DNC Spokesman Claims Democrats Never Used 'Extreme Rhetoric' Against Bush

Via Real Clear Politics, Democratic party spokesman Brad Woodhouse makes a bizarre assertion in response to Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus comparing Obama to the captain of a wrecked Italian cruise ship:

"Many Republicans will say didn't Democrats attack George Bush in exactly the same way. what's your response to that?," Bashir asked Woodhouse.

"I don't remember anything that equates from official Democratic Party. I mean, of course there are interest groups and people have their say, but I don't remember anything coming from Democratic Party about George W. Bush being equated to a terrorist or George W. Bush being equated to somebody who has been accused of manslaughter. I don't remember anybody questioning some of the things about George W. Bush that have been questioned about the president. I don't remember an opposing Governor wagging his or her finger in president George W. Bush's face," Woodhouse said.

"The truth is, is that the Republican Party starts from a core of extreme positions and it seems that leads to extreme rhetoric when things don't work out for them with the voters," he said.

Now, I'm not sure Priebus's comments about Obama are anybody's idea of elevating the discourse. That said, are Democrats really going to try and claim the high ground here? Let me jog Woodhouse's memory a bit—here's former Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean drawing an implicit comparison between Bush and the president of Iran back in 2006. Here's a DNC memo from 2008 that says Bush administration criticism of labor unions is tantamount to questioning the patriotism of the heroes of 9/11. And that's just from a quick Google. I'm sure many more examples abound, to say nothing of current DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz's recent suggestions that the Tea Party is responsible for the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords.

I understand party spokesmen are inclined to gild the lily, but this attempt at spin is disconnected from reality.