MoveOn had their Petraeus/Betray Us ad which contained all the wit and insight of graffiti scrawled on a bathroom stall at a grade school for disadvantaged youths (and considering the level of competence that went into the decision to place the ad, it might as well have been exhibited in a toilet).
In response, the shy and demurring pundits from far right acted like bleeding wounds unable to understand why anyone would dare - DARE - impugn the integrity of someone who serves our country.
Swift Boating, after all, is so '04.
Apparently this lack of respect of a man in uniform was so egregious that Congress had no choice but to save the Union by approving a resolution condemning the ad.
They get paid to do this. Then they wonder why Americans cheat on their taxes.
But the good news is the Congress now has practice in fending our men and women in uniform from snark just in time to defend fake soldiers from being called phony soldiers by the likes of Rush Limbaugh. A high crime so . . . high that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had to be dragged from a bed of tears to announce to the world that Limbaugh's comment was "so beyond the pale of decency that it cannot be left alone."
It's not alone. It's got the Petraeus/Betray Us ad to double date with. But apparently Petraeus/Betray Us happened in some alt universe 'cause Reid went on to cogitate as to "how my Republican colleagues would have reacted if the tables were turned -- if a well-known Democratic radio personality had used the same insulting line of attack against troops who support the war."
As opposed to a well-known Democratic agitprop org, I guess. But we'll never know for sure. There are no well-known Democratic radio personalities.
Of course, no discussion of selective outrage would be complete without mentioning Bill O'Reilly's recent discovery of the secret tribe of civilized black folk who eat at restaurants in Harlem, attend Anita Baker concerts and in their downtime run the world's largest media company.
The man's ig'nant, as my father would say. I had no problem saying it, either. But the far left would not accept the non-apology they never got from Mr. Bill. His blatant Righty racism was Rightfully hectored at every turn.
However, the blatant Lefty racism of Syracuse University professor Boyce Watkins seems to get a pass. On CNN Watkins called NPR contributor Juan Williams a "Happy Negro" over Juan's defense of O'Reilly's statements.
Now, that's just high-minded discourse cleverly disguised as blatant Lefty racist anti-black intellectualism.
Nothing wrong with disagreeing with Juan's interpretation of Bill's remarks - I do, even though Juan's the one O'Reilly was having the original conversation with - but there's plenty wrong with the Left's dead silence over the same kind of disgusting race baiting for which they attack the Right. Racism, hatred, stupidity, the poisoning of the culture... It's all the same no matter where it comes from.
But we really shouldn't be surprised at either the vitriol or the chicanes of pathos manufactured by the opposite ends of the Left and the Right. Go far enough along the political sphere and the extremes always meet somewhere.
Usually at the intersections of hypocrisy and false piety.