Revisionism Ricochet
Brother Ray, my Republican buddy, forwarded Glenn Reynolds' bloggage on the BA's characterization of the Democrats revising history before I came down with pneumonia and didn't have time to respond. I had time to read it and wondered: what is this crap? The BA, man, they speak with forked tongue... They suppress information that makes their medicare act look better... they deny global warming... they hire propogandists with government money to talk up their programs on talk radio... they send out propoganda meant to look like newscasts to further their interests.
Reynolds writes: "What I've been pointing out is that Democratic leaders have been, well, lying about the war — or, more specifically, about the intelligence that led to the war...So why are the Democrats peddling this line? Because, as I've noted, Democratic politicians voted for the war, but their activist donor base opposes it. They're boxed in, and claiming that they were misled seems like a way for them to explain away the contradiction while going on the offensive against Bush...There are only two problems with this approach. First, as McCain notes, it's a lie. Second, it's a lie that's damaging to the country."
There're a couple of issues here: 1) the Democrats behavior 2) the BA's lies. 3) The Rove Strategy.
Inasmuch as the Democrats were and have been a bunch of nutless hosebags when it came to the war, he's right. Do they realize they backed the wrong horse? Are they trying to wriggle out of it? Yes. Are they trying to rewrite history? Not any more than the average politician and a helluva a lot less than the BA.
Did they have they have the same dope the BA had? Party line: The Dems had access to the same info as the WH. The most secretive administration in history. A President who received daily briefings by the head of the CIA for the President. Same info. He got to watch (maybe even play) the game, the Dems got to read the box scores.
Even if they received the same intelligence, it was crap, not due to CIA failure, but due to the BA's rape and pillage of the Agency. The "bi-partisan" Robb-Silverman Committee is alleged to have found no evidence for WH pressure to sex up intelligence on Iraq. In the true spirit of cooperation, bi-partisanship can neutralize ideological differences; without cooperation, bi-partisanship can neutralize issues inimical to one side's interests. That's why independent commissions are set up. That's why the BA and the Repugs don't want an independent commission. Meanwhile, the Repugs will stand on the findings of Robb-Silverman. There are plenty of reports and people who have come out to describe how the BA pressured the CIA.
Accentuate the negative, eliminate the positive. Kerry was a genuine war hero; dirty his war record. Kill your opponent's advantages, work over his weaknesses, and get the edge. You can only get so far attacking the negatives; without the positives, he doesn't have a leg to stand on. The Democrats have an advantage right now in that they are able to come closer to speaking the truth. The Rove Solution: Call their truth lies.
I Have Seen the Enemy and He is Us. You're guilty of something? Accuse your enemy of it. The BA's grip is so ideological and self-interested it's almost inherently dishonest. The truth is what they can get away with. Bush pulled a bait-and-switch on the reason for war, brought the nation in on WMD's, and closed the deal on democracy and conquering evil. That's not a lie? That's not revisionism? Accuse the Democrats of it.
Mb
Reynolds writes: "What I've been pointing out is that Democratic leaders have been, well, lying about the war — or, more specifically, about the intelligence that led to the war...So why are the Democrats peddling this line? Because, as I've noted, Democratic politicians voted for the war, but their activist donor base opposes it. They're boxed in, and claiming that they were misled seems like a way for them to explain away the contradiction while going on the offensive against Bush...There are only two problems with this approach. First, as McCain notes, it's a lie. Second, it's a lie that's damaging to the country."
There're a couple of issues here: 1) the Democrats behavior 2) the BA's lies. 3) The Rove Strategy.
Inasmuch as the Democrats were and have been a bunch of nutless hosebags when it came to the war, he's right. Do they realize they backed the wrong horse? Are they trying to wriggle out of it? Yes. Are they trying to rewrite history? Not any more than the average politician and a helluva a lot less than the BA.
Did they have they have the same dope the BA had? Party line: The Dems had access to the same info as the WH. The most secretive administration in history. A President who received daily briefings by the head of the CIA for the President. Same info. He got to watch (maybe even play) the game, the Dems got to read the box scores.
Even if they received the same intelligence, it was crap, not due to CIA failure, but due to the BA's rape and pillage of the Agency. The "bi-partisan" Robb-Silverman Committee is alleged to have found no evidence for WH pressure to sex up intelligence on Iraq. In the true spirit of cooperation, bi-partisanship can neutralize ideological differences; without cooperation, bi-partisanship can neutralize issues inimical to one side's interests. That's why independent commissions are set up. That's why the BA and the Repugs don't want an independent commission. Meanwhile, the Repugs will stand on the findings of Robb-Silverman. There are plenty of reports and people who have come out to describe how the BA pressured the CIA.
Accentuate the negative, eliminate the positive. Kerry was a genuine war hero; dirty his war record. Kill your opponent's advantages, work over his weaknesses, and get the edge. You can only get so far attacking the negatives; without the positives, he doesn't have a leg to stand on. The Democrats have an advantage right now in that they are able to come closer to speaking the truth. The Rove Solution: Call their truth lies.
I Have Seen the Enemy and He is Us. You're guilty of something? Accuse your enemy of it. The BA's grip is so ideological and self-interested it's almost inherently dishonest. The truth is what they can get away with. Bush pulled a bait-and-switch on the reason for war, brought the nation in on WMD's, and closed the deal on democracy and conquering evil. That's not a lie? That's not revisionism? Accuse the Democrats of it.
Mb
posted by Diana I. Bail at 11/19/2005 09:58:00 AM
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