Democrats Should Attack Bush, Not MoveOn

Before a single Democrat condemns MoveOn's ad, they should insist that George W. Bush and the Republican Party repudiate the anti-military smears on war heroes that have been the hallmark of Mr. Bush's political career.

Too many Democrats still think Mr. Bush's presidency is on the level. Let's be clear. Mr. Bush is not leading a serious, sober discussion about public discourse during a war. He wants to divide progressives and score political points. We should not let him. Throughout his career he's been willing to tolerate and benefit from vicious lies about military men. We should not concede that he is legitimately angry now.

Mr. Bush is, as he likes to say, a loving guy. But by golly the MoveOn.org ad criticizing Gen. David Petraeus has him madder than Larry Craig in a pay toilet.

When a "reporter" asked him a loaded question about the MoveOn ad (not mentioning, for example, that Petraeus wrote an op-ed in support of the Bush Iraq policy a few weeks before the 2004 election), Bush swung for the fences. But then again, he's always been pretty good at T-Ball - and this was definitely teed up for him.

He slammed MoveOn, repeating language he used Wednesday in a meeting with right-wing columnists, saying that criticizing Petraeus is tantamount to attacking the entire US military, and expressing astonishment that leading Democrats have not attacked MoveOn as courageously as Bush has.

Before Democrats fall all over themselves to agree with a president whose trust and honesty rating from the American people is even lower than his IQ, let's look at the real record of Bush's cowardice when it comes to speaking out against attacks on military heroes:

• In the 2000 South Carolina primary, George W. Bush stood next to a man described as a "fringe" figure - a man who had attacked Bush's own father - at a Bush rally. With Bush applauding him, the man said John McCain "abandoned" veterans. McCain, who was tortured in a North Vietnamese POW camp, was incensed. Five U.S. Senators who fought in Vietnam, including Democrats John Kerry, Max Cleland and Bob Kerrey, condemned the attack and called on Bush to repudiate it. When pressed on it at a debate hosted by CNN's Larry King, Bush meekly muttered that he shouldn't be held responsible for what others say. Even when he's standing next to them at a Bush rally.
• In the 2002 campaign, draft dodger Saxby Chambliss ran an ad with pictures of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, then said Sen. Max Cleland lacked courage. Max Cleland left three limbs in Vietnam as an Army captain. Mr. Bush's political aide, Karl Rove, later refused to disavow the ad, saying, "President Bush and the White House don't write the ads for Senate candidates."
• Also in the 2002 campaign, the PAC for the Family Research Council, a close Bush ally, ran an ad in South Dakota that pictured Sen. Tom Daschle and Saddam Hussein. "What do Saddam Hussein and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle have in common?" the ad asked. Apparently, they both opposed drilling in the Arctic wilderness. First, I had no idea that supporting drilling in the wilderness is a family values issue. Second, I have seen no reporting on the late Iraqi dictator's position on Alaska drilling. But I do know Tom Daschle is an Air Force veteran. Mr. Bush never disavowed the smear.
• But perhaps the worst was what was done to John Kerry. Kerry earned five major medals in combat: the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. And yet supporters of Bush and Cheney decided to smear his war record. The despicable, dishonest Swift Boat attacks alleged that Kerry fabricated reports that earned him the Bronze Star. The Swifties also suggested that Kerry's wounds were insignificant - and that one was even self-inflicted. Kerry's wounds were certainly more serious than Mr. Bush's, who suffered a cut on his finger from popping a beer can while avoiding his duty in the Alabama National Guard. At the 2000 GOP convention, rich, white Republicans were photographed gleefully putting Band-Aids with purple hearts on their chubby cheeks. Mr. Bush refused to condemn the attack - blandly noting he didn't like 527 groups generally - and later nominated one of the men who financed the smear to be Ambassador to Belgium.

Mr. Bush is a coward and a bully. He knows he'll never be the kind of hero his father was. He knows he lacks the heroism of John Kerry or Max Cleland, so he overcompensates with bluster and bravado. In fact, he told bloggers recently that he wishes he were fighting in Iraq. The Washington Post's Dan Froomkin reported that Bush told a blogger in Iraq that he'd like to be carrying a 50-pound pack and an M-16, but, "One, I'm too old to be out there. And, two, they'd notice me."

So Mr. Bush is too old to fight in Iraq, and he was too rich and well-connected to fight in Vietnam. But he's itchin' for a fight with a progressive interest group. Does anyone believe he'd have the same outrage if a right-wing group were attacking war heroes? Of course not.

Comments

[Jules36]

WHAT'S the big deal??
Journalists, commentators, and just about everyone else are too hifalutin on this subject.
My opinion may be biased in that as soon as as I heard the report by Genral Petraeus, I, too, immediately thought of MoveOn's same play on The only reason Shrub and his Bushwahckin' yahoo posse (the ones out to hogtie and butcher the Constitution) have grabbed hold of this is that they hope that putting Petreaus up as "one who was wronged" will garner sympathy and support.
I disagree with the pundits who claim this will hurt the Dems for any length of time. Their spineless lack of ability to take action against the Shrub and the GOP makes the matter a moot point.
The creator of this headline likely didn't set out to imply the general is acting alone. Rather, the play on words expresses the idea that many of us who heard his report took much of it with a grain of salt, knowing that Shrub has been lying to us for some time now and has simply employed Petreaus as his latest mouthpiece.
Some have cited definition of the word betray as "aiding the enemy" or a similar treason-related concept. But according to www.dictionary.com, there are several other definitions that aptly describe the idea I believe the ad was presenting:
1) to be unfaithful in guarding, maintaining, or fulfilling: to betray a trust (as the President and his posse have been doing, blatantly, for several months now);
2) to lead astray;
3) to cause someone to believe an untruth;
4) disappoint, prove undependable to.
We have reason to distrust Petraeus and his boss because the President himself -- citing another definition "to deceive, misguide, or corrupt" -- has betrayed us.

[JusticiaParaTodos]

The problem with many Democratic leaders is that they are not true progressives! At the first hint of controversey, they tuck their tails and run! At the head of the bunch is Nancy Pelosi with her refusal to deal with the issue of impeachment!

Last November Democrats defeated Republicans because the people are sick and tired of Bush's corruption, his arrogance and disrespect for the Constitution of our nation. Yet the Democrats continue to act as if MoveON is the enemy, not Bush!

To these cowards I say; "You are not true leaders, nor do you have the guts to stand up to Bush! I say resign your positions and let REAL progressives take the leadership of the party!

[leftLibertarian]

The sad fact is: The Democrats are spineless cowards. Bush is hated throughout America for his lies about WMD. About starting a war based on those lies. And still, and still, and still the feeble Democrats are too frightened to impeach Bush and Cheney.
Pathetic.

[Mark Bernadiner]

Democrats, Clinton and Gore, brought islamofascism war on American soil. Republicans, Bush and Cheney, brought American war on islamofascism soil. This is a major point that must be considered in 2008 election.

[amorando]

I have long thought that people working in DC, in the congress and other part so of the government are insular, are isolated, don't have touch with the country outside the beltway. Democrats, although not a monolith, should be seeing the hand-writing on the wall, but they don't seem to. Either that are they also are bought off by big money lobbiest.
We each have a vote and it isn't bought off by big money. What the people in DC probably know though is that most of us don't vote and most of us aren't following the issues.
I continue to hope that the voters will straighten things out, but I lost hope when GW Bush was reelected.
Keith Oberman put the move-on situation correctly, GW should not be using a military man as his mouthpiece. That crosses a line that should not be crossed. The military is suppose to stay out of politics.

[Yasmine]

??????????????????????????????????????????????

?? do you know what that sign means ? It seems the Republicans do not, or they are blinded by their hatred and urge to Pounce on any critic of the war.

it is a question mark : BETRAY US ?
That lilltle sign tells me that MOVEON was POSING a QUESTION and not insulting the General, let alone the US Military.

ALTHOUGH I POSTED A CRITIDISM of MoveON on www.allianceforamerica.blogspot.org , The reaction by Republicans were so OUTRAGEOUS , that I am now DEFENDING MoveON because i NOTICED the Question Mark ?????
Please go to www.allicanceforamerica.blogspot.com MoveOn.org's grave mistake
september 10. 2007

[missmars]

Halleluiah, Mr. Begala! Your article needs to be immediately disseminated to ALL Democrats running for President. Honestly, we're still waiting to see some Democratic backbone. Bush needs to be succinctly called out on his hypocritical BS, and that needs to be done TODAY.

[blackjack]

I just picked this up from either buzzflash.com or dailykos.com, Limbaugh the yellowbelly coward was calling the DEMOCRATS in the SENATE BETRAYUS weeks befor this where was the CORP:, MAIN STREAM MEDIA outrage about the CHICKENHAWK, YELLOW BELLY COWARD Limbaugh.

[Tinanthejew]

This coward of a president hides behind the generals and this petraeus crossed the line from a military man doing his job to a tool of the administration selling a policy, thats not the job of the military. When Fallon called petraeus a sycophant and a kiss ass chicken shit He hit the nail on the head. Once again the fake outrage machine of the Republican pary has successfully distracted attention away from real issues to debating a newspaper ad. Dems should have taken a page out of the Bush playbook and just say MoveOn.org doesn't speak for me and (pardon the pun) move on. We should be talking about the use of mercenaries in Iraq killing indiscrimantely in the name of the U.S.A. not to mention the theft of our tax dollars. I have to say these Dems are a bunch of pussies, the only one to say this censure is a waste of time and not worthy of a vote was Obama. We are so fucked, the republicans are running our democracy into the ground and the Dems are affraid of make anyone angry, its no wonder that Hillary has the biggest balls of all the presidential runners.

[kristin]

"How come the government numbers of 3,777 as of 9/7/7 are so low? The answer is simple, the government does not want the 73,000 dead to be compared to the 55,000 U.S. soldiers killed in Vietnam Iraq = Vietnam. What the government is doing is only counting the soldiers that die in action before they can get them into a helicopter or ambulance. Any soldier who is shot but they get into a helicopter before he dies is not counted."

This should be publicized until it is common knowledge. Let President Bush explain this, then still claim that Gen Petraeus' report was on the up and up.

Department of Veterans Affairs Reports 73 Thousand U.S. Gulf War Deaths
http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_clive_bo_070921_department_of_vetera.htm

[Gabrielle]

GIVE TO MOVEON.ORG

AGAIN AND AGAIN

[DenverCurmudgeon]

Democrats who voted to condemn MoveOn.org:

Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Leahy (D-VT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Salazar (D-CO)
Tester (D-MT)
Webb (D-VA)

In this list of cowards only Carper (D-DE), Kohl (D-WI), and Webb (D-VA) wore the uniform. Perhaps the rest don't understand that freedom of speech is one of the things we fight for.

[mamajoyboy]

This why I have so little faith in the Democratic party. Rather than bringing the discussion back to what is really "disgusting" i.e. Bush's use of General Patraeus as shill for a failed policy in Iraq -- the Dems get scared of being called "Left Wing" and start beating up on the messenger. Where was this outrage on the part of Bush and the Repugs (plus the spineless Dems) when Kerry was being Swiftboated? Only progressive, liberal newspaper ads are disgusting? Senator Levin should realize the time to condemn the swiftboaters came and went. The 25 Scaredycrats who voted with the Repugs are what is WRONG with the Democratic party! Hey, why not vote to condemn Blackwater for killing Iraqi civilians? Oh, right why be afraid of privately paid jackbooted thugs accountable to no one -- when you can waste time, engery and attention on attacking an ad in a newspaper?

[Dejack]

Bush expressed "astonishment that leading Democrats have not attacked MoveOn as courageously as Bush has."

...When have Democrats EVER demanded Republicans repudiate attack ads or comments coming from their right wing shills?

Have Democrats ever done that, even ONE time?

Then why do Democrats fall all over themselves complying to such Republican demands?

I just don't get these Democratic wusses...who are quickly losing my support.

[jrutle]

Amen, Paul. Democrats should not fall into the trap and hypocrisy of the Republican spin-machine. Its disgusting and self-defeating.