Chickenhawk Congressman Smears Military Expert

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/27/michael-turner/

Chickenhawk Congressman Smears Military Expert

Center for American Progress military expert Lawrence Korb testified before the House Armed Services Committee this morning, challenging escalation proponents to have the courage of their convictions and call for a draft if they would like the surge to continue indefinitely.

One right-wing Ohio Congressman, Michael Turner, desperately tried to smear Korb during his question and answer period. Turner started off his smear attacks against Korb by questioning his credentials to speak before the panel:

TURNER: I was looking at your bio…that incorrectly I believe referred to you as Doctor Korb. And you do not have a PhD.

KORB: I do.

TURNER: You do have a PhD?

After humiliating himself once, Turner next turned his guns on Korb’s prepared written testimony. “I’ve not seen citations like this before the committee,” Turner said, noting that Korb referenced research sources in his statement. Korb said he provided the citations for the lawmakers as a reference point for more information. He noted that Gen. Jack Keane, a co-panelist, “did not have any footnotes. His were all opinions.”

After falling flat in his numerous stabs at Korb, Turner moved onto the next smear. Taking a comment made by Korb completely out of context, Turner asserted that you’ve told us “you’re not a military expert.” Korb responded:

I’ll put my record in terms of scholarship, in terms of analysis of war in terms of military issues up against anybody.

Watch it at link~

After propagating his false smears, Turner refused to allow Korb time to answer and attempted to flee the committee room quickly. Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) told Turner to sit down and listen to Korb’s response.

ThinkProgress contacted Turner’s office for comment on the incident. Andy Bloom, communications director for Turner, told us that Turner has never served in the military and has no substantive military experience. Asked if Turner was participating in coordinated effort to smear Korb, Bloom said, “I can’t be certain.”

Turner is a classic “chickenhawk,” a term used to refer to strident war proponents who have never personally experienced war. Korb, on the other hand, is a Navy captain who served in Vietnam. He has served in the Pentagon, taught at the Naval War College and Coast Guard Academy, and has twice traveled to Iraq. He recently returned from a 10-day visit to Baghdad (see his dispatch here).

If you wish to contact Turner’s office, you can do so here.

[malaise]

1. Ignorance is knowledge

don't yah understand. Fugging chickenhawk.

[Dollface]

2. Follow the link and watch the video.

You will actually see a man insert his head up his own ass.

[rodeodance]

11. actually it is good to listen to.

[Jim__]

3. What a jackass!

He spent his entire allotted time trying to smear the credentials of a man who clearly had excellent credentials. He made a fool of himself in trying to attack Korb's credentials. He didn't criticize any of the content of what Korb said.

[Hubert Flottz]

4. I was watching that exchange...

And thinking about all the military "EXPERTS" at the office of special plans at the Pentagon that cooked up the war in Iraq.

[trof]

5. I saw that.

What a dork.

[trof]

9. Oh, yeah...K&R

[yellerpup]

6. An excellent demonstration

of ignorance and malevolent spin by Turner. I don't know how Dr. Korb kept from decking the obnoxious pup. Of course, that's probably why I'm not in politics.

Edited to add K&R!:kick:

[speedoo]

7. Turner's a slug.

Hopefully the good people of Dayton will end his congressional career, such as it is, next year.

[ProgressiveAmPatriot]

8. It is actually fairly common practice to cite yourself

If you read journal articles, professors do it all the time. This was a blatant smear which backfired miserably.

[rodeodance]

10. I saw that---was just agast-------He kept making a fool of himself.

[rodeodance]

12. UPDATE: Commenter Midwest Product fine-tunes the definition of “chickenhawk”:

If you wish to contact Turner’s office, you can do so here.

UPDATE: Commenter Midwest Product fine-tunes the definition of “chickenhawk”: “A chickenhawk is someone who ascribes the bravery of soldiers in wartime to themselves because they take a pro-war position.”

[rodeodance]

13. contact the little chicky poop here:

http://www.house.gov/miketurner/IMA/contact.shtml

[Marr]

14. Funny how the taboo against attacking military experts is suspended

whenever such attacks might benefit the GOP.

[babylonsister]

17. That is an excellent point! Reid got lambasted for telling the truth,

but not a word about this little exchange, which was aired for all to see.

[rodeodance]

15. whow--look what the committee is marking up today:

http://armedservices.house.gov/calendar_this_week.shtml

Friday, July 27, 2007 –1:00 pm – 2118 Rayburn – Open

The full committee will meet to mark up H.R. 3087, to require the President, in coordination with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other senior military leaders, to develop and transmit to Congress a comprehensive strategy for the redeployment of United States Armed Forces in Iraq, and H.R. 3159, the “Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability Deployment Policy Act of 2007.”

[rodeodance]

16. contact the Chair who made made the little chickypoo listen:

Fax:
[phone] 2120 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone:
[phone]