Hillary Caves to Giuliani Pressure, Condemns MoveOn
When the MoveOn controversy first broke and the Republicans were wallowing in mock outrage, Hillary Clinton was the only one of the top-tier 08 Presidentials who didn't fall for the patented flim-flam, didn't walk into their trap and play along with plans to distract from the subject of Iraq and at the same time fragment the Democratic party and dis-empower the base.
While Edwards and Obama could not hit their knees fast enough and genuflect before all that Republican bluster, I assumed it was because Hillary had been down that road before, and knew from experience that there was no way to appease the wingnut in high dudgeon. You can grovel and beg and all it will earn you is the opportunity to do more groveling and begging, and it doesn't make you look either strong or qualified for leadership.
Quite predictably, once the Republicans had bullied the Democrats into denouncing their own (and yes, ladies and gentlemen, with over 3 million members MoveOn is your own, like it or not) they began the process of trying to make the "Democrat" party the party of MoveOn. George Bush did it himself, laying a trail of bread crumbs even the Snickers obsessed and the fashion challenged could follow.
Then Rudy began his jihad, saying that Clinton was "attacking" Petraeus by not denouncing MoveOn. Thanks to the sheer naitive of all the Democrats who have not yet internalized the notion that you just don't repeat Republican talking points and reinforce a larger narrative that will only be used against you and your party at large, no matter what, Clinton became low hanging fruit.
And yesterday, in a really disappointing moment, she caved:
"I think it's important that we end these kinds of attacks on the patriotism of those who serve our country," Clinton said on NBC's "Meet the Press" program. "This is not a debate about an ad. This is a debate about the direction we should pursue in Iraq."
The McCarthy-esque language of Barbara Boxer's amendment seems to have calcified into conventional wisdom within the party. Just tell everybody to shut up and you can appear "above" partisanship.
The Senators who condemned MoveOn do not seem to realize that it's their job to protect free speech, not tell people how and when to exercise it.
The only one who got it right was Russ Feingold, who voted "no" on both the Boxer and Cornyn amendments. Everyone else? "F's" all around.
They need to stay after class and read the constitution.
Jane Hamsher blogs at firedoglake.com.
Follow Jane Hamsher on Twitter: www.twitter.com/janehamsher
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Jane, I don't blame you for not posting my previous comment. Most of the time I'm not even sure if writers' who blog at the cite even bother to actually read my comments. But being that you didn't post my previous post, I know that you actually took the time to read my comments; that's all that matters. In regard to blog posts by writers at HuffPost, I write all my comments 'for the the writer of the post' with no concern what-so-ever if I ever get a response from readers at this site. So, I guess what I am trying to express is that I sincerely appreciate you reading my comments.
Have a wonderful day!
God Bless
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I was so proud for about 5 minutes while Hillary stuck to her guns and didn't condemn move-on.or
Surprised? I for one am not. Hilary has been tip-toeing to the republican beat for a long time. She voted for the iraq war. She is beholden to big pharma. The only candiddate that tells it like it is is Mike Gravel. Why not give him some more press time? Yes he may be a bit forceful in his rhetoric at times, but he speaks out passionately and consistently against the evils of this present regime. The only one better qualified than Mike Gravel is Lyndon Larouche. So lets keep up the pressure, and not let the republicans off the hook. Their economic and foreign policies have us on the verge of another Great Depression, Steve Josephson in Minnesota
No, Dennis Kucinich has consistently stuck to principle, Democratic and democratic principle. Clinton, Edwards, Obama, all are warmongers and political flacks for capitalism, the enemy of working people and females of all ages. Edwards is the least egregious of that crew. Of course, Kucinich hasn't a chance in hell, and neither would have Lincoln today, with his thin, reedy voice, homely as mud, and awkward as well. But hey, we've come a long way, baby, since the rightwing took over the media and told us our leaders must be pretty, tall, male, and white and against the only system that supports ordinary people: democratic socialism. Now look what we have: A black and a female candidate, both cozily in bed with those self-same white male rightists, pitching dod-eat-dog for all their might. And all except Kucinich supporting the vicious, evil state of Israel. As for Gravel, he's passionate but shallow in his thinking. He promotes Perot's flat tax, which would be practically a death blow to the poor and near poor and a boon to the very rich.
MoveOn does not belong to the Democratic party. It is an organization that is an outlet for those that are concerned with activist, progressive politics. That takes the shape of mostly Democrats at this time but also includes everyone including Independents, Libertarians, and Greens. Republicans (or those recently fed-up with the Republicans) I am sure can join but don't think they would because their causes and tactics are not usually represented by MoveOn. Too many people are criticizing MoveOn when they don't really know much about them.
I don't care what anybody says, when the general allowed himself to be used, he betrayed the military and us. Move-on's ad. did not ask whether the Military betrayed us; they wre talking about ONE General, not about all our military.
But again, skillfully, the criminals in the White House managed to turn it around.
General Petraius, is, I'm sure, an honourable man and a fine soldier, but allowing himslef to be used certainly wasn't his finest hour.
Similarly, Collin Powell could have spared us and the world the mess we're in in Iraq today, by standing up for what he knew to be the truth: that the whole WMD scam on which the Iraq invasion was built, was a lie.
Like Alan Greenspan, who with abbit of spine could have probably avoided the deficit W. and his gang have us in.
I compare the actions of Petraius, Powell and Greenspan with the operating room nurse who waits till the surgeon has finished amputating the wrong leg, to let him know what she knew before the operation started: that the surgeon was screwing up big time.
These guys had a chance to open their mouths when and where it mattered. By keeping their mouths shut, they betrayed us all.
Mrs. Clinton's "caving in" to Senate pressure to condemn MoveOn for merely exercising first amendment rights is a preview of coming attractions if she wins the Democratic nomination and is elected President of the United States.
Mrs. Clinton has a history of "caving in" when it comes to her own political interests. I doubt seriously that she could or would have the courage of her true convictions if it meant stepping away from what was politically strategic.
This makes her, by my definition, a common politician not a statesperson--and certainly not the kind of leader this country will immediately require to rebound from what is arguably the darkest hour of our country's history since the Civil War.
We can and must do better in 2008.
This is how Dems lose election after election that they would have won if they hadn't thrown them away with clueless behavior.
The public had decided for themselves that Petraeus's testimony was not believable. They don't believe W or his commanding general's rosy scenarios.
But MoveOn had to play the purile in-your-face polarizing card -- just to prove how obnoxiously counterproductive and unrealistic they can be. [Check out Robert Parry on the subject at Consortium
Hillary Clinton intends to win. She knows it will probably be a nasty, very tight election. She also knows that ordinary Americans think that MoveOn's ad was a cheap shot and don't trust the knee-jerk left's powertripping. From Clinton's point of view, MoveOn will no doubt force her to SistaSoulja them.
Hillary's not my first choice. I don't know if she'll be our candidate, but we can count on self-indulgent lefties (who make heroes out of phonies like Patrick Fitzgerald) to continue their counterproductive stunts that hurt Dems in tight races all over the country.
Russ Feingold for President. Thank God he's not that dumb!
so i am tired of the democrats, i will vote for them because well the republicans are republicans but why can they not just be like the republicans in the aspect of they are jerks, they always think their right and do not back down. they would never be so weak in their language. the democrats need some spines, this is how clinton won he stood up to them and didnt fall on his knees and had balls and he won. and for moveon.org go them, petrues is betraying us by his bland comments on the war and his inane definitions of terrorism in iraq (only those shot in the back of the head are counted in the total of insurgent killings and car bombs arent counted, if he is willing to give the american people numbers that are lies then he is betraying us).
Hillary is running a smart campaign, one that will appeal to enough people so that a Repub. can't steal it. She and Bill will do one hell of a lot better job than this bunch of crooks, and that is all we can hope for right now. We will be lucky to overcome a Repub. dirty trick at the last minute that will fool the easily fooled, so just hope that another Nazi like Giuliani does not get in, and do not sweat the small stuff, like caving in on the ad. The objective is to win with anything that will work. I see Bush wants to lower Social Security benefits and raise taxes due to the SS "disaster", etc. Oh my God, get this guy out.
As we all know Hillary was raised in a Republican family.
Some thing's never die.
Lately I have been wondering if Bush has been advising her.
I belong to moveon.org and support them.
Who is out there that we can trust? I don't know.
There is alot of talk lately about creating a third party.
I hope I live to see it.
Even, as a Green party person I still would not compromise the Dem vote, but happy I am not.
Who first coined the term -betray us-?
Sept. 24: Comedian Rush Limbaugh called Moveon.org’s "Betray-Us" Ad "contemptible" and "indecent," even though he was the first to introduce the pun on Gen. Petraeus's ad to national broadcasting.
Keith Oberman -Worst Person in the World-
http://www
I had read somewhere that it is Petraeus' nickname at the Pentagon.
Move On should start a traitors list & put Hillary at the head of the list. What Move On did with their Petraius ad in the New York Times was the most courageous act I've seen so far. We need more ads like this. Someone has to stand up to reveal the truth & the truth is that Bush used Petraius to perpetuate a deception for a continued war in Iraq just like he used Powell to push a fabricated theory of WMD's to start the war. Hillary should be ashamed of herself.
Hillary's "cave" comments don't sound that bad to me. Petraeus did not betray us - Bush did ! The Iraq war is his creation, and the war is totally unjustified. Petraeus just parroted to us the Bush - prepared drivel, since we all know the White House prepared Petraeus' report.
Another reason not to vote for her! I refuse to vote for anyone who speaks againest freedom of speech. I will stay away from the polls rather than vote for her and I sure as hell will not vote for a republican!!!!
This is how Hillary wins ljsfolly. We need to get out there and vote in the primary. We have alternatives. Right now Joe Biden is trying to pass an amendment for a new direction in Iraq. That's leadership. Hillary is too busy campaigning.
While people are dying in Iraq, our media is discussing whether the abused wife (Democrats, MoveOn.og) deserved the beating she got at the hands of her abusive husband (the GOP) because she brought it on herself (by speaking up about the truth).
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