The Facts as stated by Paul Hackett
Paul Hackett has dropped out of the Ohio senate race. He has stated a few reasons. Maybe another has something to do with this interview with Chris Matthews from a few months ago. He lays out the "facts" against President Bush:

MATTHEWS: You said he wanted to drink alcohol and snort cocaine and party. Do you stand by that?

HACKETT: Those are the facts and I stand by them.

MATTHEWS: How do you know it's a fact that the president snorted cocaine, as you say.

HACKETT: I think it's been widely reported leading up to his first election. And there are many who have come forward and documented it and said they saw it happen. I take that at face value. I think that's probably quite factual.
Given the fact that he worked so hard to avoid service during his generation, it seems consistent to me . . . .

MATTHEWS: You know for a fact that President Bush, the commander-in-chief - because you're running for the U.S. Senate - was a cocaine user? You know that for a fact?

HACKETT: Well, I've read the reports as you have read the reports.

MATTHEWS: They're not reports, they're charges. I wouldn't say that I've read it in the Associated Press or the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times. I may have heard the arguments made by people who I may not think have a firm grounding in journalism. But I've never heard a major or quality newspaper make such a charge.

HACKETT: I think that's a fair criticism. I'm merely relaying what you've heard and what I've heard.

MATTHEWS: That doesn't make it a fact, having heard it, does it?

HACKETT: Point well taken. I think, though, that where there's smoke, there's fire.

Now for a look back:
I have only seen one interview with Mr. Hackett, conducted by a softball-throwing Bill Maher.It's easy to see why Democrats are enamored with the man. At the same time, his interview with Maher caused me to believe he was a little ...uhh ... out there.
--myself, Oct. 4, 2005