Hrbacek says rivals stretched military, council records

The Chronicle is reporting today (in what should have been the real story for the Chronicle all along) that Pete Olson and Shelley Sekula Gibbs have been fluffing their backgrounds.

The Republican congressional candidate whose campaign brochure made him look thinner accused two opponents Friday of inflating something arguably more important: their public service experience....
Hrbacek cited Olson's claims that he served on the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff and advised senior officers in that operation at the Pentagon.

The reality? Olson served as a junior Navy officer reporting to senior officers working under the six generals who make up the Joint Chiefs. Olson said he wrote a Pentagon memo about Latin America that was read and approved by then-Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

Hrbacek said Sekula Gibbs exaggerated her record on the Houston City Council by claiming that "during that period of time I rolled back taxes three times" and "helped to cap a tort reform initiative."

The reality? Tax rate cuts were enacted by the entire council and the mayor, who have no jurisdiction over tort reform.

Dean's picture -- a mistake for sure-- but was it really misleading to voters about who he is or what he stands for? Gibbs and Olson have intentionally misled about probably the single most important issue in any election -- the personal integrity and veracity of the candidate.