Posted on 06/18/2005 6:27:39 AM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection
THE RHETORIC from top national Democrats continues to deteriorate so that it now has fallen beneath cheap shots, beneath demagoguery, all the way to the realm of the dangerously unhinged.
Dangerous, because the Al Jazeera Arab-language news station has been posting the remarks to stir up even more anti-American fervor in the Middle East.
The most recent remarks at issue, and the most outrageous, came Tuesday night from Illinois' Sen. Richard Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in Congress' upper chamber. Speaking on the Senate floor about the Guantanamo Bay prison camp for terrorists, Mr. Durbin began by reading an e-mail from a FBI agent, and then said: "If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners."
So now American soldiers are being likened to Nazis and genocidal maniacs -- and by a U.S. senator, no less. And on what basis? Not much. Not one single verified account of torture there. A few copies of the Quran accidentally allowed to get wet. Some other examples, perhaps, of prisoners in a hot place being treated like -- well, like prisoners in a hot place.
But Pol Pot? A gulag? Those are horrendous comparisons.
Yet when a host of Republican senators, including Alabama's Jeff Sessions, criticized Sen. Durbin's remarks, Mr. Durbin took to the Senate floor not to apologize, but to defend and repeat his comments.
Then the Democrats' official Senate leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, had the gall to blame the flap on "the noise machine of the far right" and called it "all a distrac tion by the White House."
Democratic Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Joseph Lieberman, given several opportunities to refute Sen. Durbin's remarks, refused to comment.
Sen. Reid, however, cannot so easily blame Republicans for a controversy of his party's own making, especially since he, too, defended Sen. Durbin.
And it wasn't just Republicans complaining. The commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, John Furgess, said, "The senator was totally out of line for even thinking such thoughts, and we demand he apologize to every man and woman who has ever worn the uniform of our country."
The biggest paper in Sen. Durbin's home state, the Chicago Tribune, blasted Illinois' "cover-
age-hungry senior senator" for the comments and noted he had "displaced the ever-present microphone long enough to insert his foot in his mouth."
What's worse is that the Durbin remarks have become par-for-the-course among the increasingly shrill Democratic leadership. Party chairman Howard Dean, for instance, says something outlandish just about every week. Sen. Ted Kennedy has in recent years accused the Bush administration of "bribery" of foreign leaders.
And in 2004, Democratic candidates, senators and former senators have accused Republicans or Bush of "reopening Saddam's torture chambers," of "viciousness," of being "the most dishonest president since Richard Nixon," of being "the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen," of running a "right-wing slime machine," of being "a phony through and through," and of having "declared war on the middle class."
Politics is one thing. But some of these statements are beneath politics, indeed beneath contempt.
And when they inspire foreign terrorists, as Sen. Durbin's may do, they border on blood libel.
Who is the FBI agent? Oh, just someone that Move-On came up with in it's leaked documents fabrication wing. That is the only source of news these days.
Why has no one asked the obvious - WHY was the combatant restrained in the first place?
When a guard or policeman must restrain someone, it is usually for a very good reason.
Why was this prisoner being restrained???????
Why do any of us care what happens to those whose intent is to kill as many Americans as possible?
I do care that senator Durbin is made to step down for his egregious, cruel, reprehensible, filthy remarks and siding with the enemy. Money couldn’t buy this sort of aid and comfort to our enemies!!!
During WWII we had Tokyo Rose. Now we have Al-Jazeera Dick.
I think that I will forward another e-mail to Turban Durbin just with that title.
I have emailed my senators and asked for censure. I also sent Durbin a letter expressing my displeasure with his aiding and abetting the enemies of the USA.
I hope all of you will do the same.
"...Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings... This was the action of Americans..."Such are the depths to which the Left has sunk.
The American political and cultural center has shifted dramatically to Middle America from the Leftist power centers. This is the reason.
My parents, grandparents, and great grandparents were all Democrats. My children are all Republicans.
we have freepers on this forum linking carole keeton strayhorn, the comptroller of texas, to hitler.
so, as much as i resent senator durbin's remarks,
this forum doesn't have higher principles.
Republicans of today don't have the prunes to do what is necessary. I'm ashamed of them.
I have and am still writing, faxing and phoning - it is imperative we continue to do so until this stupid senator who has so little regard for his country, he would stoop so low as to impugn everyone at Gitmo; all our Military and side with the enemy. He has never even been to Guantanamo ...the FBI report is questionable....produce it and the man/woman who wrote it!
Making a comparison to Hitler isn't necessarily wrong.
But comparing our troops to the Nazis and other murderous thugs is wrong. It's wrong because it isn't true and it's especially outrageous when our nation is at war and our men and women in uniform are in harm's way.
And unlike past wars, it's not just our soldiers who are at risk now. The jihadists want to kill us because we are Americans. Opening up Gitmo and letting them toddle back to their gangs would be a deadly mistake. This is what Durban wants to shame the administration into doing, just for political gain.
Things around here were so much different in the 90's and early 2000's. Last few years have really been very bizarre. I returned after being absent for a while only to be greeted by little toadies demanding admin abolish me for DNC motivated comments. Now I too see a lot of what you describe. It would be nice to have a room which excluded anyone who arrived after 2002.
same here.
there are trojan socialists and feminists on this forum.
they don't post often, but when something that they disagree with strongly comes up, and needs turning, they emerge and post against it.
i find it annoying that people who disagree with freerepublic have that much influence.
thank you.
_________________________________
Dick Durbin
Phone - Washington: (202)224-2152
Phone - Chicago: (312)353-4952
Phone - Springfield (217)492-4062 Suzanne Palmera
_________________________________
E-mail: dick@durbin.senate.gov
_________________________________
HorseSh**. A private citizen calling a public offical a nazi is not comaparble to a US senator standing up in the seanate and calling our troops nazis. If you can't see the difference you have a problem. A person on FR calling Carole a nazi is not going to get a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan killed, their remarks are not used as propaganda on Al-Jazeera. If you believe your idiotic statement, no apology will be forthcoming from me for this remark BTW, then I suggest you go in for a brain transplant immediately, you are in dire need of one.
your comments would never be printed in a newspaper, or spoken on the tv or radio.
Right on, Bossy!
He/she/it must have been "Deep Throat Lite". Maybe one of
Dan Rather's sources. Of course it could be Turban Durbin's
smoking materials. Notice how such people, when they really
exist, do not have the guts to identify themselves. They
usually do not provide real documentation. Now I'm back to
the Rather blather...
This source sounds like it's coming from the State Dept, the place is swarming with commies.
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