Yep. There are rules here
Posted on 11/30/2005 3:51:28 PM PST by Plutarch
When Democratic Rep. John Murtha called for the withdrawal of American troops in the middle of the war, Republicans immediately leapt to action by calling Murtha a war hero, a patriot and a great American.
I haven't heard Republicans issue this many encomiums to one man since Ronald Reagan died. By now, Murtha has been transformed into the greatest warrior since Alexander the Great and is probably dating Jennifer Aniston.
In response to Murtha's demand for the "immediate withdrawal of American troops" -- as The New York Times put it -- President Bush called Murtha a "fine man, a good man" who served with "honor and distinction," who "is a strong supporter of the United States military." He said he knew Murtha's "decision to call for an immediate withdrawal of our troops ... was done in a careful and thoughtful way."
Vice President Dick Cheney called Murtha "a good man, a Marine, a patriot."
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Murtha is "a fine man, I know him personally ... and it's perfectly proper to have a debate over these things, and have a public debate."
National Security Adviser Steve Hadley called in his praise for Murtha from South Korea, saying Murtha was "a veteran, a veteran congressman and a great leader in the Congress."
During the House debate on Murtha's insane proposal to withdraw troops in the middle of the war, Rep. Henry Hyde (news, bio, voting record), R-Ill., said Murtha deserved an "A-plus as a truly great American," and Rep. Curt Weldon (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., said "none of us should think of questioning his motives or desires for American troops."
On the House floor, both Republicans and Democrats repeatedly gave Murtha rousing standing ovations. There was so much praise for Murtha that one of his Democratic colleagues asked him if he still had to attend Murtha's funeral.
What is this? Special Olympics for the Democrats? Can't Republicans disagree with a Democrat who demands that the U.S. surrender in the middle of a war without erecting monuments to him first? What would happen if a Democrat were to propose restoring Saddam Hussein to power? Is that Medal of Freedom territory?
I don't know what Republicans imagine they're getting out of all this love they keep throwing at Democrats. I've never heard a single liberal preface attacks on Oliver North with a recitation of North's magnificent service as a Marine. And unlike Murtha, who refuses to release his medical records showing he was entitled to his two Purple Hearts, we know what North did. (These Democrat military veterans are hardly shrinking violets when it comes to citing their medals, but they get awfully squeamish when pressed for details.)
We also know what Rep. Randy Cunningham , R-Calif., did to earn his medals. One of only two American Navy aces that the Vietnam War produced, Cunningham shot down five MiGs, three in one day, including a North Vietnamese pilot with 13 American kills. Cunningham never did something as insane as proposing that we withdraw troops in the middle of a war, but this week he did admit to taking bribes.
And yet, no Democrat breathed a word of Cunningham's unquestioned heroism before rushing to denounce him as "the latest example of the culture of corruption" -- in the words of Rep. Nancy Pelosi .
Sen. Teddy Kennedy didn't issue a 20-minute soliloquy on what a wonderful man Judge Robert Bork was as a human being before attacking his judicial philosophy. Kennedy just laid into Bork like he was George Lincoln Rockwell.
Speaking of which, George Lincoln Rockwell, former head of the American Nazi Party, served in the military during World War II. Are we obligated to praise his war service before disputing his views?
CNN's Bill Schneider summarized the Republican love-fest for Murtha by saying that House Republicans "started calling him some very ugly names -- cowardly, shameful, he wanted to cut and run, he wanted to surrender to the terrorists, emboldening the enemy." Are we all looking at the same "intelligence"?
The only Republican congressman who did not offer to have sex with John Murtha on the House floor was Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio. While debating Murtha's own proposal to withdraw American troops from Iraq in the middle of a war waged to depose a monstrous dictator who posed a threat to American national security, Schmidt made the indisputably true remark that Marines don't cut and run. (She was right! Murtha voted against his own proposal.)
Schmidt's precise words were: "I received a call from Col. Danny Bubp. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message, that cowards cut and run, Marines never do." Bubp later said -- pointlessly -- that he was not calling Murtha a coward. Neither was Jean Schmidt. (These guys are very brave facing down the VC, but cower before the MSM.)
Now Schmidt is Emmanuel Goldstein, subjected to the liberals' Orwellian two-minutes hate, and not one Republican will defend her. If Republicans were one-tenth as rough with the congressman who wants to withdraw troops in the middle of a war as they are on a congresswoman who calls it cowardly to withdraw troops in the middle of a war, we might have a functioning Republican Party.
Should a congressmen "get rough" his name and reputation would be so slandered by the MSM that he might not get elected dog catcher. What Ann said about not being afraid of the VC but cowering at the MSM is some food for thought.
Yep. There are rules here
Just a pre-emptive strike or a diversion if you will, while they called his bluff, 403-3.
Her best column in a long while, a real home run.
Well said 'Pod. Can I call you Pod?
"I can't understand the republicans aversion to saying not nice things about the traitors amongst us."
I believe they are intimidated by the media.
When I emailed her to compliment her after her speech about Murtha, I said she was one of the few with "testicular fortitude".
Pretty good!
what Ann fails to realise is that if the GOP doesn't praise this man's military service, they will be portrayed as NOT doing so.
In the end, they voted to keep the soldiers in Iraq, but I guess that escapes Ann altogether.
Get her a donut also. She must've skipped Thanksgiving Dinner.
I wanted to say "nads", but maybe she doesn't watch "Beavis and Butthead"
The only Republican congressman who did not offer to have sex with John Murtha on the House floor was Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio.
But even Jean Schmidt backed down under pressure from her own party.
It's kind of like a football game where Ohio State is playing the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind and doing everything they can to lose.
This is absolutely the first I have heard about this. Talk about things that make you go, Hmmmm!
I haven't heard that Murtha actually was a bad marine, but this does make me wonder. If it's legitimate for Democrats to repeatedly ask what Bush is hiding, especially since he has released every last document, why is it illegitimate to ask what kerry and murtha are hiding?
Furthermore, this is only an issue because, like kerry's Vietnam war service, Democrats have insistently made it an issue.
When are we going to see kerry's war records? When are we going to see Murtha's war records?
Aww come on you guys! Don't you get it yet. If anyone had said he was un-American the Dems and 5th Column would have jumped on the old "see if you dissagree they (the Right) say you're unpatriotic." If anyone had questioned his war record, they would have started the whole "SwiftBoat, but he's a war hero" argument. We can't win those arguments!
We did win the vote though and now every one of those idiots is eating crow while we seem to be above the frey.
It reminds me of a scene in CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER. The President's friend has just been killed by Columbian Drug lords for stealing the money he was supposed to be laundering for them. The President is all worried about how it will look and all his advisors are saying "Play down your relationship." When good ol Jack Ryan jumps in with NO! If they ask if you were friends say you were GOOD friends. If they ask were you good friends say LIFELONG friends. Give them no place to go and let the facts speak for themselves.
All it does is keep the argument on topic and emotion out of it.
Sorry but as you say let's be real, the French are much tougher than the GOP.
Roger that.
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