ETHICS
When Hate Radio Attacks...
Last Wednesday, right-wing pundit and "hate
radio" pioneer Rush Limbaugh declared that U.S. troops who support
withdrawal from Iraq are "phony
soldiers." Limbaugh made the off-handed comment on his daily radio
show while engaging in conversation with a caller about Iraq.
As Media Matters first noted,
Limbaugh said, "[I]t's not possible, intellectually, to follow
these people" who call for a withdrawal. The caller replied, "No, it's
not, and what's really funny is, they never talk to real soldiers. They
like to pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and talk to
the media." Limbaugh interjected, "The
phony soldiers." The caller agreed, replying, "The phony
soldiers." Limbaugh's slap at "phony soldiers" appears to be a direct
attack on seven members of the 82nd Airborne who wrote
a New York Times op-ed in August, warning that Iraqis had been
"robbed of their self-respect" as a result of the invasion and would
"soon realize that the best way to regain dignity is to call us what we
are -- an army of occupation -- and force
our withdrawal." A poll conducted last December found that, at the time (prior
to the escalation), 37
percent of the military believed we should not have gone to
Iraq, while one in five felt we should have fewer troops on the ground.
...THE LEFT FIGHTS BACK: Limbaugh's smear has generated a fast and furious response from the
left.
Last Friday, the Democratic Senate leadership began circulating a letter on Capitol Hill that called on Clear Channel CEO Mark Mays, Limbaugh's
employer, to repudiate the "phony troops" remark. The letter, signed by
Sens. Harry Reid (D-NV), Dick Durbin (D-IL),
Charles Schumer (D-NY), and Patty Murray (D-WA), states that
Limbaugh's
comments were "outrageous"
and "unconscionable." Mays has since responded,
offering his "regret" for Limbaugh's comments. On Monday, Reid took to
the Senate floor and challenged those senators who recently criticized
a MoveOn.org newspaper ad to condemn Limbaugh "with equal
fervor." Also last week, Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) announced that he
would be introducing
a resolution in the House criticizing Limbaugh. Several lawmakers
have made comments denouncing the smear. VoteVets.org, a
pro-military organization founded by veterans of the war in Iraq and
Afghanistan, has released a series of ads,
highlighting the faces of soldiers who oppose Bush's failed policy in
Iraq. Additionally, retired Gen. Wesley Clark has called on activists
to demand
Limbaugh be taken
off Armed Forces Radio.
...LIMBAUGH IMPLODES: As a
result of having been forcefully condemned for his smear, Limbaugh has responded
with revisionist history, claiming he was taken out of context.
Limbaugh argues his "phony soldiers" remark was actually in reference
to one man -- Jesse MacBeth -- who pretended to be an injured Iraq
war veteran. But in fact, Limbaugh did not make reference to MacBeth
on that show until nearly two minutes after talking about "phony
soldiers" who opposed the war. Also, he used the phrase "phony
soldiers" in direct
response to his caller's complaint that we "never" hear from
"real soldiers" who oppose the war, only troops who "spout" against the
war "in the media." Moreover, when attempting to clarify his remarks on
Friday, Limbaugh severely undermined his case by identifying
Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), who earned the bronze star and two
purple hearts during 37 years of service, as an example of a "phony
soldier." Having been placed
under the microscope for his smears against the troops, Limbaugh has
begun lashing out, calling Reid a "nut."
Rather than offer an apology to defuse the situation, Limbaugh instead
fueled it by claiming to apologize on behalf of Media Matters for
creating a "firestorm
over something that did not happen." And yesterday, Limbaugh took
his defense to an even more insulting level, comparing an Iraq
war veteran who criticized him to a suicide bomber.
...THE RIGHT WING CIRCLES THE
WAGONS: Evidence of his powerful influence in conservative circles, Limbaugh
has
found no shortage of defenders on the right, including Fox News, Republican
lawmakers, the Drudge
Report, and right-wing
blogs. While House Democrats were pushing a resolution to condemn
the "unwarranted
slur" made by Limbaugh, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) took exactly the
opposite tact, offering a resolution to "commend"
Limbaugh's "commitment to American troops." In the wake of the recent
furor over a MoveOn ad against Gen. David Petraeus, 72 Senators
stood to "strongly
condemn any effort to attack the honor and integrity" of any member
of the U.S. forces. But the Senate letter calling on Clear Channel to
repudiate Limbaugh's comments have garnered only 41 votes, lacking the
support of a
single Republican and 10
Democrats. Right-wing radio host Melanie Morgan offered a
full-throated defense of Limbaugh that echoed his smear. She called
soldiers involved with the VoteVets organization "anti-America"
"fake" "posers." Fox News has performed its obligatory spin on
the incident, offering an unfair
and unbalanced perspective that takes Limbaugh's side while
attacking his critics.
HEALTH CARE -- PRESIDENT BUSH
'QUIETLY' VETOES SCHIP WITHOUT 'CEREMONY': Both the Senate and the House have passed an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) with strong bipartisan majorities, but the Bush
administration has vetoed
it. Asked yesterday if there would be a ceremony today when
the President signs the veto, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino
said, "I would not anticipate that there would be any ceremony." She
added, "The
President will probably veto it quietly." It's not surprising that
Bush is hoping no one notices his veto, which will deny
health coverage to four million children. Over 70
percent of Americans support Congress's proposed SCHIP increase.
Bush has stated that he opposes funding the program with revenue from
cigarette taxes, even though such taxes are tied
to decreases in smoking. Furthermore, the public overwhelmingly
supports raising tobacco taxes, by a
margin of 67 percent to 28 percent. Bush knows his veto is
unpopular. After all, he's
certainly not opposed to lavish ceremonies and using children for
political photo-ops.
ADMINISTRATION -- FORMER BUSH LAWYER
CALLS SPY PROGRAM A 'LEGAL MESS': Jack
Goldsmith, a former Bush administration attorney, told Congress
yesterday that President Bush's warrantless
wiretapping program was "the
biggest legal
mess [he] had ever encountered" and after leading an internal
review, he "could
not find a legal basis for some aspects of the program." Contradicting testimony by former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who said there
were no "serious disagreements about the program" within the
administration, Goldsmith stated, "There
were enormous disagreements," with the internal fight culminating
"in a threat by Goldsmith, [former Deputy Attorney General James]
Comey, and others to resign
en masse if the program were allowed to continue without changes."
Goldsmith added that Vice President Cheney's counsel
David Addington had "told him that his
position might mean failure to halt a new terrorist attack that
would leave him with the blood of thousands on his hands." Goldsmith's
testimony also emphasized the reluctance
of the White House to allow any
oversight of its wiretapping program.
ETHICS -- BUSH THREATENS VETO
ON INSPECTORS GENERAL REFORM BILL: Rep. Jim Cooper
(D-TN) recently introduced a bill designed to "strengthen
the independence of the government's inspectors general," which
would "provide inspectors general with seven-year terms, let them
submit budget requests directly to Congress and permit the White House
to fire
them only for cause." "The White House has threatened
to veto the legislation, saying it would
improperly diminish presidential control over budgets and interfere
with the president's constitutional authority to remove
inspectors
general when warranted." IG abuse is rampant
within the Bush administration. Recently, House Oversight Committee
Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) noted that State
Department IG Howard Krongard "repeatedly interfered with on-going
investigations to protect
the State Department and the White House from political embarrassment." Waxman wrote that one "consistent
allegation" is that Krongard believes his "foremost
mission is to support the Bush Administration." Despite President
Bush's opposition, the
legislation "seemed likely to move
forward with little controversy" since the bill has received
bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. Sen. Claire
McCaskill (D-MO) believes that the Bush's threatened veto "will fail to translate
into Republican votes against the bill."
|
Though Blackwater USA CEO Erik Prince told a congressional committee
yesterday that the company's guards opened fire on only 195 occasions
in Iraq since 2005, "two former Blackwater security guards" stated they
believe "employees
fired more often than the company has disclosed. "The underreporting
of shooting incidents was routine in Iraq," said one guard.
The Bush administration has made "seemingly
inconsistent decisions"
when releasing prisoners they deem "among America's most-hardened
criminals" from Guantanamo Bay, according to Pentagon documents. "Human
rights groups contend that the documents show" that the military panels
are often "overridden by political expediency."
The State Department launched its own blog last week, called
"Dipnote."
People have already complained "that the white print on a black
background makes it hard to read" Finally, "unbiased news directly from
the federal government, a
news source long noted for truthful, unbiased reporting," the
Washington Post's Al Kamen mockingly writes.
The Army has met its stated recruiting goal of 80,000 new
active-duty soldiers for FY2007. But to achieve this goal, "the Army
rushed enlistees into its ranks more quickly than usual, depleting the
number in the pipeline for next year to less than 7,000 -- the
smallest in more than a decade."
The Polish ambassador to Iraq was wounded and a civilian was
killed in a car bomb that went off in downtown Baghdad today.
Approximately 900
Polish troops are currently stationed south of Baghdad training
Iraqi personnel.
And finally: Final score: Boxer 3, Inhofe 0. Sen. James
Inhofe (R-OK) has repeatedly challenged Sen. Barbara Boxer's (D-CA) authority over the Senate environmental
committee. During one hearing, she had to inform him, "You don't make the rules
anymore." Yesterday, Boxer
slammed down Inhofe's assertion that she couldn't invite sitting senators to the hearings, pointing out
that in Sept. 2006, he invited Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN). "I don't
mind if we have disagreements, but...let's get the facts right," she
admonished him. |
|
|
A new proposal from the Marines would mandate that commanders check
dismissed soldiers for evidence of mental health problems from combat
stress, encouraging "early
treatment and screening."
TEXAS:
Several mayors along the Texas-Mexico border "have begun a quiet
protest of the federal government's plans to build a fence along the
border."
NEW
YORK: Local police say federal agents acted like
"cowboys" in a recent immigration raid, mistakenly aiming their weapons.
MICHIGAN:
Powerful business interests threaten to "wreck" a recent budget
solution.
THINK
PROGRESS: The Christian Coalition applauds McCain's religious
bigotry, claims it "might make him President."
THINK
PROGRESS: The Brookings Institution's Michael O'Hanlon defends his
old friend Gen.
David Petraeus, says he's "convinced" the Pentagon is wrong on Iraq
stats.
ESCHATON:
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) makes "veiled threats" towards Rep. Henry
Waxman (D-CA) on CSPAN's Washington Journal.
TPM
MUCKRAKER: Blackwater CEO Erik Prince connected to dirty tricks
scheme in '06 Pennsylvania Senate race.
"This is such a blatant use of a valiant combat veteran, lying to him
about what I said and then strapping those lies to his belt, sending
him out via the media and a TV ad to walk into as many people as he can
walk into."
-- Rush Limbaugh, 10/2/07,
attacking Iraq war veteran Brian McGough for appearing in a Vote Vets ad
VERSUS
"I can assure you that I am no suicide bomber and that I can think for
myself."
-- McGough, 10/2/07,
who was injured by a "real-life suicide bomber" in Iraq
|
Topic Cloud
