UPDATE: See also: Was Ravenel Busted for 'Crack' Cocaine?

Wizbang Politics Editor Jim Addison posted this news Tuesday, in a post titled "SC Treasurer indicted for cocaine"

South Carolina State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel has been indicted by a federal grand jury for cocaine distribution, Jim Davenport of the Associated Press is reporting:

    South Carolina Treasurer Thomas Ravenel, a millionaire former real estate developer who became a rising political star after his election last year, was indicted Tuesday on federal cocaine charges.

    Ravenel bought less than 500 grams of cocaine from Michael L. Miller to share with other people, U.S. Attorney Reggie Lloyd said. Ravenel didn't sell any of the drugs, Lloyd said.

    Ravenel will be allowed to turn himself in, authorities said. The treasurer's office referred all questions to Ravenel's lawyer Joel Collins, who did not return a message left at his office.

Read the full story at the above link. Ravenel is the state chairman for the Giuliani campaign...

My first reaction is that this news should not be a reflection on Giuliani, who I suspect did not know about Ravenel's cocaine problem, and doesn't condone the use of cocaine... etc.

Then the reality of the political environment we live in today struck me, and I had second thoughts. What would Rush Limbaugh say if this were Obama's campaign manager? There would be snide innuendo, and remarks about how this reflects on Obama because he made the choice of Ravenel, blah, blah, blah...

And what would Sean Hannity say if this was Hillary Clinton's campaign manager? More of the same, no doubt.

That is the political environment that's been created in the New Media world by right wing bloggers and hate-talk radio show hosts like Limbaugh and Hannity, and pundits like Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin. So this is fair game as well, and while I'm not going to personally attack Giuliani over this, I suspect others will.

And if that draws the right wing hypocrites into the aisles with cries of 'Unfair!' I'll only be too happy to push back. Right Wing bloggers have mounted lie and smear campaigns against every prominent Democrat I can think of. Ravenel's cocaine bust looks real - the smear campaign --based on lies -- that was pushed forward by the right wing bloggers regarding Pelosi's "demand" for a big airplane? Just total bullshit, and there are many more examples from the lying right.

So let's not hear any crying from the right, please, when they get pushed hard on issues like this. They made their muddy blogging beds, and they can sleep in them.

• See also: Was Ravenel Busted for 'Crack' Cocaine?