The inevitable Warner smear

August 25, 2007

By any reasonable measure, Sen. John Warner’s (R-Va.) call this week for a slight reduction in U.S. forces in Iraq was pretty weak tea. Warner “suggested” to the White House — he opposes any congressional mandates — that the president bring home 5,000 troops by Christmas. As withdrawal plans go, Warner’s recommendation was little more than a symbolic gesture — he’s talking about a 2% drawdown.

But that didn’t stop former Bush aide Bradley Blakeman, president and CEO of Freedom’s Watch (a far-right MoveOn.org knockoff), from blasting Warner last night on PBS. (Transcript, Video)

JUDY WOODRUFF: Does something like the announcement by Senator John Warner yesterday, the veteran Republican senator, urging the president to begin to pull troops out this fall, does that hurt your cause?

BRADLEY BLAKEMAN: Well, it hurts the cause of freedom and giving the Iraqis the opportunity to stand on their feet.

Blakeman went on to accuse war critics of using “scare tactics.” (Freedom Watch’s ads argue that we have to stay in Iraq because “they attacked us,” and insist withdrawal will lead to another 9/11.)

I’m curious; if Blakeman and other GOP attack dogs are going to blast Warner for “hurting the cause of freedom,” what are they going to do about Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, who are expected to urge the president to reduce the U.S. force in Iraq by almost half?

Let me guess; they’re enemies of freedom, too. Indeed, everyone who believes the Iraq war is undermining our national security interests — the troops, the public, lawmakers — all apparently hate freedom, and all deserve to be smeared accordingly.

For that it’s worth, Warner isn’t backpedaling, at least not yet.

Sen. John Warner’s suggestion that some troops leave Iraq by the end of the year has roiled the White House, with administration officials saying they’ve asked the influential Republican to clarify that he has not broken politically with President Bush.

But Warner said Friday that he stands by his remarks and that he did not object to how his views have been characterized.

“I’m not going to issue any clarification,” Warner, R-Va., said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I don’t think any clarification is needed.” […]

Asked whether he had indeed split with Bush on Iraq, he declined to say and said his remarks speak for themselves. “You have to surmise that on your own,” he said.

I feel kind of silly defending Warner — his withdrawal “request” is kind of a joke — but given the timidity of his proposal, and the ferocity of the right-wing response, I guess a defense is in order.

All this seems to add up to only one consequence: John Warner will retire.

  • I hate it when the cause of freedom is hurt. And I sure am glad that someone is giving the Iraqi’s the opportunity to stand on their feet. Too bad the proposed Iraqi oil “sharing” agreement favors foreign oil companies to the tune of 75% of oil revenues. Sounds like the Iraqi’s will only have the opportunity to hop on one leg instead.

    But at least the cause of freedom won’t be hurt anymore.

  • How many dim-Dems are going to be cowed by this McCarthy-like tactic? And what will it take for the lock-step discipline of the Rethugs to break?

  • John Warner will retire. And he knows that the Iraq war is breaking the nation’s military might–which was a labor of love (of country) for Sen. Warner and which he was instrumental in building.

  • … be vewy quiet … thewis a wepubwican thwoing cwap again … and you dickheads are all expecting the words of the prophet … again …

    You better watch out carpertbaggers, you is one of my 3 favorite blogs and usually make more sense than most but to even stop to ‘see’ if anything coming out of the crap hole of a repub is worthwhile I am disappointed to say the least ..

    I remember fondly the days that one of their worst -good ol’ piece of shit specter- saying he was going to do his best about this or that blah blah blah … blathering lies was HIS best, he never did anything else except ‘deflect attention’ -all repubs do- they simply do not have it in them those repubs- NOTHING and I mean NOTHING worthy can come from those assholes.

    We know of the broken clock being right twice a day so of course they are bound to let something sensible slip out once in a while .. why lose time with those fuckers when we can hear the same from one of our own .. now is the time to ‘regroup’ -even retreat to better ‘regroup’- then we let it all out and eliminate the repubs like they all wanted to eliminate the idiocrats … shhheeeessshhh la clinton is as much a whore as any repubs so be careful while ‘regrouping’, but one of/on our side should be able to get rid of the cunt .. hopefully .. one thing for sure we can not count on the people being sensible enough not to elect the whore so it is up to another candidate to rise up …. that is what I call wishful thinking if I ever saw wishful thinking … but then again I do not claim to have much sanity/logic left after 6 years of the crap we just been thru …

  • oooppps … sowwy in the last sentence I meant to wite: ” .. after six years of cwap …”

  • Actually, Pace has declared the 50% line as fiction. He never said it and has no intention of saying it. It was a story that had no legs. Warner is indeed retiring, so he has no repurcussions pending. Nothing to lose makes for nice ploy fodder. And you fell for it. Good going.

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