Elias's post deserves its own thread

[whometense]

http://chimesatmidnight.blogspot.com/2006/11/all-i-can-say-to-senator-kerry-is.html

All I can say to Senator Kerry is
Don't apologise, don't back down!
Has George apologised for lying about the WMD?
Has he even said he was sorry for serving the troops a prop turkey on Thanksgiving?
Has Rumsfeld apologised for bungling the war planning, ignoring the insurgency, and stinting the troops on the necessities like body armor?
Has Cheney apologised for permitting Halliburton to get it's ugly snout so deep in the Iraqi trough that they are snorting up splinters?
Hell NO!
Humble Elias doesn't see why Senator Kerry should apologise for telling the truth on the whole sick corrupt cabal in the White House.
These bastards have made a cottage industry out of distorting any remarks made by our Junior Senator and then screaming them long and loud from one end of America to the other.
They are ably assisted in this matter by their usual latahs in the media, jerks like Scot Lehigh who'll soon be writing those awful tsk-tsk columns in the Globe assering the whole controversy is JK's fault due to his own mismanagement...blah blah blah!
Well, F@ck that noise!
The issue is the war, our troops have been caught in the middle of a Sunni-Shia' civil war whilst the punditariat breathlessly reports on JK"s reaction to the GOP's latest manufactured "crisis".
Un-bel-ievable.
<more...>

[TayTay]

1. God Bless Humble Elias

Truer words were 'ner spoken

[whometense]

2. The Carpetbagger

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/8925.html

I suppose I should give the Bush gang credit. They can't govern, they can't tell the truth, they can't fight a war, they can't write a coherent budget, they can't respond to a disaster, and they can't keep the nation safe, but they sure as hell know how to coordinate a media smear of a war hero. Kudos to Rove & Co. — we've found your one skill.

How ridiculous is this? Matthew Dowd, the pollster/strategist for the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign, told MSNBC's Chris Matthews that Kerry "just misspoke" and "in no way" did he think Kerry intended to insult U.S. troops. Moreover, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), whom no one would describe as a moderate, said on Hardball, "Well, of course, this is a perfect example of politics in America … The President wants the people to perceive of having maligned our troops…. I think John Kerry's right. He's making a defense of himself. He's saying, 'Look, I was not maligning the troops, I was maligning the President of the United States.'"

James Carville summarized this nicely: "Kerry botched a joke, they botched a war."

There's no great mystery here. Kerry misspoke and said something he didn't mean. But Republicans, desperate and without an agenda or vision for the future, have nothing else to say. The Bush gang, and their allies, literally want to create a massive political scandal out of a comment that didn't make any sense, and which Kerry didn't even mean to say.

Worse, the news networks treated this as if Kerry had shot a man. CNN and MSNBC devoted hours of coverage to a mistaken comment, apparently egged on by a White House which is so ashamed of its own record, it prefers to devote its energy to a verbal miscue of a man who isn't even on the ballot this year. One gets the distinct impression that the media is overcompensating — after weeks of bad news (actual bad news) for the GOP, news outlets are treating the Kerry slip as a huge deal. All in the name of "balance."

If merit dictated news coverage, what, exactly, is the story here? A senator flubbed a joke while criticizing the president, then explained what he actually meant. It's worth about two paragraphs at the bottom of an AP round-up of election coverage. Instead, the White House manufactured a scandal where none existed.

James at the Swing State Project had exactly the right idea last night.

If the GOP wants to play that game, fine. Remember this nugget, from an August 2004 Bush speech? "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

Everyone had a big laugh over Bush's verbal gaffe two years ago. Did you see John Kerry and the Democratic Party issuing press releases calling on Bush to cease his treasonous war against the citizens of the United States of America? No, because to do so would be completely ridiculous. Just as ridiculous as the sanctimonious, dishonest drivel that Tony Snow and George Bush are trying to feed into the media narrative tonight.

Excellent analogy. Imagine if Dems played by GOP rules. Bush accidentally says that his administration "never stops thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people." Immediately, CNN and MSNBC show "Breaking News" updates about the president's admitted desire to hurt Americans. Bush said so himself! He can't deny it; we have the video of him confessing his own commitment to harm the United States! It must be true! When will Republicans publicly repudiate the traitorous president? How can he be trusted ever again? Why does Bush hate America?

[Inuca]

3. "neither do we"

This quote should be all over the place and laughed at. For anyone with an IQ higher than single digits it should put the whole absurd nonsense in the proper context.

[wisteria]

4. He is absolutely right!

I couldn't agree more with his comments.
You know, why does Bush hate America? After all he did say his administration, "never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people". LOL Should this man really be the leader of our country?

[blm]

5. Get that video to media outlets - esp Keith.