The Hillary Hate Factor - Part II

A few months ago, I wrote about the Republican party's rabid hatred of Hillary Clinton, and how it has manifested itself out of thin air. I didn't think I'd be writing a "Part Deux". (Of course, at the time, I mentioned Huckabee in that post and how he seemed to "have his head on straight" and how John McCain had no chance of winning the Republican ticket. ...Boy, how things change in a few months.) But I digress.

The Republicans are down. They've suffered a horrible blow by the neocons and by the betrayal of the Bush administration. They've been embarrassed by scandal after scandal showing the "family values" politicians revealed as hypocrites, from David Vitter to Larry Craig. Evidence of their apathy and disgust for the party they once held dear is clear by the lack of voter turnout on the Republican side in the primaries and caucuses.

Now comes a new op-ed from Stankey Fish and he brings up the incoherent hate that Hillary Clinton draws from the wingnut right. And in my opinion, this is a major issue in this election.

You may dislike her policies (which she has not been reluctant to explain in great detail). You may not be able to get past her vote to authorize the Iraq war. You may think her personality unsuited to the tasks of inspiring and uniting the American people. You may believe that if this is truly a change election, she is not the one to bring about real change.

But the people and groups Horowitz surveys have brought criticism of Clinton to what sportswriters call “the next level,” in this case to the level of personal vituperation unconnected to, and often unconcerned with, the facts. These people are obsessed with things like her hair styles, the “strangeness” of her eyes — “Analysis of Clinton’s eyes is a favorite motif among her most rabid adversaries” — and they retail and recycle items from what Horowitz calls “The Crazy Files”: she’s Osama bin Laden’s candidate; she kills cats; she’s a witch (this is not meant metaphorically).

...Back in November, I wrote a column on Clinton’s response to a question about giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. My reward was to pick up an e-mail pal who has to date sent me 24 lengthy documents culled from what he calls his
“Hillary File.” If you take that file on faith, Hillary Clinton is a murderer, a burglar, a destroyer of property, a blackmailer, a psychological rapist, a white-collar criminal, an adulteress, a blasphemer, a liar, the proprietor of a secret police, a predatory lender, a misogynist, a witness tamperer, a street criminal, a criminal intimidator, a harasser and a sociopath. These accusations are “supported” by innuendo, tortured logic, strained conclusions and photographs that are declared to tell their own story, but don’t.

Compared to this, the Swift Boat campaign against John Kerry was a model of objectivity. When the heading of a section of the “Hillary File” reads “Have the Clintons ever murdered anyone?” — and it turns out to be a rhetorical question like “Is the Pope Catholic?” — you know that you’ve entered cuckooland.

This is why we need someone the likes of Barack Obama, who can bring people together, not that I'm necessarily a "can't we all get along" type of guy (as my friends will attest). I'm sure Hillary Clinton is perfectly capable of leading the country. Judging by the polls and the information gathered after completed primaries so far however, the numbers indicate that Obama can attract more crossover votes than Clinton, moderate Republicans as well as Independents, and in my opinion, the chances of a Democratic victory come November are much better with Obama as the Democratic nominee.

Am I deluding myself in believing that Obama can overcome the racism he will face (and has probably already faced) as we draw nearer to post time? Or perhaps the question should be: Are the American people ready to overcome racism in the face of one of the most important choices a voter will make this generation? Only time will tell.

The War As They Saw It

This was in the New York Times Op-Ed this past Sunday and I failed to mention it earlier.
Written by seven members of the US Army 82nd Airborne Division in Baghdad, it does nothing but tell us the truth and shows us the reality on the ground in Iraq. Please do yourself a favor and read the whole piece (linked above).

Here's an excerpt:

A few nights ago, for example, we witnessed the death of one American soldier and the critical wounding of two others when a lethal armor-piercing explosive was detonated between an Iraqi Army checkpoint and a police one. Local Iraqis readily testified to American investigators that Iraqi police and Army officers escorted the triggermen and helped plant the bomb. These civilians highlighted their own predicament: had they informed the Americans of the bomb before the incident, the Iraqi Army, the police or the local Shiite militia would have killed their families.

As many grunts will tell you, this is a near-routine event. Reports that a majority of Iraqi Army commanders are now reliable partners can be considered only misleading rhetoric. The truth is that battalion commanders, even if well meaning, have little to no influence over the thousands of obstinate men under them, in an incoherent chain of command, who are really loyal only to their militias.

I wonder how soon it'll be before the warmongers start swiftboating these seven brave soldiers?

UPDATE: It didn't take long for me to find Tucker Carlson's take on this op-ed. The piece, by the way, was a response to assessments made in a previous op-ed by Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack; and when [Carlson] interviewed Pollack, he did not challenge Pollack's opinions on whether progress is being made in Iraq, but he readily distrusts what actual military on the ground have to say.

Who are you going to believe? O'Hanlon and Pollack, or your lying eyes?

Bush The Deceitful

An abuse of power to the Nth degree.

President Bush has appointed Sam Fox as Ambassador to Belgium. If you don't know who Sam Fox is, he was Chimpy's nominee for said appointment back in January. During his Senate Confirmation Hearing in February however, he hit a bit of a snag when questions arose on why he donated $50,000 to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. You remember them, don't you? They're the lying scumbags who smeared John Kerry during his Presidential campaign in 2004.

So there is Sam Fox, sweating in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, answering questions asked by... John Kerry, who is on the committee. Chickens coming back to roost anyone?

Well, knowing Fox didn't have the votes was just a bit too much to take for Curious George and on March 28th (just seven days ago) he withdrew Fox's nomination. So now what does this sneaky, evil, criminal son-of-a-bitch do? He waits for Congress to go on a one week recess and then APPOINTS SAM FOX Ambassador to Belgium!

"We view the recess appointment of Mr. Fox as a clear abuse of the President's recess appointment power," three Democratic senators wrote in a letter to the Government Accountability Office, Congress' auditing agency.

Apparently Bush thinks that this is a dictatorship, not a democracy. Talk about brass balls! The Democratic senators were outraged, and asked the Government Accountability Office Thursday, "If the U.S. Senate defeats the nomination of Mr. Fox, would Mr. Fox's recess appointment continue through the current session of Congress, or would it be terminated?"

But that's a longshot as Bush had done this before with the 2002 blocked nomination of Otto Reich as assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Senator Chris Dodd blocked that nomination and the Chimp-Man gave Reich the job as a recess appointment. The GAO then cited the US Constitution in Bush's favor. Ironic isn't it?

And to add insult to injury, of course Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, (The "I" must stand for "imbecile") the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney "hailed the appointment." Why wouldn't they? It's just another end-around to subvert the checks and balances of the Constitution that Bush hides behind when it's in his favor, but disregards when it is not.

Ann Coulter Is Truly Insane

Wingnut Ann Coulter spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday. She is certifiably insane. Here is one of her comments:

“I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot'–so…"

No, no really...she actually said that. Here it is - see for yourself.

The audience's reaction? Audible "Oooh"s.. and then laughter, cheers and applause. Applause?! ...APPLAUSE!
After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I couldn't help but feel torn. I laughed at the thought that this was the best that CPAC had to offer and I was outraged at the fact that yet another Republican smear was going to permeate the simple minds of the country and before you know it, John Edwards drops out of the race after falling behind in the polls because 35% of the country thinks he's a closeted homosexual.

Oh, Ann, Ann, Ann. It's a shame that you have to resort to these type of attacks for lack of any substance. But then why would you be any different than any other Swiftboating Republican hack? You're their Queen. The drones swarm to you in order to propagate the species.

From Think Progress: The Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese issued the following statement:
“We demand that every single Presidential candidate in attendance at this conference, along with Vice President Cheney stand up and publicly condemn this type of gutter-style politics,” continued Solmonese. “If not, then their silence will be deafening to the vast majority of Americans who believe this type of language belongs no where near the discussions about the future of our country.”

The Conservative Political Action Conference was attended by 2008 Republican Presidential candidates: Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and former Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA). Vice President Dick Cheney also attended the event.

I believe that Mr. Solmonese's request is a valid one, and can't possibly be ruled unreasonable or out of the question. Surely the "liberal media" in this country have jumped all over Queen Ann to condemn her comments as despicably bigoted and trashy. Without fail, Vice President Cheney, who attended the conference, and who is the father of a pregnant, lesbian daughter, would make a statement disapproving of Coulter's smear... No? No one?

Wait a minute... why didn't I initially hear about this on televised news? Why did I hear about this on the Internet? Oh right, we were inundated with Anna Nicole's funeral all day long. You know, important stuff.

What vexes me about Coulter's statement is that, once again, if the very pointy shoe was placed on the other foot, if a Democrat had made a similarly disgusting remark, the Limbaughs and Hannitys of the world (and the Coulters too for that matter) would attack like the hyenas they are and the said bigot would be exiled to a remote island or launched away on an ice floe.

I keep waiting for the day when Queen Ann goes too far in her attacks, even for neocons, and says something like: "I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama, but it turns out you get a cap popped in your ass if you use the word ‘nigger'–so…"

Then perhaps finally, she'll no longer be able to hold a job in which she can spew her hate, except for maybe standing in the middle of a corn field scaring the crows away. Unfortunately, it's more realistic to assume that there would just be another media blackout to further protect the likes of Ann Coulter.

Also read: Steven Weber - My Date With Ann

UPDATE:
NY Times: Republican Candidates Criticize Slur by a Conservative Author
John McCain (who did not attend CPAC): “The comments were wildly inappropriate,” said his spokesman, Brian Jones.

Rudy Giuliani: “The comments were completely inappropriate and there should be no place for such name-calling in political debate.”

Kevin Madden, a spokesman for Mitt Romney: “It was an offensive remark. Governor Romney believes all people should be treated with dignity and respect.”

Ann Coulter's e-mailed response: “C’mon, it was a joke. I would never insult gays by suggesting that they are like John Edwards. That would be mean.”

She just doesn't get it. And she never will.

UPDATE II:

Glen Greenwald: Terrible Hatred and Anger on the Left

Don Hazen: Ann Coulter's 'Faggot' Remark Smears Mitt Romney Too
Bob Geiger: Will Republicans Apologize for Hanging with Hatemongers this Week?

Let the Smearing Begin

It's incredible, isn't it? The candidates are barely out of the gate, some of them haven't even announced they are running yet, and already the rumors are flying. I'm not even going to dignify calling them rumors, they are smears. Dirty, disgusting lies aimed to cast doubt toward anyone credible. Do you think these lies would start if the candidates had little to no chance of succeeding? If so, then where are the Dennis Kucinich smear campaigns? No offense to Dennis, I like him, but we all know he has very little chance of making it in his presidential bid.

Here's Barack Obama, defending where he went to school when he was six year old... SIX!... and no, he's not Muslim and no, he didn't go to a madrassa. Unbelieveable!
And where did we first hear the smear? From a right wing web based magazine Insight. And how did it initially spread? The female Rush Limbaugh, Melanie Morgan on KSFO in San Francisco. And who picked up the story? John Gibson on FOX NEWS, another right wing freak.

But let's not stop there. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Not only can they spread the smear that Obama is Muslim and was taught at a madrassa, but they can also say that the Hillary Clinton Campaign is where they got the info from. These people have no morals, they are no worse than the scum on the bottom of my shoes.
Oh, Melanie Morgan then says she got the story wrong, it wasn't the Clinton Camp that started the smear, it was the JOHN EDWARDS Camp. TRIFECTA! Boy, these people are rotten to the core.
From the minute this story came out, it was debunked; ABC and CNN even sent producers and crews out to INDONESIA to check out the school, and found what they'd find in a "normal" school: kids learning math, science and English. Spongebob on the walls.

Has no one learned from the John Kerry swiftboating smear? Does no one remember that John McCain's own party smeared him in calling his adopted Bangladeshi daughter his own "illegitimate black child" when he was running against George the Liar in the Republican Primaries? Doesn't that disgust you? Don't you remember decorated war veteran Max Cleland, who lost three limbs in Vietnam, being linked to Saddam Hussein and Osama bin laden in TV smear ads by Saxby Chambliss? Isn't that vile to you?

Wake up sheeple! This kind of crap CAN'T work anymore. We must not allow ourselves to fall into the pit with these snakes.

By the way, fair warning to all: usually, I try not to use foul language on this site (although I have a sailor's mouth), but I find I've been censoring myself more and more these days. Well, NO MORE! If I think it, I'm going to post it, so I apologize in advance for offending anyone with future racy language. And boy, is it going to be racy! I'm going to call these people what they are and I'm not holding back. So hold on to your keyboards, its going to be a foul mouthed ride!