"In fact, what ought to happen is, there ought to be fact checks. Every ad that goes out ought to be looked at by the press in an objective way and people can make their own determination whether they're accurate or not."

The comments by the Florida governor marked the first time since the Swiftvet ads turned the 2004 presidential campaign on its head that a member of the Bush family has publicly defended the group.

President Bush, on the other hand, says he'll back legal action to stop the Swiftvet ads, along with others sponsored by groups critical of the White House like MoveOn.org.

Gov. Bush, however, rejected comparisons between the Swiftvets and ads by Democratic groups who have attacked his brother.

"That's not what I'm talking about," he told Hannity. "I'm talking about calling people Nazis - the vitriolic hatred that seems to exist - it's over the top."

"There needs to be a restoration of civility in political discourse," he added.

Editor's note: