Posted on 04/06/2003 5:57:31 PM PDT by SeenTheLight
I never thought I’d be saying this, but Dr. Phil is my new hero. Although I’m not a talk show fan, on a personal level, I’ve always appreciated his frankness and down-to-earth manners, but up until now, I was unaware of his political views. Well, after Friday’s (4/4) show, I think it’s safe to say that Dr. Phil is on the right side of the fence.
I was dreading another depressing panel discussion on Washington Week in Review, so I flipped the channel and just happened to run across a preview for the Dr. Phil show. U.S. military uniforms caught my eye, followed by an excerpt from an interview with the mother of Shoshana Johnson, one of the POW’s in Iraq. That would have been enough to rope me in, but suddenly I saw a face on the screen that unfortunately, I know only too well. Medea Benjamin, the anti-war activist from Global Exchange and Code Pink, was going to be interviewed. And not only that, but from the look of it, Dr. Phil and his audience were going to give her hell. Now this I had to watch.
Dr. Phil began somewhat gingerly and assured Ms. Benjamin and her companion, far too many times in my opinion, that they certainly have the right to feel however they want to feel and to express those feelings. Things were getting a little touchy-feely for me, but then Dr. Phil shifted into high gear. His attempts to elicit an answer from Benjamin as to whether protesters’ anti-war activities could be used by Saddam Hussein’s regime as a propaganda tool, or that they might undermine the morale of our troops, was unsuccessful. Apparently Dr. Phil had to learn what many of us have already discovered; that liberals are incapable of answering direct questions.
Time and time again, Benjamin avoided those questions and instead launched into a well-rehearsed rant about the “unjust, illegal, and immoral war” and so on. Finally, Dr. Phil got her to admit that she does occasionally think about what effect her activities have, but in the end, she has to go with her “conscience.” Too bad her conscience is such a selective one.
She kept insisting the oft-repeated claim by the left, that she supports our troops so much that she wants them home. It’s a little hard to swallow this coming from a person who routinely accuses the U.S. military of being butchers, but that’s a minor point. She also referred twice to her experience protesting the Vietnam War, and managed to get in the word “quagmire” at least once. After detailing her activism and expressing her frustration that she hadn’t been able to get through to President Bush for the last four months (as if he didn’t have better things to do), Benjamin pronounced that our “democracy isn’t working.” Not missing a beat, Dr. Phil replied that it’s working alright, but “maybe it just doesn’t agree with you,” causing the audience to howl.
Benjamin and company were definitely not in their element with Dr. Phil and his show. Many in the audience were families of soldiers in Iraq and active military members, and there was anger on the faces of more than a few of them, as they were forced to listen to Benjamin’s ravings. When she expressed her conviction that we should pull out of the war, and send in the UN instead, the audience erupted in laughter. Then, in a condescending tone, she informed us all that “it’s not the United States’ place to interfere with Iraq,” which went over real well. And as usual, she expressed her concern for the innocent people of Iraq, while simultaneously, opposing the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and his regime.
It was clear that Benjamin was convinced of her own righteousness in this matter, to the point of fanaticism. In one of her rants, she described waking up each day in frustration at the state of the world and how she just wanted “all the killing to stop!” For some reason, this doesn’t seem to extend to the killing that goes on in Iraq under the direction of Saddam Hussein. Dr. Phil assured her, in a tone you would use with a madwoman, that we all hate war and want peace, but the fact is, we’re at war right now and we’ve got to support our troops while their fighting. Benjamin didn’t look like she was ready to accept this news, and she continued with her lamentations.
The last ten minutes of the show consisted of audience involvement, and their comments were very telling. One woman stood up and spoke sincerely about how she loves her country, and supports President Bush, who she called a “God fearing man.” You could see the incomprehension on the faces of Benjamin and her friend, who squirmed uncomfortably in their seats. Others made comments against pacifism, while many reacted with barely concealed anger. A planted Code Pink colleague got up and said her bit, while Medea looked on approvingly, and one confused soul, expressed her uncertainty about the war and what to think about it. You could just imagine Benjamin making a mental note to approach this potential convert after the show.
Dr. Phil said a couple of times that he didn’t know enough about the war or the politics involved to have an opinion. I found his humility refreshing, considering that he’s a talk show host, and I only wish other celebrities would follow suit. But he did describe his family’s military background, held up a photo of his brother serving in Iraq, and expressed very strong support for Coalition troops. In summing up his opinion about Media and her ilk, he reiterated their rights, but recommended that they consider the responsibilities that come with them.
Somehow, I doubt he got through to those two, but the experience must have been a jarring one for them. It reminded me of the stunned expression on the faces of the Hollywood gliteratti at the Academy Awards when Michael Moore was booed. All of a sudden, America’s elite was face to face with the American heartland, and they found themselves out of their league and vastly outnumbered. Thanks go to Dr. Phil and his audience for giving a couple of these phonies the straight dope. Now, how about getting Martin Sheen on the show next week?
Medea is rather appropriately named, isn't she?
Yes, I too have noticed the "anti-war" crowd trying to co-opt symbols of true patriotism. I guess it says something about how desperate they are for attention, because they know that's the only way to get it.
Naw....Im afraid that if I started weeping over that kind of stuff.....my overhaul galluses would begin to rust.
American Shooter......now that's the kind of show that gets me feeling all fuzzy inside.
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