Politics: 2x Standards
I’ve been thinking about the Madison Capitol Times piece I posted yesterday, regarding Karl Rove’s unbelievably brazen abuse of our fighting men and women for a crass political rally. Atrios has been running a pretty interesting conversation about Howie Kurtz’s remarkable double standard for Bush’s AWOL service record, and that in itself should make this president steer clear of aircraft carriers and the like. Clinton absorbed nothing but spite from the military during his full eight years in the White House, and it was understandable that he didn’t show up on flight decks all that often. Bush, for some reason, is regarded as every soldier’s favorite pal, as if he did anything to deserve that. The double standard is so evident as to sicken a casual observer. Bush signed up, stayed drunk and disappeared when his time to serve came along. Clinton received an extremely prestigious academic scholarship and was therefore out of the country during the years he would have served. Bush doesn’t pay no nevermind to high-minded “scholarship” talk, but he had some coke to snort and some “campaigns” to work on for the family, so his service debt had to be taken care of another way. By lying.
But here’s another double standard that this event brings to mind. Remember when Senator Paul Wellstone - the Senate’s only true liberal - died with his wife and child in a plane crash? And do you remember how many of his friends and allies attended a cathartic, powerful event where they talked about how strongly they wanted to protect his legacy, and preserve all of what he’d worked for before his death. And do you remember how stern-faced Republicans walked out when they realized that a wake for a great man lost wouldn’t follow the script of the past year and act like they were somehow sorry to stand for something? The gathered throng shouted themselves hoarse to pay tribute to their friends deepest beliefs, and pledged to the thundering din that they wouldn’t let the work of Senator Wellstone disappear like he had. Do you recall how the fulminating assholes of American journalism accused Wellstone’s friends and wellwishers of crass electioneering, and abusing the death of their friend.
Shouldn’t someone be pointing out that Bush is taking advantage of not one death, not five deaths, but the death of dozens of American troops, dozens of British troops, thousands of Iraqi civilians, and a handful of American and foreign journalists, not to mention the death of American credibility in several major international institutions, the death of diplomacy, and the near-death of that fundamental American freedom, dissent?
I’ve been thinking about the Madison Capitol Times piece I posted yesterday, regarding Karl Rove’s unbelievably brazen abuse of our fighting men and women for a crass political rally. Atrios has been running a pretty interesting conversation about Howie Kurtz’s remarkable double standard for Bush’s AWOL service record, and that in itself should make this president steer clear of aircraft carriers and the like. Clinton absorbed nothing but spite from the military during his full eight years in the White House, and it was understandable that he didn’t show up on flight decks all that often. Bush, for some reason, is regarded as every soldier’s favorite pal, as if he did anything to deserve that. The double standard is so evident as to sicken a casual observer. Bush signed up, stayed drunk and disappeared when his time to serve came along. Clinton received an extremely prestigious academic scholarship and was therefore out of the country during the years he would have served. Bush doesn’t pay no nevermind to high-minded “scholarship” talk, but he had some coke to snort and some “campaigns” to work on for the family, so his service debt had to be taken care of another way. By lying.
But here’s another double standard that this event brings to mind. Remember when Senator Paul Wellstone - the Senate’s only true liberal - died with his wife and child in a plane crash? And do you remember how many of his friends and allies attended a cathartic, powerful event where they talked about how strongly they wanted to protect his legacy, and preserve all of what he’d worked for before his death. And do you remember how stern-faced Republicans walked out when they realized that a wake for a great man lost wouldn’t follow the script of the past year and act like they were somehow sorry to stand for something? The gathered throng shouted themselves hoarse to pay tribute to their friends deepest beliefs, and pledged to the thundering din that they wouldn’t let the work of Senator Wellstone disappear like he had. Do you recall how the fulminating assholes of American journalism accused Wellstone’s friends and wellwishers of crass electioneering, and abusing the death of their friend.
Shouldn’t someone be pointing out that Bush is taking advantage of not one death, not five deaths, but the death of dozens of American troops, dozens of British troops, thousands of Iraqi civilians, and a handful of American and foreign journalists, not to mention the death of American credibility in several major international institutions, the death of diplomacy, and the near-death of that fundamental American freedom, dissent?
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