Thursday, January 12, 2006
Military called on to smear Rep. Murtha.
The Huffington Post is breaking news that the Bush administration is secretly attempting to have current military members denounce Congressman John Murtha.
The sheer audacity. This administration is chock full of people who used deferments, family ties and a host of other tactics to avoid combat in the Vietnam war. The attempted use of the military to smear Rep. Murtha brings to mind the admonition so widely credited with bringing low senator Joe McCarthy. "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"
This same crowd has shown a remarkable tendency whenever they are confronted with opposition from military heroes to denigrate that military service. Ask John McCain, Max Cleland or John Kerry about this.
One of the most remarkable differences I note in the conduct of our political parties is the response to military heroes who are involved in the political scene. I note that two of the last three Republican presidential candidates served honorably. I do not recall a hint of opposition or slander regarding the records of senator Bob Dole, or vice president/president George H.W. Bush. Contrast that with the record by the Republican smear machine of Kerry, Cleland, and McCain (in the 2000 South Carolina primary vs. Bush) and the difference in respect for service to this nation could not be clearer.
And now comes the attempted smearing of another Democratic war hero. So far according to the Huffington Post these attempts to have military leaders denounce Murtha have been refused, with one notable exception not mentioned in the article. The recent denunciation of Murtha by the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general Peter Pace who said that Murtha's comments were hurting troop morale and inhibiting recruiting.
If president Bush is sincere when he calls upon all sides to engage in a respectful debate on the Iraq issue he would be well served to call off the attack dogs. I for one do not believe he really wishes to have a debate what so ever, and we can only expect more of the right wing ugliness in the days ahead.
The sheer audacity. This administration is chock full of people who used deferments, family ties and a host of other tactics to avoid combat in the Vietnam war. The attempted use of the military to smear Rep. Murtha brings to mind the admonition so widely credited with bringing low senator Joe McCarthy. "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"
This same crowd has shown a remarkable tendency whenever they are confronted with opposition from military heroes to denigrate that military service. Ask John McCain, Max Cleland or John Kerry about this.
One of the most remarkable differences I note in the conduct of our political parties is the response to military heroes who are involved in the political scene. I note that two of the last three Republican presidential candidates served honorably. I do not recall a hint of opposition or slander regarding the records of senator Bob Dole, or vice president/president George H.W. Bush. Contrast that with the record by the Republican smear machine of Kerry, Cleland, and McCain (in the 2000 South Carolina primary vs. Bush) and the difference in respect for service to this nation could not be clearer.
And now comes the attempted smearing of another Democratic war hero. So far according to the Huffington Post these attempts to have military leaders denounce Murtha have been refused, with one notable exception not mentioned in the article. The recent denunciation of Murtha by the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general Peter Pace who said that Murtha's comments were hurting troop morale and inhibiting recruiting.
If president Bush is sincere when he calls upon all sides to engage in a respectful debate on the Iraq issue he would be well served to call off the attack dogs. I for one do not believe he really wishes to have a debate what so ever, and we can only expect more of the right wing ugliness in the days ahead.
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