This week’s Top 10 Conservative Idiots has a lot to say about the right-wing tactics for dirty politics — get as dirty as possible, then say that the Democrats started it. Nyah, nyah.
Ann Coulter was out and about disparaging Vietnam war hero and triple-amputee Max Cleland last week. Yes, that’s the same Max Cleland the GOP defeated in 2002 by running TV ads comparing him to Osama bin Laden (was that your idea, Mr. Gillespie?). Ann the Man claimed in her recent column that Cleland lost his limbs in a non-combat mission “where he was about to drink beer with friends.” She goes on… “He saw a grenade on the ground and picked it up. He could have done that at Fort Dix… Luckily for Cleland’s political career and current pomposity about Bush, he happened to do it while in Vietnam.” Yes, lucky Max Cleland! He had three of his limbs blown off! But there’s more… “Cleland wore the uniform, he was in Vietnam, and he has shown courage by going on to lead a productive life. But he didn’t ‘give his limbs for his country,’ or leave them ‘on the battlefield.’ There was no bravery involved in dropping a grenade on himself with no enemy troops in sight.” That’s odd, Esquire magazine reported in 1999 that he lost his limbs when a grenade accidentally went off as he jumped from a helicopter into a combat zone. And of course, Ann fails to mention that Cleland was awarded the Silver Star for an incident that happened a mere four days earlier. His Silver Star citation says, in part, that despite “heavy enemy rocket and mortar attack Captain Cleland, disregarded his own safety, exposed himself to the rocket barrage as he left his covered position to administer first aid to his wounded comrades. He then assisted in moving the injured personnel to covered positions… Cleland’s gallant action is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.” So here’s the big question – will Ed Gillespie denounce these dirty, gutter-press, veteran-bashing, pant-sniffing Republican campaign tactics? Don’t hold your breath!
But the topper this week is idiot number 9:
We noted last week that Our Great Leader was finally appointing a commission to investigate intelligence failures leading up to the invasion of Iraq. Well this week he finished, and you’ll be pleased to know that the last person he picked is a founding member of the Project for the New American Century. That’s right, Henry S. Rowen, an assistant defense secretary from 1989 to 1991, is also a signatory of PNAC’s Statement of Principles. PNAC, of course, is the group which persuaded Bush to go into Iraq in the first place(after conveniently getting their "new Pearl Harbor" of course). Fox, meet henhouse. We
trust you’ll take good care of the place.
