

The swift boats are coming. They'll go by different names this year, but the largely unregulated interest groups like Swift Boat Veterans for Truth - which in 2004 torpedoed Democrat John Kerry with allegations he'd inflated his war record - are gearing up for the 2008 White House race like never before.
So far this year, so-called 527 groups - named for a section of the IRS tax code - have raised a staggering $210 million, up from $182 million at this point in 2004. But here's the ideological bottom line - roughly two-thirds of that $210 million has been raised by Democratic-friendly groups, according to 527 tax filings compiled by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
"Conservative groups like Swift Boat Veterans got all the attention in 2004, but groups on the left have always raised and spent far more," said Massie Ritsch, the center's communications chief.
When Democrat Barack Obama announced two weeks ago that he'd turn down $80 million in public funds to raise more money privately, he cited as one reason the "smears and attacks" coming from 527s that back Republican rival John McCain. But most outside money - and most of the toughest ads - has come from liberal groups.
That includes a recent spot depicting a small boy sitting in the lap of his mother, who asks McCain if he is counting on her son to help fight an endless war in Iraq. "Because if you were, you can't have him," the mother says.
The ad was paid for by the political action committee of MoveOn.org, the Democratic activist group, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, one of the largest unions in the nation.
Unions are among the biggest 527 players, with the pro-Obama Service Employees International Union topping this year's list. The union last week vowed to spend $75 million to help its chosen candidates this year.
"We expect to be the most aggressive union on the ground and on the air across the country," SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger vowed.
Of course, it's still early, and the biggest 527s don't always need to make the most impact. The Swift Boat Veterans, for instance, spent only about $22 million in 2004.
It's also true that, while Democratic-leaning 527s have raised more, GOP-friendly 527s are growing at a faster rate this year. Their ranks include a new outfit ominously named Swift Boat Obama.
The group's IRS filing traces to a Gilbert, Ariz., address with no working phone number.
"We believe that there is enough information on Sen. Obama to prove that he is unfit to be President," the group's Web site asserts, adding, "We will make sure that we check the validity of all our claims."
(nydailynews.com)