Nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh repeatedly referred to Iraq war veteran and Democratic congressional candidate Paul Hackett as “another liberal Democrat trying to hide behind a military uniform” and accused him of going to Iraq “to pad the resumé.” Hackett, a Marine Corps veteran, re-enlisted last year. The New York Times reported that “Mr. Hackett spent seven months in Iraq leading a civil affairs unit in Ramadi and Fallujah before returning to Ohio in March.” On August 2, he narrowly lost a special election to Republican Jean Schmidt for Ohio's 2nd Congressional District seat.

On his August 2 show, Limbaugh asked, “Can a liberal Democrat, hiding behind a military uniform, win in a Republican district while lying and denying his liberalism?” He answered his own question the following day, telling listeners, “Democrats once again lose an election running an ultraliberal hiding behind the military uniform.” Limbaugh also said that Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) was “hiding behind a military uniform” during the 2004 presidential campaign and that "[former Sen. Max] Cleland's [D-GA] uniform didn't help him in his re-election either."

From the August 2 broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show:

LIMBAUGH: OK, if you go to the top of our homepage at RushLimbaugh.com, you'll find a link to see this Hackett ad, and it is amazing. The libs, once again trying to hide behind a military uniform. It didn't work for Kerry. I can't imagine it's going to work for Hackett, but we'll see. But you gotta see this ad to believe it.

[...]

Now, the thing that is interesting about that is, is this ad. What we have here, folks, is a Democrat who is, once again, a liberal. Let's not even say Democrat. He's a -- but he is -- but he is a liberal and, once again, as a caller said not long ago from Ohio, Paul Hackett is trying to hide his liberalism behind a military uniform. Stop and think. When was the last time the Democrats tried that? When was the last time the Democrats tried to hide their liberalism behind a military uniform? I think his name was John Kerry, ladies and gentlemen.

[...]

Let me tell you what this really is. This is more a test of Hillary Clinton and her new deceptions about being a moderate. Let's just see if a liberal Democrat can win an election in a Republican district lying to the voters. That's the test here. If there's anything bellwether about this, it is this question. Can a liberal Democrat, hiding behind a military uniform, win in a Republican district while lying and denying his liberalism?

[...]

Well, you're just -- I mean, you're illustrating here the deceit that makes up this whole campaign, and the whole ad. So, you know, to get into a parsing of it is, you know, it's not the point. You know, that's getting into process, missing the big picture. The big picture here is they got another liberal Democrat trying to hide behind a military uniform and fool people in thinking he's a hawk when he's just the exact opposite.

[...]

Some Democrat somewhere, some lib, is tutoring this guy on how to be fraudulent and deceptive. He may have -- as a liberal, he may come by it naturally. I have to grant that possibility. Was [Democratic strategist James] Carville out there? Carville was out there campaign -- so Max Cleland was out there cam -- well, now, Cleland's uniform didn't help him in his re-election either. Back in, what was it, 2002, so, hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm. Plot thickens, James Carville advertising assistance to Paul Hackett.

By the way, folks, don't -- [former Sen.] John Glenn [D-OH] was there? John Glenn was helping him. Well. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. So, we do have a high-ranking Democrat help, and so we know that the strategy from the highest levels of the Democratic Party is deceit, lies and deceit. You would think after Kerry that they would learn you can't win hiding behind a military uniform when you're a lib. But they're trying -- I guess they do -- and I think Kerry was the wrong guy. This guy Hackett's the right guy.

[...]

All right, we've learned a couple other things. This Paul Hackett is a trial lawyer, folks (laughing). He's a personal injury lawyer like [2004 Democratic vice presidential candidate] John Edwards. And it appears that, you know, he goes to Iraq to pad the resumé, come back and run as a big supporter of the war, or at least finishing the project over there.

[...]

This is a personal injury trial lawyer in the mold of John Edwards, the Breck Girl, who is trying to hide once again his liberalism behind a military uniform. You would think they would learn.

From the August 3 broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show:

LIMBAUGH: So where are we? Well, we're on the Rush Limbaugh program and the EIB network but we're also hearing that Democrats once again lose an election running an ultraliberal hiding behind a military uniform. They once again lose an election pretending to be something that they are not -- a hawk on the military and a hawk on the war in Iraq. They run again, once again, as deceivers and, once again, they lose.

[...]

Oh, and we just had a new star born yesterday in the Democrat Party, right? John Kerry Jr., trying to hide his ultra-liberalism behind a military uniform, and this is the new star of the Democrat Party.