Democrats Blast Limbaugh ‘Phony Soldiers’ Comment
Friday, September 28, 2007 at 1:18 pm
- 12 Comments
Democrats and liberal activists sharply condemned conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh for his statement that anti-war soldiers are “phony soldiers.”
Limbaugh’s statement, made on his radio show and first reported by the liberal news watchdog Media Matters, quickly erupted into a firestorm of controversy. In an echo of Republican attacks against the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org, Democrats accused Limbaugh of attacking U.S. soldiers in a time of war, and criticized Republicans for failing to condemn the statement.
“Rush Limbaugh’s personal attack on our men and women in uniform is reprehensible,” said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in a statement. “It minimizes the sacrifice our troops in Iraq and their families are making and has no place in the public discourse. Rush Limbaugh owes our military and their families an apology for his hurtful comments that minimize their service to our country.”
“Someone should tell chicken-hawk Rush Limbaugh that the only phonies are those who choose not to serve and then criticize those who do,” added Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., an Iraq war veteran, on the floor of the House. “I served proudly, so did two of my fellow paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne who spoke out and died just weeks ago. Generations of American veterans have worn the uniform with pride and we know it is no contradiction to serve your country and still disagree with the Bush-civilian leadership that mismanaged this war.”
The statement by Limbaugh came on the heels of a controversy surrounding an advertisement taken out by MoveOn.org assailing Gen. David Petraeus, which featured the headline, “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” The ad was roundly denounced by Republicans, including Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman, who took out an ad condemning Al Franken, one of Coleman’s Democratic challengers, for previously raising money for MoveOn.
The Franken campaign declined to attack Limbaugh directly. In a statement given to Minnesota Monitor, press secretary Jess McIntosh said simply, “Al’s thought enough about Rush Limbaugh for one lifetime.”
Coleman’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
At a press briefing, White House spokesperson Dana Perino did fault Limbaugh for the statement, saying, “The president believes that if you are serving in the military that you have the rights that every American has which is you’re free to express yourself in any way that you want to. And there are some that oppose the war, and that’s OK.”
12 Comments
Comment posted September 28, 2007 @ 5:02 pm
Phoney soldiers? What phoney soldiers?
I’ve heard nothing about anyWhat phoney soldiers out there lying on behalf of the left.
Comment posted September 28, 2007 @ 5:31 pm
You found one phony soldier! Hooray! Here are two who aren’t phony–but are dead. Come on. You’re not defending Rush, are you?
Comment posted September 28, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
No I’m not defending Rush; I don’t need to. I’m pointing out that trying to compare what his listeners said and what Moveon.org did is not feasable.
There are people out there, both men and women who use military experience that does not exist to bolster their credibility in arguing many issues.
Pointing out that verifiable fact is not the same as capriciously labelling an honorably serving top military commander a traitor. By attempting to do so, the left is simply fanning flames they would have been better served letting die.
Of course, the left isn’t known for it’s keen eye for political strategy is it?
Comment posted September 29, 2007 @ 4:43 pm
Sigh Guys, the troglodyte is correct. A discussion about “honor” is something that is being done totally on the home turf of the right wing. They will win that argument.
Stop allowing yourself to be distracted by stupid battles you can’t win. Keep your eyes on the prize. The goal is to get our people out of Iraq, regardless of how much “honor” you think any of them have. The rest is just a diversion – one no one can afford.
And don’t think for a second that right wingers will stand up for Limbaugh anymore than the left will stand up for you. That’s ridiculous, and everyone knows it.
God, no wonder we have little power and are ineffectual at using what we have! You guys need to learn a LOT from Saul Alinsky before you’ll be remotely credible.
Comment posted September 30, 2007 @ 10:23 pm
Only one? There are more than a few who’ve been paraded by leftists. A few of the more prominent ones: Micah Wright, Jesse Macbeth, Jim Massey, Amorita Randall, Scott Thomas Beauchamp, and Josh Lansdale. Strangely enough, they got dropped pretty hard when their fantastic stories didn’t pan out. And who can forget John Kerry’s Winter Soldier routine?
If you look at what Rush (not his listeners) said, Rush was attacking Jesse as a fake soldier. Considering the guy didn’t make it out of boot camp and was passing himself off as a Ranger, that’s a pretty apt description.
Comment posted October 1, 2007 @ 8:38 am
Speaking of which Eric Black takes a look at Limbaugh’s defense that he was talking about Jesse MacBeth, who lied about being a soldier.
Comment posted September 28, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
Phoney soldiers? What phoney soldiers?
I've heard nothing about anyWhat phoney soldiers out there lying on behalf of the left.
Comment posted September 28, 2007 @ 12:31 pm
You found one phony soldier! Hooray! Here are two who aren't phony–but are dead. Come on. You're not defending Rush, are you?
Comment posted September 28, 2007 @ 1:42 pm
No I'm not defending Rush; I don't need to. I'm pointing out that trying to compare what his listeners said and what Moveon.org did is not feasable.
There are people out there, both men and women who use military experience that does not exist to bolster their credibility in arguing many issues.
Pointing out that verifiable fact is not the same as capriciously labelling an honorably serving top military commander a traitor. By attempting to do so, the left is simply fanning flames they would have been better served letting die.
Of course, the left isn't known for it's keen eye for political strategy is it?
Comment posted September 29, 2007 @ 11:43 am
Sigh Guys, the troglodyte is correct. A discussion about “honor” is something that is being done totally on the home turf of the right wing. They will win that argument.
Stop allowing yourself to be distracted by stupid battles you can't win. Keep your eyes on the prize. The goal is to get our people out of Iraq, regardless of how much “honor” you think any of them have. The rest is just a diversion – one no one can afford.
And don't think for a second that right wingers will stand up for Limbaugh anymore than the left will stand up for you. That's ridiculous, and everyone knows it.
God, no wonder we have little power and are ineffectual at using what we have! You guys need to learn a LOT from Saul Alinsky before you'll be remotely credible.
Comment posted September 30, 2007 @ 5:23 pm
Only one? There are more than a few who've been paraded by leftists. A few of the more prominent ones: Micah Wright, Jesse Macbeth, Jim Massey, Amorita Randall, Scott Thomas Beauchamp, and Josh Lansdale. Strangely enough, they got dropped pretty hard when their fantastic stories didn't pan out. And who can forget John Kerry's Winter Soldier routine?
If you look at what Rush (not his listeners) said, Rush was attacking Jesse as a fake soldier. Considering the guy didn't make it out of boot camp and was passing himself off as a Ranger, that's a pretty apt description.
Comment posted October 1, 2007 @ 3:38 am
Speaking of which Eric Black takes a look at Limbaugh's defense that he was talking about Jesse MacBeth, who lied about being a soldier.
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