Who's the real coward -- Murtha or Schmidt?

Last week, Rep. Jean Schmidt of Ohio called Rep. Jack Murtha of Pennsylvania, the decorated war veteran who recently called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, a coward. Needless to say, her ad hominem didn't go over well. From the Post:

Rep. Jean Schmidt flung the word "coward" at a decorated war veteran from Pennsylvania last week, but the Ohio Republican's comments landed with a splat in her own Cincinnati district, where some supporters are backing away as she scrambles to explain what she meant.

Judging by her words yesterday -- the first after avoiding the public for three days -- Schmidt doesn't understand what the fuss is about, and sees herself more as victim than villain. "I am amazed at what a national story this has become," she said in a statement. "I have been attacked very personally, continuously since Friday evening."

Well, boo-hoo. Is it at all surprising that Saturday Night Live made fun of her? Or that The Cincinnati Enquirer criticized her? Or that her own friends are backing away from her? Sure, there's a lot of partisanship in Washington, a lot of senseless name-calling, but there's a big difference between respectful disagreement and disrespectful childishness.

Is Schmidt a coward herself? You make the call.

But what other word do you have for someone who took such a cheap shot at a distinguished American, hid from public view when the public turned against her, and now can't even understand what she did that was so wrong?

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Around the blogosphere:

The Carpetbagger Report: "For what it's worth, Schmidt may represent a conservative Ohio district, but her callous style and personal attacks aren't boosting her popularity back home. At least two Republicans who ran against her in this year's special election have expressed interest in taking Schmidt on in a GOP primary again next year."

The Moderate Voice: "Schmidt has a problem. Clearly, Bush and Cheney wouldn't have suddenly done all but twist themselves into pretzels to try and change their position enough to try and defuse the Murtha controversy unless they discovered they were suddenly facing big problems. Evidently, they got some very negative feedback and had to shift gears — fast. Polls? Calls from other Republicans? Expressions of dismay from members of the first Bush administration?"

See also Hullabaloo, Talking Points Memo, The Heretik, Firedoglake, and Middle Earth Journal.