"Sunday, September 23
MoveOn.org's demeaning attackGen. David Petraeus didn't deserve MoveOn.org's smear.The overzealous liberal group MoveOn.org proved once again that one organization can make a difference — a bad one.MoveOn.org's ill-considered, outrageous New York Times newspaper ad calling Gen. David Petraeus, the commander in Iraq, "General Betray Us" not only slimed a well-respected general, it distorted a very real and very serious debate about the course of the war. Instead of the U.S. Congress making progress on troop withdrawal, as some expected this month, the Senate wasted time debating and voting on a measure to condemn the ad.Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said he walked away from the vote because it was an unnecessary waste of time. He has that right. It was also an unnecessary waste of ink.Why can't we, as a country, disagree about policy without undertaking childish ad hominem attacks on a general who is doing his best to represent the military in a very unpopular war?This editorial page believes strongly it is time for the American troops to start coming home in an orderly fashion.But we listened carefully to Petraeus' testimony out of respect for his knowledge and understanding of a complicated region.MoveOn.org embarrassed itself and its position on the war with an over-the-top and unnecessary attack on the general.The war is bad enough. Nobody needs MoveOn.org's stupid advertising campaign."***********
Skepticism and parody has always been something thrown into the political arena and culture. But there was something about this ad that didn't hit me as right.
It's bad enough that Dems and Reps voted for the war. It was bad enough that only one Democrat, and a self described "Army Brat" --Congresswoman
Barbara Lee had the cojones to vote no to give the President free hand and resources to wage this war back in 2001. She was roundly described as unpatriotic by her own Democratic peers.
Fast forward to 2007: The troops serving have had their tours extended more times than they wish to count. They've done so without question, even if they really truly hate being there. And in case you've forgotten, we're also stuck with the ghost of how shamefully the Vietnam vets were treated when they came home from the war.
So the Petraeus ad seemed like a slap at all of them.
I'm not the only one who hated it, so did a lot of others on
Ben Smith's blog.
The ad has led to posturing by Dems and Repubs ever since. Had the Dems just come out against the ad immediately after it happened, (rather than cowering in the corner afraid of their largest financial contributor )and showed some cojones, this Senate floor condemnation vote might never have taken place. But overall, I'd have to say that most Dems haven't. Very few, even on blogs have decried the ad.
Fine. Whatevah. You've shot yourselves in the foot already, M____-O_.
Anyway, back to the "tardy in line" responses by the Dems.
John Edwards sends his wife to decry the ad. But still....John doesn't. Just in case you missed it, here's what Elizabeth Edwards said, though I feel it would have had a more heartfelt punch had she said it the day the ad came out:
“Someone who’s spent their life in the military doesn’t deserve ‘General Betray Us,’” said Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.
Now, this upsets me greatly. It's sort of like when my kids or husband ask me, "Where's the this or that," and I'm expected to know. Like I have radar. Same thing here with Elizabeth. John just kind of sent her out to look for "this or that."
Tom Harkin did come out against it. But only made it worse. "I would have said, "Petraeus Mistaken Again." Yeah, shoot the messenger before he's spoken, right?
Obama was a disappointment as well. It's too late for him to come out against the ad now. He missed a real opportunity to stand out. Now, he's made it worse by refusing to vote. Sometimes a President will have to eat s**t, and if he wants that job, he'd better learn to do it. Then there's Hillary. What can I say about a woman who has played politics even in her personal life? She was smart enough to have run for office back when she graduated from Yale. But no, she threw her power behind her philandering husband. A gutsy woman would've dumped him long ago.
And by the way, here's the official vote of who voted against the condemnation of the
ad..
Damage done --but more to the Democratic party than to the General himself.
Screw it, I'm done being a Dem --was done years ago. Yet, I'm not ready to hop on the Repub bandwagon either. I guess that leaves me as ....
Bloggertarian, or voting for whomever I hate least.
Kenji Nagai
As reported earlier this week in the LA Times, Kenji Nagai, age 50, was killed while on assignment in Myanmar. He was shot point blank by the Burmese junta.
Today across our country citizens wore black to show support for the Jena Six, our shirts had a duel message. Support for the Jena Six and support for the union movement at the Los Angeles Times. Racism is not limited to Jena, it's happening in our own backyard. If you would like one of these nice union t-shirts, contact your union representative on your shift, or let me know and I'll get one for you at the low price of $10.00.
