Far-right blog post of the day

July 10, 2007

In January, when the president unveiled his “surge” policy, Bush vowed to the nation that he had specific goals in mind for Iraq, and expected them to be met. “America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced,” the president said.

We’ve known for a while now that the president’s promise was hollow and meaningless, but this week we’re learning that Iraqis are going to fail on each of the benchmarks Bush talked about.

A progress report on Iraq will conclude that the U.S.-backed government in Baghdad has not met any of its targets for political, economic and other reforms…a U.S. official said Monday.

This afternoon, National Review’s Mark R. Levin responded to the news.

So, the Iraqi government reportedly hasn’t met any of its targets . Has the Democrat [sic] Congress met any of its targets?

Yes, Mark, they’re exactly the same. The war in Iraq is in its fifth year, the 110th Congress is in its sixth month. Courageous Americans are risking life and limb on the battlefield; lawmakers are risking … well, I’m sure they’re risking something. The targets for Iraqi progress include cessation of sectarian bloodshed; the targets for the Democratic Congress (it’s an adjective, Mark, look it up) include the Six for ’06 agenda. Iraq is falling short of its targets because of a brutal civil war; Congress is falling short of its goals because of Republican obstructionism.

Entirely comparable.

Exactly how far gone does someone have to be to make this kind of connection? Just how partisan does a political observer have to be to put such foolishness in print?

Probably the issue nearest and dearest to GOP hearts is tax cutting – and you know the Republicans passed those “temporary” tax cuts back in 2001, knowing that they had 10 years before the tax cuts expired to make them permanent. The GOP had complete control of the Congress for how many of those years – and did they ever get those tax cuts made permanent? Guys like Levin certainly talk the talk, don’t they?

  • Just how well does wingnut welfare pay to cause a greedy and talentless hack to allow him or her self to be used as a hameless and embarrasing tool?

  • Iraq is falling short of its targets partly because of the history of Republican incompetence that has characterized the Iraq war and reconstruction.

    So in that sense, the same cause lies at the root of both of Levin’s statements.

  • Exactly how far gone does someone have to be to make this kind of connection? Just how partisan does a political observer have to be to put such foolishness in print?

    Listen to Levin’s radio show sometime and you’ll be asking yourself; just how truly insane is this individual?

  • If the right really wants a permanent Republican majority all that they have to do is unanimously take full responsibility for one of their colossal screw ups. Half of the left would drop dead from surprise.

  • Exactly how far gone does someone have to be to make this kind of connection? Just how partisan does a political observer have to be to put such foolishness in print?

    Suspension of disbelief can last a lifetime. And even if he privately thought that the comparison was absolute bullcrap, he’s doing what the right reflexively does at all times — attempt to suck the air out of the room with twisted analogies, false equivalences and fact-free assertions. It might not even amount to anything in the end, but it pulls the conversation his way.

  • As an aside, I checked out mullins.com at your recommendation, CB.

    Same drivel, just less passionate about it.
    It doesn’t even give me the amusement of reading somebody who’s FERVENTLY stupid.

    Bleh.

    I’d love to find a right wing version of The Carpetbagger Report. It’s so much less shrill than the usual leftie blog and VERY well thought out in its analyses. Please know that I’m not one to lightly dispense praise.

  • The right has just given up on any attempt to put forth a coherent, rational argument, haven’t they?

    I wish I could giggle while watching them try to piece back together the scattered remains of their ideology … probably because they brought it all on themselves.

    Unfortunately, their ideology has had such destructive and disastrous outcomes that it really isn’t all that funny.

  • Yes, the Congress has met many of its goals.

    They passed a few bills and had them signed by the President. They showed that the Republicans will filibuster most anything.

    But most importantly

    They provided oversight of the executive branch that was sorely lacking for most of the last 6 years.

    Maybe Congress doesn’t get an A+ but, considering the obstacles, they deserve at least a B+

  • Hmmm.

    The Iraqi government failing to meet its goals is similar to the Democratic Congress failing to meet its goals, or so we are told.

    But consider…
    (1) The primary obstacle to success in Iraq is al Qaeda, or so we are told.
    (2) Al Qaeda is a bunch of terrorists — a fact not really in dispute.

    Meanwhile…
    (1) The primary obstacle to successful implementation of the Democratic agenda in Congress is the filibustering Republican minority, pretty much an undeniable fact.
    (2) The Republican minority is…. well, I’ll let you figure it out.

  • Well said, sarabeth. You have to love it when the Neo-Gons unintentionally point out their party’s ClusterFuck Effect.

    As for Levin’s post, (all 20 words of it) only “I know you are but what am I?” could have been more pathetic. And it would have been 19 words if he could have resisted slipping that “reportedly” in there. Sick sad man.

  • That post shows in stark clarity what the wingnuts really care about. They don’t care if the Iraq war is going badly, they don’t care if the quagmire is going to continue and that many many more Americans will die. They definitely don’t care that the Iraqi government is rapidly becoming a despotic Shiite regime and that many thousands more Iraqis will die. They don’t even care if they’re lied to all the time by their leaders. They don’t care about any of that.

    The only thing they consistently care about is finding a way, any way, of lashing out at the Democrats. When you peel away all the bullshit, that’s their entire schtick.

    How pathetic.

  • I think Racer X has it right. They’re acting just like the half wit inbred courtiers of the over bred kings and emperors of long ago where the games of the court are the MOST important act rather than ruling said kingdom or empire. Results don’t matter as long as the other guy looks stupid.

  • I had the same reaction as Jeff. If the Democratic Congress is the Iraqi Government in this analogy, doesn’t that make the Republicans al Qaeda? Or maybe Baathist dead-enders?

  • His brain was replaced by a big foam ‘We’re #1’ finger years ago.

    Partisan encephalopathy. There is no cure, and the prognosis is not good.

  • #8 “I’d love to find a right wing version of The Carpetbagger Report. It’s so much less shrill than the usual leftie blog and VERY well thought out in its analyses. Please know that I’m not one to lightly dispense praise.”

    Yes, me too. One that is “fair and balanced”. (not holding my breath)

  • Maybe if Republicans spent more time fixing Iraq and less time obstructing Democrats, maybe we’d be doing better on all fronts.

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