Speaking of turning tides...

The Swift Boat Liars for Bush story is getting ugly - for them. It's actually starting to look like the truth will prevail in American politics. O happy day.

The story's still getting more notice than it merits, given its shaky foundation, but the notice isn't what the SBLB were looking for. Chris Matthews has been on a pro-Kerry tear (at least regarding this story), and they lost O'Reilly early.

Now we're getting more voices that are generally considered mainstream, like Mark Shields on the PBS News Hour, who was as straightforward as he could be in an exchange with Bill Kristol.

MARK SHIELDS: Bill, let's be very blunt about it, this whole thing. That ad is a fraud.

And David Gergen, who served up a warning for Bushco at MSNBC.

David, when are candidates going to take responsibility for the ads running on their behalf?

DAVID GERGEN, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: It would be better to take responsibility, but I think everybody knows these are Republicans who are funding this. And John Kerry is getting the best of this argument. When he says, it`s fronting for the Bush people, the money does come from Republicans and everybody connects the dots. The conclusion is that they are doing the dirty work. The president ought to denounce this ad and move on. It`s a losing proposition for the president.

And the New York Times, Washington Post, Knight Ridder, etc., etc.

And you and I have a role to play, too.

Work hard. Fight for the truth. It's out there, and we need to spread it far and wide.

And, of course, don't panic. It doesn't help.