I just listened to this NPR report by John McChesney on the Swift Boat controversy. It's a good report, but it doesn't raise any points that would surprise you if you've been following the story closely in the press over the last few days. But at the tail end of the segment McChesney mentions William B. Rood's piece in the Chicago Tribune over the weekend, his the Trib editor who came forward to back up Kerry's version of events during one of the incidents in question. Then he says that the Bush campaign "denounced" Rood's claims, saying they are "politically motivated".

Did McChesney get that right? If so, why is the Bush camp attacking Rood? Why are they running interference for and defending the Swift Boat group? Is this a case where McChesney stated publicly what the Bush crew is trying to do off the record?