Poor Sean Hannity

King ^ | April 22, 2003 | Charley Reese

[Beenliedto]

Poor Sean Hannity

Sean Hannity, a radio talk-show host and Fox News whiner, has a one-rut mind. Every criticism or dissent, no matter what the subject, the topic or the source, is a left-wing attack against his hero, George W. Bush.

Well, what can you expect from an immature groupie? Every time he tries to think, his face reflects the pain of the effort. But he really showed his emptiness recently when he said that criticism of the United States failing to guard the Iraqi National Museum was — you guessed it — just left-wing soreheads who are mad that President Bush's war has been so successful.

Give me a break. That museum is one of the five greatest museums on Earth. It contained treasures that are the heritage of mankind. There are 140,000 U.S. military personnel in Iraq. We've protected all the oil fields, north and south. Do you really believe we couldn't have spared two fire teams to guard the irreplaceable artifacts of the beginnings of Western civilization? Of course we could have. Somebody just goofed.

This is not a left/right, liberal/conservative issue. It's not a question of patriots versus traitors, as the morons among the neoconservative crowd try to paint every human being who refuses to click his heels and salute their guru, Richard Perle, and their emperor, George Bush. This is a cultural issue. Three great treasures — the museum, the National Library and the largest collection of Koranic writings in the world — were looted and burned. Since we had destroyed the Iraqi government, it was our responsibility to protect them.

I don't blame President Bush. I'm sure he's unaware of their existence. After all, he brags about not reading. But what would we say if the crowds who have rioted in Washington in the past had been allowed to loot and burn the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress? Do you think we would have accepted an excuse that there weren't enough cops to protect those two treasures?

One hates to disillusion the permanently adolescent among us, but this tiny sliver of life in which we are participating is a dot on a long line of human civilization. One day, we will be as forgotten as the Assyrians, and hopefully some museum will have artifacts from our brief stay on the stage of history.

There is a definitely a whiff of anti-intellectualism — so characteristic of fascist states — in the air. Beware of bully boys who worship the military and scoff at museums and libraries. Beware of people whose limited brains see everyone as either an ally or an enemy. Beware of people who can't tell the difference between patriotism and military conquest. Beware of people so stupid and ignorant that they accept anything and everything the political and the media demagogues tell them.

Thomas Jefferson, who would have been outraged by the loss of the museum and the library, said, "Those who expect to be ignorant and free expect what never was and never will be." Amen cubed.

I'm no longer concerned about liberals or conservatives, leftists or rightists. I just pray to God for a non-ideologue with a three-digit IQ. If we don't elevate the level of intelligence and integrity of our government, we are going to end up floating on the cesspool of history.

As for anyone being disappointed that the war was conducted rapidly and successfully, that's bull. I was opposed to the war, but I'm damned glad it was quick and there were as few casualties as there have been. Every anti-war person I know of or have read feels the same way. You have to be a really sick puppy to imagine that anyone would want to see Americans die just because they disagree with the policy that put them in harm's way. Let me spell it out for the mentally impaired: People are anti-war because they do not wish to see anyone die — our soldiers, their soldiers, our civilians or their civilians. Anti-war is pro-life.

© 2003 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Smedley]

When we were two days out of Baghdad, I don't recall Charlie Reese or anybody else saying that we had better be sure to protect Iraqi antiquities once we had taken the city.

Heck, it's possible the darn thing was looted before our troops took Baghdad.

[Jonez712]

This is ridiculous, Sean Hannity is the man. Although he probably isn't critical enough of President Bush sometimes, he is hardly a Republican party hack. He criticizes President Bush about Israel, education, steel tariffs, among other things.

Hannity is right on most issues, and he's a great debator of liberals as well. And on top of all that, he's a great guy. :0)

[stop_fascism]

I used to like read him. Unfortunately, his paleocon hatred of Israel has warped his brain. This article is just ad-hominem attack. Worthless.

[WoofDog123]

"Dumped by his paper due to his increasingly lunatic fringe views, he's forced to watch the rising stars of the media, such as Sean Hannity, rake in the bucks and become influential "players." "

Also known as retiring, after some long number of years with them.

[WoofDog123]

"anti-America grouches. "

Reese is probably hyper-pro-american in that he believes in the constitution, believes that our government is taking away rights and privacy that will never be returned, and wants a republic, NOT a world-policeman empire that goes to war based as much on the interests of u.s. multinationals, poll numbers, etc., as any vested interest of the US people.

Agree or disagree with the guy, I don't believe for an instant he is in any way anti-american (despite bill clinton's statement that you can't love your country but hate your government). He may be anti-clinton AND anti-bush, but that isn't the same. He does have a very strong anti-israeli view, but on the other hand is the only syndicated columnist to even discuss the USS Liberty that I have ever read.

[Humidston]

Neocon - Per Rush - Buzz word liberals are using to describe JEWS.

Beware folks... The attack is on, full force!

[Reagan Man]

>>>The guy is a complete idiot.

Charlie Reese has been off the reservation for a while. I believe he has strong libertarian leanings. That makes him a libertarian idiot.

I'll take Hannity over Reese.

[Taxman]

I think that when the true story comes out re: looting the museum, we will find that it was looted before the Americans arrived in Baghdad, and probably was looted by members of Saddam's inner circle first.

No way is America to blame for the Iraqis looting an Iraqi museum in downtown Baghdad! If they have no more respect for their own culture and history than that, it hardly seems appropriate to try and pin that on President Bush and the American military.

I listened to the show Charlie is referring to; Sean was spot on. There were more important things to do "downtown" than chase looters.

Sean was responding to the left wing whiners who are seeking yet another divisive issue. They are grasping at straws, IMHO.

[LuvUSA]

I personally like Sean Hannity. I don't understand the people who are berrating him, from the right. I don't agree with everything he says, but we must remember, he is on our side. Stop calling him a whiner, he's emotional, as I am about certain subjects. Thats the problem with alot of "conservatives", they don't want to be agressive in their agruments and would rather let liberals walk all over thenm in a debate for the sole purpose of not trying to sound like "whiners".

[bluefish]

We broke some clay pots and provided millions of people with freedom. Relatively.. the clay pots are not a big deal. Where one chooses to focus their attention shows where their priorities lie.

[Humidston]

I'd bet dollars to donuts Saddam took many of those Iraqi treasures to his countless palaces well before our attack.

With his ego and his disdain for tradition, he probably thought he deserved all that "stuff" for himself!

[LuvUSA]

Hmmm, if the museum foks knew the war was comiung, would'nt protocol be to move those objects to a safe place???? Hmmm, just a thought???

[Nov3]

ping

[Momma Lou]

I don't think Milosevic was evil. He was trying to protect his country from the take-over by muslim criminals (KLA). Our mistake in Yugoslavia was being on the wrong side.
The latest I heard regarding the looting of the museum in Iraq, Saddam had already done a good bit of snatching before he left. Most of the latest looting was done by folks that had knowledge of what to take and how best to take it..an inside job.

[isthisnickcool]

Gee Reese, excuse me but I especially don't give a rats a$$ about "the largest collection of Koranic writings in the world". I put that right up there with the writings of Satan. I'd rather our folks were looking for our POW's. One of which may still be alive after over a decade.

Hey Reese, BTW, what are the Iraqi's screaming they want these past few days? These precious "treasures" you slobber over or ELECTRICITY? Note who discovered the latter.

[Southack]

"Give me a break. That museum is one of the five greatest museums on Earth."

No, give me a break. The first time that any of these Bush-bashers and Foxaphobes ever even MENTIONED the Iraqi museum was after the fighting was over when it became apparent that some political hay could be made from it.

If the museum was so all-fired important, why weren't human shields guarding it? Why weren't Leftists demanding that it be protected? Why were they silent until it became clear that it had *already* been looted?

And the answer is because this is the first time that they've given it any thought, because it WASN'T important to them before it had value as a way to bash Bush and Bush supporters...

[jagrmeister]

Next time you post leftist claptrap, include a "barf alert" after the title.

Any time a columnist uses terms such as "immature groupie" and "morons" to describe those with better academic credentials, he immediately discredits himself. This is puerile ad hominem, not reasoned opinion. He is free to disseminate such rants amongst drunken bar mates but shouldn't expect an informed audience to suffer such juvenille language.

On the matter of the Iraqi museum, unless you subscribe to the discredited leftist notion of victimization, then you will understand how the looters themselves are first to blame. Second would be the curators and their staff for not moving the artifacts despite knowing Iraq would be bombed and that chaos may ensue. Keep going down the list near the bottom, until you suggest that America should have planned both sides of the war.

[bart99]

"Lots of "talk" on this one. Is everyone just accepting as fact that this is one of the "five greatest museums in the world"????"

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I'm late tonight for getting into this thread, but.........
I'm just wondering about the tourism industry in Iraq the past 20 years or so and how many people visited this museum, including all those that bemoan the loss of various pieces, And I do agree that some pieces were pilfered away before the war started, that we did not bomb the place, and that we can but did not 'protect' everything while our troops were fighting.
I do think the environmental impact of the 700 oil wells burning in Kuait did leave a lasting impression, and our war plans took that into account.
Could we know that Iraq was using Mosques for Republican Guard meetings - but we didn't fire on them anyway.
Could we know that hospitals were used for command centers...... but we didn't go for them.
Could we know that ALL schools were used for ammo dumps?
Could we know that the Olympic Stadium and facilities there were used by Saddam's son for imprisoning and torturing the people of Iraq?
We did good. Columnists leaning towards the left will find fault with something.... anything..... cause 'wrong' sells. *sigh*

And I actually like Hannity. *L* And I think he's part of the reason that conservativm is increasing in it's strength and becoming a less silent majority, and more of a vocal one. That's not a bad thing. But.... people can choose to have different opinions, especially about personalitites. Which is the precise reason the left is so vocal now...... they can NOT stand Bush's personality. *shrug*

[bart99]

"This is ridiculous, Sean Hannity is the man. Although he probably isn't critical enough of President Bush sometimes, he is hardly a Republican party hack. He criticizes President Bush about Israel, education, steel tariffs, among other things. "

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Agreed. Hannity also has been very vocal about illegal immigrants, the VISA program, border control...... and about Bush's potential misteps with Mexico's Fox regarding granting 'amnesty' to mexican immigrants (the illegal ones)........ even as our social security program PAYS illegal immigrants. *sigh* He's not happy about that either.

So..... Hannity is not just a shrill for Bush or the administration.