Phony Outrage at Phony Rush's 'Phony Soldiers' Comment

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Phony Outrage at Phony Rush's 'Phony Soldiers' Comment

Posted Oct 3rd 2007 10:57AM by Ben Greenman
Filed under: Scandal, Media, Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh is under fire for calling anti-war military "phony soldiers."

Harry Reid has asked Limbaugh's bosses at Clear Channel to discipline him for "hateful" and "unpatriotic" remarks. Limbaugh has upped the ante by calling one soldier who has attacked him a "suicide bomber." That soldier has told Limbaugh to stop "nursing the boils on his ass." Wesley Clark has said that Limbaugh's show should come off of Armed Forces Radio.

(Watch the video of Reid here and of Rush's response here.)

And so the wheel of idiocy keeps turning...

Let me clarify. When I say "wheel of idiocy," what I mean is a circular process, populated by one or more idiots on one or more sides of an issue. Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer more than he is a politician. I agree with him about almost nothing. But I do agree that he has the right -- and, more importantly, the compulsion, to make inflammatory statements. He has, for years, lobbed rhetorical grenades into every foxhole he could find. It's what he does. Is he for the troops, in general? Is he against them? There is more evidence to support the former than the latter, obviously, but there is even more evidence to support the "who cares?" thesis. Evidently Harry Reid cares, because he's wasting the the Senate's time asking for Limbaugh, a radio host -- an entertainer -- to be disciplined. This responds to idiocy with idiocy and is consequently a Wheel of Idiocy.

When the Republicans in the Congress went after the Moveon.org ad undermining General Petraeus, I thought it was a monumental bit of foolishness. This is, too. Just because one person's an idiot doesn't mean that others people should respond in kind. These kind of responses violate one of the fundamental rules of intelligent debate: don't get drawn down to their level. Instead, what's happening is that Democrats are attacking Limbaugh, and conservatives are defending Limbaugh by attacking Democrats -- by way of proving that Limbaugh is not anti-soldier, Sean Hannity has been playing his tiresome montage of Murtha/Kerry/Obama anti-military remarks. Your guys said unwise things, too, so our guys aren't wrong. Bad blood, bad thinking, bad business. Ecch. Idiots.

I am using the word "idiot" imprecisely here. I am lobbing a rhetorical grenade. In this post, this one right here, I am part of the problem. But that's the insidious nature of these kinds of slap fights. They reminds me of that scene in "Police Squad" where Leslie Nielsen and a crook are shooting at each other. The camera shows Nielsen, then the crook, then Nielsen, then the crook. Then it pans back to show that they're only a few feet away from each other. That's funny. Then their guns run out of bullets and so they start throwing their guns at each other. That's funnier. And that's what's happening. And we keep watching, because we like comedy. What gets lost, of course, is real debate. The most cynical part of me wonders if this isn't intentional -- if it isn't easier for politicians and commentators to keep the debate in the idiotic rhetorical realm instead of dealing with substance. It's easier for the politicians on both sides of the issue because it distracts us from the fact that they have gotten us into a mess (war supporters) or can't get us out of that mess (war opponents). And it's easier for commentators because it gives them ratings boosts, reader boosts, and cash in the pocket. Ann Coulter, appearing on Sean Hannity's radio show, said that she envies Limbaugh his condemnation by Harry Reid, because it's the equivalent of free advertising. She's right, of course.

In the end, it's worth wondering whether an idiotic controversy is good for anyone (it's not), and whether it should be thought of as a controversy at all (it's not). Frankly, it seems more like a conspiracy. I don't mean a conspiracy in the towers-can't-fall-from-a-plane-crashing-into-them-so-let's-look-for-a-bomb sense, but rather a conspiracy by message makers in the media and Congress to take everyone's eye off the ball. When the sun goes down on this dumb little "phony soldiers" hiccup, just like when the sun went down on the General Betray Us hiccup or the O'Reilly hiccup or the Imus hiccup or the a million other tempests in teapots, people in power will have stalled another day without solving anything -- or, for that matter, showing most Americans a clear difference between the right and the left, except that the right barks at the left and the left barks at the right. Let radio people say whatever they want. Stop pretending to be outraged and giving them so much attention. And force politicians to govern. No country, not even one this size, needs so many windbags.

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Reader Comments ( Page 4 of 7)

Previous 15 Comments | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

46. 32. Sombody please tell Rip Van Manny it's 2007 not 1951, and it's "righties in the closet" not "commies under the bed"...

All these years and he's been looking in the wrong place before donning his nightie!

Unfortunately for you Reich types the airwaves belong to all of us,and not just you neo-fascist types.

BT I wasted my time explaining to you what the Fair Doctrine is, and like the brainwash commie that you are you ignored the facts and attacked the messenger. I have to give it to you your a good brainwashed commie. By the way what hangs between my legs won't let me hide under the bed GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!
On another blog you pinkos were saying that dems morphed from dems of a hunred years ago. You no longer lynch blacks. The only morphism I see is that you lynch blacks(Clarence Thomas,Condeleza Rice,Colin Powell and so on) and now that you have the taste of lynching in your mouth you lynch whites(Limbaugh,O'Reilly,Hannity,Savage and so on)and if minorities in general don't march to your drumbeat then their traitors NO NO NO SIR!! they've seen the light,and the arrogance of you pinko America hating dems.
In America what determines who gets on the Radio is
1 message people want to hear
2 sponsors who pay the bills
3 owners of the station
4 the people that buy the products that are sold
on the stations

so as you see its not neos, its called Capitalism something commies say they abhor but in their closet they know none better!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

Manny at 4:09PM on Oct 4th 2007

47. #44 Logan

Sir allow me to shake your hand,look you in the eye and thank you and our other warriors for serving our nation.Your right to your opinion is validated by your sevice, but I must disagree, Rush was not only talking about the phony soldier that the Times parades but the New Republic and all these phonies do is malign you warriors with accusations of atrocities for their anti war propaganda. We can agree on any ones right to be anti-war but to cowardly without any merit accuse and not afford the right of innocent until proven guilty to the very ones risking their lives to defend those rights is unconscionable and treacherous in my opinion!
Again thank you for your service and be safe!!!
By the way Rush has always supported our troops not only by mouth but backed it up with his wallet!
Peace be with you!!!

Manny at 4:49PM on Oct 4th 2007

48. Oh, it is well known that Limbaugh support our troops.

More generally, it is well known Republicans are more supportive of the military than are the Democrats.

Democrats want to label all returning troops as mental cases or otherwise force them into victim status, of course so they (the Democrats) can "help" them and claim to support the troops.

Finally, the troops themselves tend to be more to the right politically than to the left.

As for this so-called controversy, I think Rush will win it in a walk and the leftists will lose yet again, ala Move On's recent Betray us ad in the NYT.

For the sake of strategy, Democrat party bosses should put some distance between the party and those who are more to the far-left, and they should try to break free from the baby boomer groupthink that has reigned in the party since the late 80's. That groupthink already has Shrillary in the white house (think Argentina's Evita Perón). However, folks who think like that are stunningly out of touch with the average American and will be at first surprised when Hillary loses, and then on que will again wail that someone again stole the election from them.

And as you correctly noted, the wheel keeps turning.

Ken Berg at 5:15PM on Oct 4th 2007

49. I heard the program in question. Rush stated that
the PHONY soldier was in the military for 44 days.
The phony soldier is a moslem who changed his name.

This sweetheart stated that American soldiers hung
Iraqi men in mosques.American troops do not go
into mosques.

Rush never mentioned any other troops.

Eddykatz at 5:55PM on Oct 4th 2007

50. No wonder he calls you dittoheads. There are documented transcripts that prove limbaugh did use the term phony soldiers(plural) and continued on for almost 2 minutes before naming the individual soldier. Then he went on armed forces radio and edited his comments, conveniently leaving out the first two minutes. I really dont care that you all keep defending him, because the more you do is the better for us. You expose yourselves as sycophants of this mendacious bloviator. Oh, BTW, your nasty name calling only confirms your desperation.

Bruce O' at 7:12PM on Oct 4th 2007

51. Veterans Group Lanucnes Anti Limbaugh Ad

"More and more troops and veterans of Iraq believe George Bush's military policy has been a disaster," wounded ZIraq veteran Brian McGough says in the as. "I am one of them. Bush limbaugh called vets like me phony soldiers for telling the truth about Iraq"

"Maybe Rush Libaugh hasn't heard, but there's a new sheriff in town--America's troops and veterans, who are not going to sit idle while he and his ilk demean the service of those who oppose the president's Failed policy in Iraq", said Jon Soltz, chair of VoteVets.org and an Iraq War veteran.

REP'S THINK VET'S BACK BUSH --- BUT THEY DON'T-- REP'S ARE GOING TO BE SOCKED COME ELECTION.

ALL VET'S NEED TO BE RESPECT---BUT REP'S DON'T RESPECT ANYONE OR ANYTHING.

WWW.VOTEVETS.ORG

Dancerpl2 at 8:31PM on Oct 4th 2007

52. Leave it to you lefties to change the subject. Joseph Goebbels, Jeff Gannon and Laura Bush (murdering people, no less.) Nice try. People, can we try and focus here?

Because your party is completely bereft of ideas and because the Democrat Congress is falling on their faces (with an 11% approval rating) and is now less popular than the National Hockey League, an attack had to be launched. And it was.

It was a purposeful and knowing distortion about Rush, and coming from a party which has been hijacked by the George Soros-funded political Street-fighters and Stalinists at MoveOn.Org and Media Matters, it was not all surprising.

Dave at 10:02PM on Oct 4th 2007

53. Nothing like a lesson in patriotism from a guy who was too fat to be drafted into the Army.

WackyWade at 1:03AM on Oct 5th 2007

54. #52 CASE CLOSED and AMEN!!!!

Manny at 3:19AM on Oct 5th 2007

55. Rush is a grandstanding blowhard..dittoheads are what his followers call themselves. He preaches to a vast wasteland of braindead morans and tells them they alone know the truth.

B D North at 7:50AM on Oct 5th 2007

56. BD North - If you're going to insult people, at least spell correctly. I think that's "morons". Impressive stuff, though.

Dave at 8:37AM on Oct 5th 2007

57. You are part of the problem for not taking a stand and defending the indefensible. It began in the Clinton administration when we allowed the man to do background checks into the Party to obtain sensitive information and take control. Clinton propelled himself above the Party scrutiny and above the law. As he was confronted with demons from his past like "Bad Blood", he used a sex scandal to make the real story disappear. Some Democrats tried to confront him and this was the so called "Right Wing Conspiracy". It was the Right Wing of the Democratic Party that tried to get Clinton to resign. They made it political and used divide and conquer to defend the indefensible. It worked so well, the Republicans copied it. Along came President Bush's son for his political revenge. Bush did background checks into his political party under the guise of the VP selection. Armed with this sensitive information, he rose to power; but it wasn't enough. It took a conspiracy with Clinton, Fox, Florida, and the Supreme Court to prevent America from counting the vote. Again, we defended the indefensible and that brough on 9-11. The same people who stood in opposition to Clinton, who stood up for the Constitution and Gore, now stood up to Bush's mandate. It became a "Maniacal Plot against the Presidents." Nobody investigated because the truth hurts. Standing in opposition to the so called Bush Mandate, a pre-emptive strike against the missile shield was made that hardened the funding paradigm. The effort changed campaign finance law and it was well known to anyone in government. We defended the indefensible again as the government looked the other way and we witnessed 9-11. We defended the indefensible as we looked the other way and tried to blame Iraq for the Anthrax. We looked away as they hyped the forged documents and got their way and their war with Iraq. We looked the other way as they destroyed the Constitution. We looked away as Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table. We are looking the other way as the world begins to threaten us for being so aggressive and out of control. In conclusion, Rush is a tool. He is wearing a red, white, and blue Burka waving the American flag spewing his propaganda and getting paid. The first casualty of war is the truth. We've been fighting a culture war left over from the Clinton administration. What's the truth? He should have resigned. Our lack our courage, the silence of the good people, and the Democrat's failure to defend the Constitution took us down this road. It's a path to self-destruction. Anyone can attack our troops and we've got to retaliate in kind. Iraq didn't have WMD, but I'm certain they are there now. Someone needs to be held accountable or the truth needs to be told. Are you willing to tell this truth or remain a part of the problem? Just what I thought-silence.

Cecil Jones at 8:55AM on Oct 5th 2007

58. The Job approval rating for the US Congress was recorded in the last polling somewhere around 11%. These latest examples of "Harry Reid and the Legislators" work ("food fights") will help propel their approval rating to zero.

bob rogan at 9:13AM on Oct 5th 2007

59. I thought this guys made a good point, and excerpted part of his article:

The Lost Resolution
In a sane world, the resolution that would be inspired by Rush’s comments.

By Jackson Bauer

MEMORANDUM

To: Clerk of the Senate
From: Mortimer J. Snerd, Office of the Majority Leader
Re: Resolution Condemning Unpatriotic Statements Regarding Our Troops

RESOLUTION

Condemning Unpatriotic Remarks Made By Senators Concerning Our Troops

WHEREAS on May 5, 2004, Senator Kennedy of Massachusetts accused our troops of torturing prisoners in the same manner as Saddam Hussein, stating “Shamefully, we now learn that Saddam’s torture chambers reopened under new management,” and

WHEREAS on June 14, 2005, Senator Durbin of Illinois compared our troops to Nazis and genocidal maniacs, stating “If I didn’t tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their Gulags, or some mad regime, Pol Pot, or others that had no concern for human beings. Sadly that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in their treatment of their prisoners,” and

WHEREAS on December 4, 2005, Senator Kerry of Massachusetts alleged that our troops were terrorizing Iraqi civilians, stating “There is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night terrorizing kids and children, women…,” and

WHEREAS In October, 2006, Senator Kerry of Massachusetts suggested that our troops were lazy and stupid, stating “You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t you get stuck in Iraq,” and

WHEREAS on August 13, 2007, Senator Obama of Illinois accused our troops of reckless disregard for civilian life, stating “We’ve got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we’re not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there,” and

WHEREAS on September 5, 2007, Senator Schumer of New York denigrated our troops as being inept and useless, stating “And let me be clear, the violence in Anbar has gone down despite the surge, not because of the surge. The inability of American soldiers to protect those tribes from Al Qaeda said to those tribes we have to fight Al Qaeda ourselves,” and

WHEREAS on several occasions Senator Reid of Nevada has suggested that our troops are utter failures, stating, notwithstanding extant evidence to the contrary that “The war is lost,”

NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved by the Senate of the United States and its individual members that they

(1) Shall refrain from suggesting, without warrant, that our troops are murderers, liars, torturers, idiots, losers, and traitors

(2) Shall refrain, whenever possible, from making public statements about the troops, their mission or our country that are indistinguishable form statements made by Osama Bin Laden, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or others who have vowed to destroy the United States of America

(3) Shall refrain from introducing legislation that would impede or impair the ability of our troops to defeat our enemies or that exceeds the powers granted to Congress under Article I Section 8 of the Constitution

(4) Shall assist the Department of Veterans Affairs in expediting an investigation into the scores of reported incidents involving “phony soldiers,” including, but not limited to, those cases where individuals have made false claims about their military service in order to obtain benefits to which they are not entitled; as well as cases in which individuals have lied about the nature of their military service for the purpose of portraying our troops in a false and unflattering light, thereby undermining their mission and the public’s support therefor.

(5) Shall conduct business only in a manner calculated to best improve the probabilities of victory so that our troops may return home quickly to the honors they deserve from a nation made secure by their service.

— Jackson Bauer is the nom de cyber of a writer living in northern Virginia

Ken Berg at 10:27AM on Oct 5th 2007

60. Manless tries - "By the way what hangs between my legs won't let me hide under the bed GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!"

Yeah, I can see that in your normal position, doubled over with your head up your derriere...

You don't fit.

Check that closet though!

BT at 11:45AM on Oct 5th 2007

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Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.