PSEUDO PATRIOTISM .........

[KoKo]

By David Podvin

The United States Senate has voted 72-25 to express “the sense of the Senate that General David H. Petraeus, commanding general, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces.” The resolution was passed by a bipartisan coalition comprised of forty-nine Republicans who emulated Joseph McCarthy and twenty-three Invertebrates who channeled Barney Fife. Congratulations must be extended to Hillary Clinton for voting “no” and to Barack Obama for fleeing in terror. Whatever motivation led her to oppose the resolution Clinton showered herself with glory, and since Obama didn’t have the guts to stand tall he was wise to make himself scarce.

Then there are the rabble rousers who use congressional resolutions as garrotes with which they strangle dissent. Their latest orgy of pseudo patriotism represents conservative politics at its most demagogic: “The Senate strongly condemns personal attacks on the honor and integrity … of all members of the United States Armed Forces.” Point of clarification: Are we allowed to condemn the torturers at Abu Ghraib? How about the Marines who slaughtered citizens in Haditha? And what of the GI’s who have raped our own female soldiers? Is their honor and integrity also beyond critique? Or is this resolution somewhat rhetorically overblown, and the practical significance is that we are merely forbidden from criticizing generals who spew deceit while promoting the corporate agenda?

MoveOn.org was overly kind to General Petraeus. Not only has Petraeus betrayed the American people, history will record that he is a liar and a coward. The general cravenly deceived the public when he told Congress that The Surge is working:
-snip-

Despite that most perceptive evaluation rendered by a noble military man whose honor and integrity Republicans insist must never be questioned, conservatives still claim that MoveOn has smeared Petraeus. Yet as grand artisans of the smear, reactionaries recognize that the liberal “assault” upon the general has been meager. After all, conservatives are the world class character assassins who spent eight years falsely accusing Bill Clinton of rape and murder and treason. The right wing ruthlessly slimed Al Gore and then viciously slandered John Kerry and had Petraeus testified against the war he would have learned what it means to be smeared by the masters.

The contrived outrage over MoveOn’s ad is reminiscent of the cynical GOP response following the Wellstone memorial service. After liberals celebrated the life of a deceased progressive leader the right wing threw a well-coordinated temper tantrum, ostensibly because the Left had politicized the funeral of a politician. The diversionary tactic successfully redirected voter attention from the corruption of the Republican Congress. Having been whipped into an hysterical frenzy the conservative rank and file stormed the polls, allowing the Dark Side to maintain power.

more at.......
http://makethemaccountable.com/index.php/2007/09/23/david-podvin-pseudo-patriotism/

[bobthedrummer]

1. K&R

IMPEACH CHENEY FIRST

[pudding man]

2. Blindly waving a flag ...

"Blindly waving a flag and spouting jingoism has never, ever,
a Patriot made. And never will!"
- MadMan

[slipslidingaway]

3. Thanks K&R n/t