Check it out. Conservative columnist and talking head Michelle Malkin is not pleased with George Allen. Not at all. Why would any true conservative be pleased with Allen's attack on veterans, on great American literature, and on a realistic - if "politically incorrect," as the right wingers would call it - portrayal of what happened in Vietnam?
Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign. The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.
Oct. 27
MARK SHIELDS: The highest ranking or certainly one of the highest ranking men in the United States military today has recommended that we remove all troops from Baghdad, all American troops from Baghdad.
JIM LEHRER: Who's this?
MARK SHIELDS: I cannot tell you.
JIM LEHRER: You can't tell me? Can you tell Rich?
MARK SHIELDS: I can tell our listeners, but I can't tell you. I just don't trust you.
JIM LEHRER: Yes, OK.
MARK SHIELDS: But this has been seriously proposed...
JIM LEHRER: Move all of the troops?
MARK SHIELDS: All of the troops out of Baghdad, secure the road to the airport, secure the oil fields and the borders, and say that the pacification and the maintaining of order in Baghdad is the responsibility of the Iraqis. That is the recommendation of probably one of the most -- probably the most respected man in uniform today.
JIM LEHRER: You mean in uniform, serving on active duty today?
MARK SHIELDS: That's right.
JIM LEHRER: So who did he make this recommendation to?
MARK SHIELDS: He made it to the civilian leadership of the United States.
I've just linked to this story for informational purposes since it's starting to make its way around the web.
Remember the "bimbo" ad Sen. Corker used against Harold Ford in Tennessee? Implying Ford had questionable family values? Well, there's an interesting picture on the Raw Story website being used to illustrate Corker's hypocrisy.
(Let me add that personally I do not think the picture reflects badly on Corker's daughter -- I think what she's doing is fine.)
This is germane to our novelist issue here, because there is so much hypocrisy in the GOP.
Here's one from World Net Daily. (Shudder.) My politics is about completely the opposite of theirs.
Why we turned down Webb 'scoop'Posted: October 28, 2006
1:00 a.m. EasternWhen Matt Drudge published the press release from Virginia Sen. George Allen's campaign about lurid and sexually explicit excerpts from Jim Webb's novels, some WND readers asked why we didn't jump all over the story.
I'll tell you why.
For weeks, operatives within the Allen campaign were shopping this "story."
We were offered all the excerpts if we wanted it as an exclusive. I turned it down flat.
Why? Because it's a non-story.
***
Is this the best he's got?He's been a governor. He's been a senator. Why is he incapable of running on a record of personal achievement? Why is he running a smear campaign against a challenger? It's enough to turn your stomach.
***
But I suspect this little "October Surprise" by Allen's camp will come back to haunt them. It's so impotent! Challenge Webb on the issues! Take the high road! If you lose, lose with honor and integrity!
Is it me? Or doesn't our nation have enough serious issues to talk about? Should we talk about them in a campaign season or should we dwell on literary criticism of Jim Webb's old novels?
Welcome to American politics, 2006-style.
p.s. To show you the politics of WND, the writer thinks Webb has gotten all soft and squishy on the issues, e.g., women in combat. The writer thinks the only woman who should be in combat is Hillary Clinton. He may be in for a surprise -- in two years she may be commander-in-chief.
In honor of Jim Webb's Vietnam Service:
