Posted on 05/28/2008 12:16:30 PM PDT by MuttTheHoople
What did Chamberlain do? What is appeasement?
And what happened to John McCain's arms?
One of the little election year mini-dramas making the Internet rounds is of MSNBC's Chris Matthews' insistent questioning of talk show host Kevin James over the issue of appeasement. "What did Chamberlain do?" Matthews asks his Hardball guest repeatedly. Mr. James was unable to answer with historical specifics.
As it happens, I've met Mr. Matthews, spending an afternoon with him several years ago at his MSNBC office in the company of a friend who was interviewing him for a profile in the Financial Times. The article never ran, amazingly enough, because the FT decided an American TV talk show host wasn't of real interest to its readers, something that I admit caused me to laugh out loud.
What I find interesting about Matthews these days is the reasoning that has driven him so far over the cliff in his anti-war persona, knowing full well that he has been a devoted student of Winston Churchill. Churchill was and is, of course, famous for his opposition to Neville Chamberlain and Chamberlain's predecessor as prime minister, Conservative Party stalwart Stanley Baldwin. Churchill's opposition to both men, successively the leaders of his own Conservative Party, was based on his passionate belief that neither fully appreciated the danger that was Hitler's Germany. Radio talk show host James was, to his considerable disadvantage in a conversation with Matthews, obviously unfamiliar with the details and unable to translate them to the current day.
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
It’s not really Chris Matthews’ fault that Kevin James is even dumber than he is.
Not a fan of John McCain but this is a powerful article on the dangers of appeasement and the fools among us who do not recognize evil.
Knowing-evil-when-you-look-into-its-face bump.
Kevin James wasn’t treated fairly. He was asked to appear on Matthews’ show to comment on President Bush’s appeasement statement, not to take a history quiz.
If you don't know the basic history of the 20th century, you shouldn't claim to be a spokesman for conservatives.
This is not a trivia quiz question - it is essential knowledge.
Wonder how many years to make him understand border security and the *evil* of the MMCC alarmism? Not to mention a few other issues.
From the article - powerful stuff not enough citizens will read...
As this election year unfolds, as once again the spiritual heirs of Neville Chamberlain and Matthews’s ex-boss Jimmy Carter try to win the American presidency and turn the United States into the world’s leading advocate of appeasement of those who promise yet again the mass murder of the Jews — not to mention Americans — it is worthwhile to remember just why one American presidential candidate can’t wave to the crowds in the same graceful, elegant style of his opponent.
And to remember that every time John McCain does wave in that awkward fashion, the rest of us need to understand what we are really seeing. We are seeing a deeply personal reminder of one human being’s actual, very physical, very tortuous encounter with evil.
Unfortunately, John McCain's horrific experience as a POW that left him with permanent 'reminders' of that long-ago ordeal have also motivated him to favor treating Islamic jihadists captured on the battlefield to be treated as common criminals. This misguided stand includes the closing of Gitmo, which is probably about 10,000 times better than any prison McCain was held in. Sadly, the Arizona senator fails to grasp the necessity for Gitmo, along with the necessity of border security and the fallacy behind the global warming scam.
I respect John McCain and gladly acknowledge his service to his country, including his imprisonment by the North Vietnamese and subsequent torture at their hands. That he now views a few seconds of having water poured over a prisoner's face (so he believes he is drowning) is 'torture' is disappointing, to say the least, but probably a symptom of McCain's painful memory of his actual torture as a POW.
This misjudgment, along with many others, makes it impossible for me to vote for John McCain in November....and I'm not alone.
Wow, I thought Global warming did that to his arms.
He told his daughter that’s what he fears, so I just figured......
It might be crass or a symptom of my frustration. Using ones war experience as a qualification for the presidency (see J.F. Kerry) doesn't give license to go against common sense and/or the will of the electorate.
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