George Lakoff: Whose Betrayal?

[PA Democrat]

Great article on Buzzflash by George Lakoff, professor of linguistics at UC Berkeley

BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by George Lakoff, The Rockridge Institute

Betrayal is everywhere in the news. We learned from the Washington Post that Alan Greenspan said, in his new book, "I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil." Not keeping our country safe, as the troops were told. Not democracy. Not Weapons of Mass Destruction. Not al Qaeda. Oil! All those lives and maimings about oil! Are you shocked, shocked? It is Betrayal of Trust of the highest order: "Politically inconvenient ... everyone knows..." Oil was not discussed at the Petraeus hearings. The silence in Washington has been polite.

MoveOn's "General Betray Us?" ad has raised vital questions that need a thorough and open discussion. The ad worked brilliantly to reveal, via its framing, an essential but previously hidden truth: the Bush Administration and its active supporters have betrayed the trust of the troops and the American people.

MoveOn hit a nerve. In the face of truth, the right-wing has been forced to change the subject -- away from the administration's betrayal of trust and the escalating tragedy of the occupation to of all things, an ad! To take the focus off maiming and death and the breaking of our military, they talk about etiquette. The truth has reduced them to whining: MoveOn was impolite. Rather than face the truth, they use character assassination against an organization whose three million members stand for the highest patriotic principles of this country, the first of which is a commitment to truth.

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/1307

[PA Democrat]

1. ..

[regnaD kciN]

2. It might have worked even better...

...if they had framed it as "General Petraeus and President Betray Us."

[againes654]

3. Oh it is working

just not like they inteded. MoveOn raised $500,000 in donations yesterday. I would say that all the attention gave MoveOn free publicity, and no telling how many new members. Not to mention all the attention continues to focus on the different betrayals.