on Face the Nation that the Republican agenda was responsible for Jack Kemp dying of cancer. We explained that that's not what Specter had said. (Is anyone actually surprised?) We explained that the WashTimes pretty much made up the claim by ripping Specter's comment out of context. We explained that the "we" in the Specter quote referred to Congress, not Republicans.

But Kurtz at the Post can't resist GOP spin, so today's it's the blind leading the blind:

Speaking of the Pennsylvania senator, is this Washington Times headline justified? "Specter: GOP Priorities Contributed to Kemp Death." Here's what he said on "Face the Nation": "If we had pursued what President Nixon declared in 1970 as the war on cancer, we would have cured many strains. I think Jack Kemp would be alive today. And that research has saved or prolonged many lives, including mine."

Um, wasn't that a monumentally tasteless thing to say after someone has just died?

So rather than do his job as a media critic and shed light on the WashTimes misleading smear, Kurtz plays dumb and just passes the item along. He amplifies it while mocking Specter.