The pot accuses the kettle of exploiting the military

March 22, 2006

A couple of weeks ago, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s office put together some materials for the Dem caucus on how best to use their time during this week’s St. Patrick’s Day recess. Roll Call obtained a copy of the internal planning document last week and noted that Reid’ office encouraged Dems to focus their attention on Bush’s failures on national security and the war.

Specifically, the recess-event packet provided a series of prototype public events “around homeland security, veterans, or troops and military families,” and recommended that senators hold events at locations such as ports, local veteran halls, military bases, and the homes of military families that have “purchased body armor on their own.”

Senate Republicans have responded by — get this — accusing Dems of trying to use the military as campaign props.

Republicans accused Capitol Hill Democrats yesterday of plotting to use military bases as props for political press events to criticize President Bush for his handling of the war in Iraq.

“I think that is deplorable,” Sen. George Allen, Virginia Republican, said yesterday on Fox News. “It is pitiful.” […]

Kevin Madden, spokesman for House Majority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said, “…This memo is verification of a party that bows at the altar of political opportunity while ignoring real homeland security interests.”

Now, I can appreciate when the right thinks it has an opportunity to score a few cheap points, and maybe there’s some merit to the notion that Dems should avoid political events on military bases. But for Republicans to accuse Dems of trying to use the military as “political props” is breathtaking hypocrisy.

Have they forgotten Rep. Marilyn Musgrave’s (R-Colo.) GOP event in Colorado earlier this month? Do they no longer recall complaints from active and retired military officials about Bush exploiting troops for partisan gain? Or how about the White House’s political affairs office directly contacting GOP county chairmen to arrange local speeches by active duty military personnel to put a positive spin on the war in Iraq?

Dems are manipulating the military? Do Republicans really want to have a serious debate on this point?

The GOP Bush Crime Family has dragged everything else (religion, the news media, education) into its Bush-based fantasy world … why not retain exclusive use of the military as well? The mere *fact* that 72% of “in country” troops in Iraq want us out there is only a “speed bump” on the way to meeting their goal of creating an American taliban through nazi tactics.

  • “Dems are manipulating the military? Do Republicans really want to have a serious debate on this point?”

    No, but lucky for them, they won’t ever have to.

  • Do Republicans really want to have a serious debate on this point?

    No, they don’t. As always, they will lie and smear rather than engage in any sort of serious debate. It doesn’t matter to them that they’re hypocrites because no one is calling them on it or forcing to fess up to the fact.

  • It’s that “projection” thingie, Mr. C.B. The Rethugs look in the mirror, and blame Dems for everything the Rethugs say, do, and are. Simple: tell a lie, tell it often, and wrap yourself in the flag, the Bible, and mom’s apple pie. The best assassins are cold-blooded, unemotional in their approach to their “work.” Snakes are cold-blooded too, unconcerned as they are about their “nature.” The same is true of Rethugs. Every last one of them.

    Politics has become a real jungle, and the survivors are the ones most willing to do the dirty deeds that results in winning. Their is nothing off limits to them; no bottom beneath which they won’t sink to achieve their personal goals. What is good for America is a quaint notion, sort of like the Geneva Conventions and accountability to the citizenry.

    And Mr. C.B., finally, you must realize that the Rethugs NEVER want to have a debate on the merits of anything from a policy standpoint. They will use demogoguery, lies, spin, ANYTHING except the merits, on any policy in the public arena. A DEBATE would be a good thing; so would impeachment. Ain’t gonna happen.

    You know, it’s too bad that a website already has the name I would like to assign to the Rethugs: “Crooks & Liars”

  • This should be sent to Democratic leaders as more evidence that Republicans will attack them no matter what they do. If they are going to get treated with contempt, they might as well act boldly and get slimed for doing the right thing.

  • “It is pitiful.” – Sen. George Allen, Virginia Republican

    I suppose he would think it pitiful to spend any time actually listening to the families of America’s troops.

  • When the Democrats keep the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln from reaching port just so Harry Reid can strut around in a flightsuit, then I’ll be irritated.

  • Bwahahahahahahaha!!!

    How predictable.

    According to the Repubs, everything the Dems do is politically motivated, while everything they (the R’s) do is for the benefit of the country.

    What a stinking pile of cow dung.

  • Repugs: the party of projection. Or is it denial?

    It’s part of their whole mind-set. They have zero self-awareness, zero capability for introspection. So they probably are really unaware that they have been using the military as a prop for, oh, 40 years now, probably longer.

    Then again, maybe they’re so good at denial, that they can’t stop. You need to be really good at denial to kill people, fuck over the poor and your own parents or grandparents, persecute your gay friends and neighbours, piss all over the women and people of colour that you work with (or are!!), etc. From there, denying to yourself that you yourself do everything that outrages you, is just natural, perhaps inevitable.

  • The Republicans don’t want to have a serious debate on the point, but they do want the usual “discussion” the media and the Democrats allow — much like the treatment of Vietnam service during the 2004 election. The Rovians enjoy accusing their opponents of the sins they themselves are actually guilty of, and usually it works for them. Why would you expect them to change tactics?

  • Roll Call obtained a copy of the internal planning document last week ..

    I’m suspicious of “obtained internal planning document”, in light of massive government spying. Do the Dems have a dirty tricks counter espionage awareness with secure communication capacity. They should assume that sensitive documents will be “obtained”. I just hate it when Dems are innocent and naive and come to a street rumble with a water pistol.

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