# Let's cheer the right-wing smear machine! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 12, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768 "2005-08-12T19:25:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/201 "2005-08-15T16:08:41Z")
[http://www.drudgereport.com/flash4.htm](http://www.drudgereport.com/flash4.htm) Drudge on Sheehan: Dismissing, but not smearing [http://www.drudgereport.com/flashcs.htm](http://www.drudgereport.com/flashcs.htm) Drudge on Sheehan: Some press release by someone claiming to be the son’s aunt and godmoter. > [@](#): > > The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the the expense of her son’s good name and reputation. The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the troops, our country, and our President, silently, with prayer and respect. [http://mediamatters.org/items/200508100009](http://mediamatters.org/items/200508100009) Blog discussing specific points of Drudge [http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20050812/cm\_huffpost/005557](http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20050812/cm_huffpost/005557) Arriana Huffington discussing things Drudge took out of context. Y’r welcome. The power of Google compels you… to discuss the facts of the matter. Please do so, now I have gifted you with cites. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/202 "2005-08-15T16:18:43Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > [http://www.drudgereport.com/flash4.htm](http://www.drudgereport.com/flash4.htm) > Drudge on Sheehan: Dismissing, but not smearing > [http://www.drudgereport.com/flashcs.htm](http://www.drudgereport.com/flashcs.htm) > Drudge on Sheehan: Some press release by someone claiming to be the son’s aunt and godmoter. > > [http://mediamatters.org/items/200508100009](http://mediamatters.org/items/200508100009) > Blog discussing specific points of Drudge > [http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20050812/cm\_huffpost/005557](http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20050812/cm_huffpost/005557) > Arriana Huffington discussing things Drudge took out of context. > > Y’r welcome. The power of Google compels you… to discuss the facts of the matter. Please do so, now I have gifted you with cites. Sheehan was quoted accurately. I hardly see how that’s “smearing” her. And I find it amusing that the following can be said to have been taken ‘out of context’: ‘I know he’s sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he’s a man of faith,’ " and, “For the first time in 11 weeks, they felt whole again. ‘That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together,’ Cindy said.” Why doesn’t she simply admit she’s changed her mind once the Michael Morons and the Move-On idiots got ahold of her? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/203 "2005-08-15T16:24:41Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Why doesn’t she simply admit she’s changed her mind once the Michael Morons and the Move-On idiots got ahold of her? It doesn’t require a Michael Moore or [MoveOn.org](http://MoveOn.org) to change your mind. I have, and I think they’re all idiots. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/204 "2005-08-15T16:24:55Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Why doesn’t she simply admit she’s changed her mind once the Michael Morons and the Move-On idiots got ahold of her? Isn’t it possible that she changed her mind BEFORE those folks “got ahold of her”? Isn’t it possible that, as she claims, that she was still in a state of shock when she first met with Bush? It’s pretty well established that most people go thru various stages on their way to “acceptance” of the death of a loved one. She’s almost certainloy still on that journey herself. She did put herself in the spotlight by making her grieving process public, but the media has blown it so far out of proportion that rational analsys is almost impossible anymore. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/205 "2005-08-15T16:37:05Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > Now, on page four of the thread: **rjung**. Would you care to actually back up your (false) claims that O’Reilly and Drudge have been smearing Cindy Sheehan? [As if there were \*truly \* any doubt about O’Reilly](http://mediamatters.org/items/200508110002): > [@](#): > > So I mean, I think Mrs. Sheehan bears some responsibility for this and also for the responsibility of other American families who have lost sons and daughters in Iraq, who feel that this kind of behavior borders on treasonous…She has thrown in – there is no question that she has thrown in with the most radical elements in this country…And, you know, there are some people who hate this government, hate their country right now, and blaming Bush for all the terrorism and all the horror in the world. Somebody else can help you catch up with Drudge if they like, about whom there ought to be even less doubt, but frankly you’re not worth any more of my trouble. ---
**Author:** ![light\_strand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@light\_strand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/light_strand)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/206 "2005-08-15T16:37:22Z")
Or isn’t it possible that Drudge is just plain cherry picking quotes from the first meeting to serve his own purpose? [This](http://www.thereporter.com/search/ci_2923921) is the article from which he took the quotes. One quote (“We have a lot of respect for the office of the president, and I have a new respect for him because he was sincere and he didn’t have to take the time to meet with us,”) isn’t even her, it’s her husband. Moreover, it was clear from the beginning that she was unhappy with the war > [@](#): > > From the linked article: > The 10 minutes of face time with the president could have given the family a chance to vent their frustrations or ask Bush some of the difficult questions they have been asking themselves, such as whether Casey’s sacrifice would make the world a safer place. [Here’s](http://mediamatters.org/items/200508120006) some more evidence of what the Right wing has said about her, and the denied saying about her. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/207 "2005-08-15T17:18:08Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Sheehan was quoted accurately. I hardly see how that’s “smearing” her. Exactly. How can simply quoting somebody be “smearing” them? The quotes don’t seem to be taken out of context. She clearly changed her mind about Bush. Whether or not this is a big deal can be debated. However, calling attention to this fact is not a “smear”. > [@Elvis](#): > > Somebody else can help you catch up with Drudge if they like, about whom there ought to be even less doubt, but frankly you’re not worth any more of my trouble. You post a quote of O’Reilly but without any context whatsoever. What is it that she “bears some responsibility for”? I checked your [MediaMatters.org](http://MediaMatters.org) cite and they conveniently left the context off of this as well. They are quoting him clearly responding to something but don’t post it. This is dishonest. In any case, there is nothing in the quote of O’Reilly that is a “smear”. He is analyzing the situation and doing a good job of it, IMHO. O’Reilly correctly pointing out that Sheehan is in league with some radical elements in the country who hate Bush and the current administration is perfectly accurate and factual. It’s hardly a smear, and it’s far more honest than the reporting of many newspapers who completely ignore these elements of the story. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/208 "2005-08-15T17:58:24Z")
let us check how O’Reilly is “analyzing the situation and doing a good job of it”: [http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/08/10.html](http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/08/10.html) > [@](#): > > Bill had brought on a mom named Dolores Kesterson who had lost her son in the war and who would take an opposite stance than Cindy Sheehan. Thomas de Zengotita on the Huffington Post noticed exactly the same thing I did: “Dolores was slated to be the anti-Cindy Sheehan.” Read his piece. > > Bill asks her to choose between Michael Moore and President Bush, I kid you not. Her answer: “Well, I don’t really know everything that Michael Moore stands for, but I know he hasn’t caused anybody to be killed for no good reason…” But regarding Drudge and O’Reilly, Newshouds has a better explanation on why Sheehan feels O’reilly is an “Obscenity to Humanity” [http://www.newshounds.us/2005/08/09/oreilly\_smears\_grieving\_mother\_as\_flipflopping\_tool\_of\_the\_left.php#more](http://www.newshounds.us/2005/08/09/oreilly_smears_grieving_mother_as_flipflopping_tool_of_the_left.php#more) > [@](#): > > O’Reilly claimed that Sheehan has changed her feelings toward Bush since she met with the president a year ago. He said that in an inteview with a California newspaper shortly after that visit, Sheehan said, “I now know he’s sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis. I know he’s sorry and feels some pain for our loss.” He also quoted her as saying, “That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together.” > > Both O’Reilly and his guest, far-right pundit Michelle Malkin, criticized news outlets such as The New York Times for failing to report the flip-flop in Sheehan’s feelings. > > But O’Reilly left out a little crucial information himself. For starters, O’Reilly never mentioned that he was merely repeating a story from Monday’s Drudge Report, another cog in the right-wing noise machine. > > Drudge headlined his story, “Protesting Soldier Mom Changed Story on Bush.” Except that she didn’t. > > The Reporter, from Vacaville, California, interviewed Sheehan after her family’s meeting with Bush in June 2004. The article, “Bush, Sheehans share moments,” makes clear that Sheehan and her husband Patrick wanted to confront Bush then about his policy on Iraq. > > The Reporter’s article said: > > "‘We haven’t been happy with the way the war has been handled,’ Cindy said. ‘The president has changed his reasons for being over there every time a reason is proven false or an objective reached.’ > > "The 10 minutes of face time with the president could have given the family a chance to vent their frustrations or ask Bush some of the difficult questions they have been asking themselves, such as whether Casey’s sacrifice would make the world a safer place. > > "But in the end, the family decided against such talk, deferring to how they believed Casey would have wanted them to act. It addition, Pat noted that Bush wasn’t stumping for votes or trying to gain a political edge for the upcoming election. > > "‘We have a lot of respect for the office of the president, and I have a new respect for him because he was sincere and he didn’t have to take the time to meet with us,’ Pat said. > > “Sincerity was something Cindy had hoped to find in the meeting. Shortly after Casey died, Bush sent the family a form letter expressing his condolences, and Cindy said she felt it was an impersonal gesture.” > > The Vacaville newspaper Tuesday dredged up its original story on the Sheehans and noted how the Drudge Report misused it. Referring to Sheehan’s quote about the “gift of happiness” Bush gave them, Tuesday’s story > in The Reporter said that, “Drudge included that quote in his Monday morning report, but didn’t explain that it referred to sharing time with her family, not the president.” > > O’Reilly repeated the misrepresentation. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/209 "2005-08-15T18:30:23Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > let us check how O’Reilly is “analyzing the situation and doing a good job of it”: > > [http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/08/10.html](http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/08/10.html) > > But regarding Drudge and O’Reilly, Newshouds has a better explanation on why Sheehan feels O’reilly is an “Obscenity to Humanity” > > [http://www.newshounds.us/2005/08/09/oreilly\_smears\_grieving\_mother\_as\_flipflopping\_tool\_of\_the\_left.php#more](http://www.newshounds.us/2005/08/09/oreilly_smears_grieving_mother_as_flipflopping_tool_of_the_left.php#more) Oh, shoot, the lying liars have been caught lying again. Now their loyal defenders must either admit they were defending liars and move on, or stubbornly defend the lying liars in their lies. Which will it be? Which WILL it be? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/210 "2005-08-15T18:48:02Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > Oh, shoot, the lying liars have been caught lying again. Now their loyal defenders must either admit they were defending liars and move on, or stubbornly defend the lying liars in their lies. Which will it be? Which WILL it be? Have you _read_ the thread? I ask 'cause your query has already been answered in full. In fact, there are actually useful idiots accusing the anti-war side of “bearing false witness.” If that’s not enough to melt your irony meter, I don’t know what is. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/211 "2005-08-15T18:49:13Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > Oh, shoot, the lying liars have been caught lying again. Now their loyal defenders must either admit they were defending liars and move on, or stubbornly defend the lying liars in their lies. Which will it be? Which WILL it be? WTF are you talking about? Just because a website ([Crooksandliars.com](http://Crooksandliars.com), very impartial I bet :rolleyes:) posts something about Drudge or O’Reilly doesn’t make them a liar. Please point out anything that they have said which is not true. Sheehan has been inconsistent in her story. She is in bed with some radical elements of the anti-Bush left such as Michael Moore, Code Pink, and [Moveon.org](http://Moveon.org). Her family is opposed to her rhetoric since she’s been taken in by these groups. Drudge and O’Reilly are simply reporting this. That doesn’t make them liars. Simply chanting something over and over doesn’t make it true. You can point fingers at those who disagree with you and call them liars all day long. It won’t make you any less wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/212 "2005-08-15T18:51:49Z")
According to The Smoking Gun [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0815051sheehan1.html](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0815051sheehan1.html) Cindy Sheehan’s husband, Patrick, has filed for divorce. Hmmm. I’m just speculating here, but let’s see how the Leftist loons treat him now. Is he a traitor? I wonder how quickly they’ll move to demonize the husband…who, after all, has also lost a son in Iraq. I suspect that he realizes Cindy has been snared and brainwashed by the Michael Morons (sort of like the Scientologists) and he knows she’s never coming back. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/213 "2005-08-15T18:54:01Z")
So the lefties are now quoting a site named “[crooksandliars.com](http://crooksandliars.com)” to back up their positions? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/214 "2005-08-15T18:54:31Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > Sheehan has been inconsistent in her story. She is in bed with some radical elements of the anti-Bush left such as Michael Moore, Code Pink, and [Moveon.org](http://Moveon.org). You’re the second person who was said this. What do you mean? Are implying that she was told by these people or organizations what to think? Are you implying that she’s getting some kind of compensation for her protest? What are you saying? I think she’s gotten over the shock, given it some thought, and changed her mind about how she feels about the war and the loss of her son. Who cares what her family thinks? Would I care what my mother thinks if my son were killed? Perhaps, but it’s my son. She added it all up, didn’t like what she came up with, and is now protesting the President. I don’t see why this woman is worthy of all this scorn. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/215 "2005-08-15T18:57:29Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > According to The Smoking Gun [Sheehan's Husband Seeks Divorce | The Smoking Gun](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0815051sheehan1.html) > Cindy Sheehan’s husband, Patrick, has filed for divorce. Hmmm. I’m just speculating here, but let’s see how the Leftist loons treat him now. Is he a traitor? I wonder how quickly they’ll move to demonize the husband…who, after all, has also lost a son in Iraq. > > I suspect that he realizes Cindy has been snared and brainwashed by the Michael Morons (sort of like the Scientologists) and he knows she’s never coming back. Holy cow. You really are the scum of the earth, aren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/216 "2005-08-15T19:09:21Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > Holy cow. You really are the scum of the earth, aren’t you? It’s almost funny, really. These people have drunk so deep of the Kool-Aid that even a woman who’s son died in the war has to be “snared and brainwashed” to be against the war. To be critical of the man that started the war that **claimed the life of her son** , the war in which the primary motivation for it turned out to be false. Yeah, she must have been brainwashed by Michael Moore, there’s no other reasonable explanation for her stance. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/217 "2005-08-15T19:16:32Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > You’re the second person who was said this. What do you mean? Are implying that she was told by these people or organizations what to think? Are you implying that she’s getting some kind of compensation for her protest? What are you saying? I think it’s rather obvious that a person confused and shaken by the sudden loss of her son would be easily swayed by the opinions of the anti-Bush extreme left. Michael Moore and [Moveon.org](http://Moveon.org) can certainly be convincing when they want to be. If you surround yourself with people who blame Bush for everthing and are filled with hatred for him, then that’s bound to rub off on you. > [@](#): > > I think she’s gotten over the shock, given it some thought, and changed her mind about how she feels about the war and the loss of her son. I agree, although I think she’s had some help in coming to her current POV from the crowd she’s hanging with. But so what? Nobody is saying she doesn’t have a right to an opinion. > [@](#): > > Who cares what her family thinks? This is a big news story right now. People do care what the family thinks. It’s interesting. Who cares what the Michael Jackson jurors families think? I’m sure they had press camping out for weeks at thier homes. The media goes where the story is. Drudge posted a letter that the family wanted to be public. I don’t see why this is a bad thing. > [@](#): > > I don’t see why this woman is worthy of all this scorn. What scorn? I don’t see anybody in this thread or in the media (at least the media sources mentioned by the OP) giving scorn to Sheehan. I see sympathy. That’s what I feel for her. I regret that she’s been taken in by these loony lefties and that she’s being used by them. I’m sorry for the loss of her son. I pity her, and I hope she comes to find some kind of peace. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/218 "2005-08-15T19:34:58Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > I don’t see anybody in this thread or in the media (at least the media sources mentioned by the OP) giving scorn to Sheehan. “She has thrown in – there is no question that she has thrown in with the most radical elements in this country…And, you know, there are some people who hate this government, hate their country right now, and blaming Bush for all the terrorism and all the horror in the world.” –Bill O’Reilly So the question now is whether **Debaser** is an idiot, or simply illiterate. Then again, it’s not necessarily an either/or situation… ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/219 "2005-08-15T19:41:30Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > **I regret that she’s been taken in by these loony lefties and that she’s being used by them.** I’m sorry for the loss of her son. I pity her, and I hope she comes to find some kind of peace. – bolding mine. You really are a simple-minded git, because, by your definition – opposing this fool’s war and its most visible head – “loony lefties” comprise the great majority of the world. [World fears new Bush era](http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1394393,00.html) > [@](#): > > \*\*A poll of 21 countries published yesterday - reflecting opinion in Africa, Latin America, North America, Asia and Europe - showed that a clear majority have grave fears about the next four years. > > Fifty-eight per cent of the 22,000 who took part in the poll, commissioned by the BBC World Service, said they expected Mr Bush to have a negative impact on peace and security, compared with only 26% who considered him a positive force.\*\* Yeah, I know, offals such as yourself care little for world opinion – problem for you is [most of America is finally coming around to the same conclusion](http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0814-01.htm). A day late and a dollar short for kids like Casey Austin Sheehan, but maybe, just maybe, in time to save the lives of many others like him. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768/220 "2005-08-15T19:42:36Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > easily swayed by the opinions of the anti-Bush extreme left. WooHoo! The country **Lurches** to the Extremist Left: > [@](#): > > The latest CNN/USA Gallup poll, taken earlier this month, found that 54% of those surveyed thought the 2003 invasion of Iraq was a mistake. [http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=152678148&p=y5z678854](http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=152678148&p=y5z678854) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-cheer-the-right-wing-smear-machine/316768.md?page=12)