Wait, so was the faux-outrage against Obama justified or unjustified?
First make up your mind. If the faux-outrage against Obama was unjustified, then the faux-faux-outrage against McCain is also unjustified. If the faux-faux-outrage against McCain is justified, then the faux-outrage against Obama would therefore be retroactively justified.
You can’t have the position that the faux-faux-outrage against McCain is justified but the faux-outrage against Obama was unjustified.
And yes, the fact that McCain is a Republican doesn’t make it justified. The only way outrage against McCain would be justified would be if he personally attacked Obama over the use of “waste” and then used it himself. Or perhaps if he nodded agreement while others attacked Obama.
See, McCain is not Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter, and just because Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter said something stupid that you don’t agree with it doesn’t mean that McCain agrees with Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter.
“But that’s what the right-wing sleaze merchants do! They try to smear Democratic candidates by associating them with left-wing nutjobs!” Except is this a bad, dishonorable thing to do, or an admirable thing to do? Is it bad because it is dishonest and false, or is it only bad because it was done by a right-winger? Is lying and sleaze justified if your cause is good? Or does lying and sleaze taint even good causes? If Karl Rove is a lying sleaze, does that mean the Democrats need an even bigger lying sleaze?
And my perception is that the Right smears the Left only over trivial things, while the Left attacks the right over *both * substantial *and * trivial things.
That’s idiotic. If the “thing” is substantial, then you’re not “smearing” the person who said it, you’re attacking a position-- something both sides do.
Sure, but it’s funny when artificially generated faux outrage turns around to bite one of its chief beneficiaries. Have you learned nothing from the Three Stooges?
The issue isn’t what smears happen in obscure message boards or blogs. They happen all the time by both sides. The issue is the smears that are turned into the tempest du jour by the national media.
Look at what we’ve had over just the last few weeks:
Nancy Pelosi’s airplane preferences
Barack Obama’s madrassa attendance
Hillary Clinton’s outing of Barack Obama’s madrassa attendance
Barack Obama’s use of “wasted”
Al Gore’s electric bill
John Edwards’ in-house blogger
The right regularly manufactures outrage against leading figures on the left and uses the power of right-wing commentators to pump up these untrue or trivial smears into national stories. The flair-up lasts a couple of days, someone is forced to apologize or clarify, and then the next cycle of smear begins.
The only reason John McCain is being pushed to apologize for his “wasted” remark is that is so exactly mirrors Barack Obama’s supposed “gaffe”. If Obama hadn’t been smeared first it would have been allowed to pass without comment.
McCain’s a hypocrite, too. Check out his contradictory stances on gay marriage sometime. And even campaign finance reform. And your first amendment rights. The guy’s looking more and more authoritarian all the time.
I think you’re right, Pochacco. The media attention is all over the Democrats right now. But that’s the nature of the thing. They’re being noticed because they’ve just won a big election and because their presidential candidates are announcing waaaaaaay before the election. Once you throw your hat in the ring, somebody’s gonna step on it. Remember when things were all about Cheney’s foul language in the Senate chamber, Bush’s pronunciation of nuclear, the Bush daughters partying too hardy, and Mary Chaney not coming on stage at the Republican convention?
Senators McCain and Obama were both right the first time. The lives of brave, dedicated young Americans were wasted in an unnecessary war. Saying so does not disrespect the dead. They died following misguided orders. They died doing what they promised to do.
The truth hurts - and I do think it’s the truth that the soldiers’ lives were wasted - and it pisses me off that the outrage over those deaths is being translated into criticism of presidential candidates over what word they are using to describe the situation. What a fucking waste THAT is. The guy who is responsible for the problem isn’t running for president in 2008.
A soldiers duty is to serve. They trust us only to call on them to lay down their lives in worthy causes. When we put them in hams way for no good reason, the sacrifice of the soldier is no smaller because of the unworthy cause they were asked to die for. It also doesn’t make an unworthy cause any worthier because soldiers have died for them.
