>...No one's assassinating Nader's character...
That's odd, I recall more than a few uses of the word "egomaniac" and variations thereof, plus a healthy measure of guilt-by-association references to Republicon (but not Dumbocrat) figures that he supposedly had lunch with sometime.
>...he's being criticized for his history, agenda, and strategy...
Yes, I've seen carping about his past (though the worst that has been alleged against him leaves his record still immeasurably superior to that of either of his adversaries). And his agenda-- doing what he can to end the Dumbocrat/Republicon shared monopoly of American political life--has indeed been criticized by "left-wing" (`a la Browder, Harrington, Schachtman, et. al.) Dumbocrats. And, of course his strategy--seeking to force a left-wing program into the US presidential election debate--has been criticized by the same types for the same reasons. Even his use of the term "corporate" as synecdoche for the system of Really-Existing Capitalism has been criticized.
But, so far, I've seen no criticism of his *program*, which, as anyone can see from his web site, is a pretty damn good (ie., left) one. This suggests that pro-Dumbocrat "leftists," despite all their tolerance toward liberals, share fully the traditional leftist pathology--a compulsion to direct the most vituperative hostility of which they are capable against those other leftists closest to them in terms of shared program. All in all, a great time for the return of "Life of Brian!"
Shane Mage
"When we read on a printed page the doctrine of Pythagoras that all things are made of numbers, it seems mystical, mystifying, even downright silly.
When we read on a computer screen the doctrine of Pythagoras that all things are made of numbers, it seems self-evidently true." (N. Weiner)