Michelle Malkin » Rush Limbaugh, phony soldiers, and the Left’s desperate need for its own “Betray Us” moment

Rush Limbaugh, phony soldiers, and the Left’s desperate need for its own “Betray Us” moment

By Michelle Malkin • September 30, 2007 08:24 PM

Update: Moonbats continue to push to kick Rush off the Armed Forces Network. More here.

***
So, word is that the Democrats will introduce a House resolution Monday condemning Rush Limbaugh for his remarks about phony soldiers. Brian Maloney points out that ABC News aired a report on phony soldiers and Operation Stolen Valor two days before Rush made his remarks. Asks Maloney: “Given the overwhelming evidence to support Limbaugh’s contention that he really was talking about phony soldiers who have faked their service, how does the left justify continuing this fabrication?”

Here is what this phony fiasco is really all about: It’s about the MoveOn.org Democrats trying to save face in the aftermath of the disastrous “General Betray Us” smear. They want their own moment of righteous (or rather, lefteous) indignation, their own empty proof that they really, really, really do support the troops. They want to shift attention away from MoveOn.org, its bully tactics, and its thug brethren at Media Matters. They are making a pathetic attempt to equate the “Betray Us” attack–which was deliberately timed for publication and maximum p.r. damage to our military command when the world was watching our top general in Iraq testifying in Congress–with a radio talk show host’s ruminations about anti-war soldiers who have faked their military records/history.

Bottom-of-the-barrel desperation.

I have written and reported extensively on the Winter Soldier Syndrome phenomenon. It goes far beyond Jesse MacBeth, the faker busted by the blogosphere. As I wrote in August in my column on the Scott Thomas Beauchamp fiasco:

Ever since John Kerry sat in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and accused American soldiers of wantonly razing villages “in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan,” the Left has embraced a small cadre of self-loathing soldiers and soldier wannabes willing to sell their deadened souls for the anti-war cause.

Think Jimmy Massey, the unhinged Marine who falsely accused his unit of engaging in mass genocide against Iraqis.

Think Jesse MacBeth and Micah Wright, anti-war Army Rangers who weren’t Army Rangers.

Think Josh Lansdale, the anti-war Army medic who attacked former GOP Sen. Jim Talent by spinning a bogus health care tale swallowed whole by Dem Sen. Claire McCaskill, Gen. Wesley Clark and the far Left VoteVets.org crew.

Think Amorita Randall, the NYTimes-championed former naval construction worker who told the Times magazine that she served in Iraq, was in a Humvee that blew up, and was raped twice while serving in the Navy–but, in fact, had never served in Iraq.

Winter Soldier Syndrome will only be cured when the costs of slandering the troops outweigh the benefits. Exposing Scott Thomas Beauchamp and his brethren matters because the truth matters. The honor of the military matters. The credibility of the media matters.

Think it doesn’t make a difference? Imagine where Sen. John Kerry would be now if the Internet had been around in 1971.

Instead of confronting the problem, MoveOn.org/MediaMatters Democrats are preparing to shoot the messenger.

The reported sponsor of the resolution is Democrat Rep. Mark Udall. He’s running for Senate in Colorado. Yes, he’s trying to win a Senate seat by running against Rush Limbaugh. The Colorado Index has the text of his proposed resolution:

110TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. CON. RES.
Honoring all Americans serving in the Armed Forces of the United States and condemning the attack by broadcaster Rush Limbaugh on the integrity and professionalism of some of those Americans.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Mr. UDALL of Colorado submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Honoring all Americans serving in the Armed Forces of the United States and condemning the attack by broadcaster Rush Limbaugh on the integrity and professionalism of some of those Americans.

Whereas on September 26, 2007, the broadcaster Rush Limbaugh told a nationwide radio audience that members of the Armed Forces who have expressed disagreement with current policies of the United States regarding military activities in Iraq are ”phony soldiers”; and

Whereas such a description constitutes an unwarranted slur on the integrity and professionalism of members of the Armed Forces who exercise their constitutional right to express their opinions regarding public policy in a manner consistent with good order and
discipline: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),

SECTION 1. Congress makes the following findings:

(1) Americans serving in the United States Armed Forces have volunteered for such service and have not been drafted for that purpose.

(2) Those who serve in the Armed Forces deserve the respect of all Americans for their willingness to undertake that service.

(3) Those who serve in the Armed Forces do not relinquish their constitutional right to express their opinions regarding public policy in a manner consistent with good order and discipline.

(4) The dedication and honor of Americans serving in the Armed Forces should not be impugned because of their exercise of such right.

SEC. 2. Congress –

(1) recognizes the service of all members of the Armed Forces serving in good standing and with honor to defend the United States, and the personal sacrifices made by them and their families;

(2) commits to judge the merits of the opinions of members of the Armed Forces regarding the policies of the United States, including those related to military actions in Iraq, without prejudice or personal bias, including refraining from unwarranted personal attacks;

(3) condemns in the strongest possible terms the personal attacks made by the broadcaster Rush Limbaugh impugning the integrity and professionalism of Americans serving in the Armed Forces who have expressed opinions regarding military actions in Iraq;

(4) honors all members of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel serving in harm’s way, as well as their families; and

(5) pledges to debate any supplemental funding request or any policy decisions regarding the war in Iraq with the solemn respect and the commitment to integrity that the sacrifices of these members of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel deserve

Like the “Betray Us” ad, this, too, will ultimately backfire.

As my post yesterday about MoveOn.org’s attempt to squelch criticism by t-shirt and bumper sticker sellers at Cafe Press underscored, the unhinged Left is beginning to alienate its own base with its any-means-necessary tactics.

You can only shoot yourself in the foot so many times…

***

Glenn Reynolds spells it out: “…the intent is to limit the ability of people like Limbaugh or O’Reilly to drive stories in the mainstream news as we get closer to the election. Expect more of this, with more targets.”

Yes. In other words: A backdoor restoration of the Fairness Doctrine.

Peter Wehner weighs in.

***

You asked for it: Rep. Mark Udall’s contact info…

Rep. Mark Udall
100 Cannon House
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2161
Fax: (202) 226-7840

Posted in: Jessie Macbeth, MoveOn.org, Rush Limbaugh, Scott Thomas Beauchamp, They don't support the troops

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Comment pages: « 1 [2]

#101

On October 1st, 2007 at 4:21 pm, Augustine said:

Michelle, Thank you so much for opening up the registration! Now I will get to enjoy interacting as well as reading.

Now on with the topic.

Ironic how the “phonies” want to speak with the same moral authority about the war as those service men and women who have really paid the price, yet must lie to get an audience. They are totally blind to the contradiction and the dichotomy between their thoughts and actions. I think there is a psychiatric diagnosis for that.
#102

On October 1st, 2007 at 4:27 pm, Augustine said:

Hat Tip to Uncle Ralph on #22.

Great Read.
#103

On October 1st, 2007 at 4:28 pm, Poison said:

Does anyone have an update on how our brave Republican senators are reacting to this? So far I haven’t heard a word from any of them.

In a parallel universe, this sort of thing would totally backfire on the Dems, because the Republicans would condemn Harry Reid so loudly that the truth about Macbeth et al would become widely known. Even people who don’t follow politics would be outraged over the Democrats and their front groups having such total contempt for the military as to push these liars on the rest of us.
#104

On October 1st, 2007 at 4:32 pm, Eric_CharlotteNC said:

I say let them bring the bill. You know…give an idiot enough rope
#105

On October 1st, 2007 at 4:43 pm, GaijinBob said:

Is it really too much to expect a soupcon of consistency from these loons from week to week?

Yes, yes it is. Seriously, in the rarefied air of the ivory towers where they got their leftist indoctrination, logical consistency was simply never a requirement.

How low can these Dems go?

You’d be surprised (unless you are familiar with how they’ve run the college campuses where they rule supreme crushing all dissent, then nothing would surprise you).

Woo hoo! First post! Thanks, Michelle.
#106

On October 1st, 2007 at 4:43 pm, sunandsteel said:

On October 1st, 2007 at 4:28 pm, Poison said:
Does anyone have an update on how our brave Republican senators are reacting to this? So far I haven’t heard a word from any of them.

I read that the House GOP has drawn up something commending Rush and his continuous support of the troops.
It just boggles the mind how these Dems can continue to operate like this, and the GOP, for the most part, has let them get away with it. GROW A PAIR AND FIGHT BACK.
#107

On October 1st, 2007 at 4:53 pm, nikoyaka said:

With all my respect, people, Rush really should not have said that about our soldiers. Remember, they may not support the war or president’s strategies, but they are still there, fighting this war, doing their work. No matter what is their political affiliation, our soldiers deserve better words because they are there. Some of them have been there for long time, have not seen their families, and could be losing their hope or believes, and this is understandable. But to call them “phonies”? This is way too far.
#108

On October 1st, 2007 at 5:08 pm, dannavy85 said:

Rush is right on concerning these treason filled “posers” with their fake uniforms. You can always spot these idiots because they refuse to tell you where they served, what units, what times, anytime you question them on the specifics, they’ll come back with swears, insults and stupid comments.
#109

On October 1st, 2007 at 5:20 pm, Straight_Talk_Luigi said:

Phonies may not be the best word choice, but if there is evidence that Rush is right, and I think he is, then this is a big mistake by the House. They are directly challenging freedom of speech here. Seriously, how can the democrats complain about the Patriot Act and then proceed on a stunt like this? The two-faced antics of their party is appalling–and dangerous.

Serving in the USA armed forces doesn’t give you the right to lie or fake your credentials.
#110

On October 1st, 2007 at 5:47 pm, bear1909 said:

What used to be called sedition has been redefined as patriotism. Free speech is reserved for only certain people and views. And with the megaphone the Treason Media provides, the general spinelessness of the Stupid Party, and the ignorance of the public more attuned to “Dancing with the Stars” than monks dying in Burma and Truth dying at home, these memes will not only take hold, they will become established as the new Truth and that will pretty much be that.

It isn’t that simple. Never has been. Never will be.

Everything in this Nation related to its politics is more complicated at the grass roots level than the media can comprehend.

Kerry and Gore and the Dhimmicrats were thought to have a lock on the presidency in the past 2 elections. The Mainstream Media said it was so. And their beloved straw polls said it was so.

And what was the tipping point issue among the people in grassroots “Sheeple Land”? That anathema referred to as “Family Values”.

It made Hillary go back to church for heaven’s sake. The Mainstream Media didn’t see that coming. They run their crap- but we aren’t as stupid as the media elites believe we are. They don’t know us.

The media elites can’t feel us. Can’t smell us. Can’t touch us.

And that spells doom ultimately for any of their agendas.

Their batting average so far this year is what? 0.00?
#111

On October 1st, 2007 at 6:01 pm, DesertLover said:

nikoyaka …

You need to retrace the whole issue by reading the links in the story and the other posts here …

(1) ABC News ran the story 2 days before Rush said anything about this and labeled these particular individuals as “phony soldiers” …

(2) Rush did not come up with that description but rather used the term in a follow-up on the ABC piece in a discussion with a caller on his radio show …

(3) This is not talking about the troops as a whole … it is talking about those that falsify their service and come out and make wild claims that are not true and get the attention of the MSM and the Dems and their co-opted groups like MoveOn.org and KOS … these people are liars and they must not be allowed to get away with it …

(4) The Media Matters group of anti-war activists passed on to these Dems a few selected words from the whole Rush discussion with a caller and extracted those phrases and made up their own context …

Rush shows more support for our troops everyday than the Dems have shown them in my entire life … and that covers over 61 years …
#112

On October 1st, 2007 at 6:17 pm, Augustine said:

This is amazing, the Democrats are pushing this issue to the forefront where it can be scrutinized by all… transcript, audio, rebuttals. Do we really have to watch them pour gasoline all over themselves and then light the match?

nikoyaka …

Please, read the transcript, or at least take the time to listen to the audio. There are several links posted above so I won’t repost.
#113

On October 1st, 2007 at 6:26 pm, Poison said:

I agree, except who’s going to light the match. Hagel? Martinez? Kyl? Graham? These guys have let us down so many times before…plus they are still upset at Rush over amnesty, so I wouldn’t expect them to rush to his defense.
#114

On October 1st, 2007 at 6:48 pm, DesertLover said:

Poison

How about a group of the wounded vets at the military hospitals in the DC area lighting that bonfire you are suggesting?
#115

On October 1st, 2007 at 6:58 pm, joeyb1955 said:

I’ve said it before, the smart ones can see through this silly ploy. It’s the sheep-like idiots that are unable to distinguish fact from fiction, certainly with a bunch help from a complicit press.

I hope this blows up in Reid’s face. I’m only asking the folks in Nevada get their short-term smarts and vote this guy into retirement.
#116

On October 1st, 2007 at 8:00 pm, pctech45 said:

I wonder how this whole ordeal with the socialists in the Senate will translate at the ballot box next year. Will the American public remember?
#117

On October 1st, 2007 at 8:11 pm, shimauma2 said:

Wow, it’s great to be registered and comment, but everybody was already ahead of me in their opinions. Still, I think Rush ought to demand a hearing from Congress. He should be allowed to defend his comments in an open forum and get full coverage for on it by the media. If the government is gonna waste our tax money on this drivel, they might as well go full out.
#118

On October 1st, 2007 at 9:41 pm, CharlieT said:

Some of the comments (no need to name names) still seem to confuse what a “phony soldier” or “fake soldier” is. What Rush meant (and what we should mean) is not soldiers who served and later chose to criticize the war (they are free to voice their opinions). The “phony soldiers” or “fake soldiers” are the ones who never served, or wear unauthorized awards that they never received, or claim exploits (war related or not) that never happened, who hold themselves out as decorated combat veterans. They are scum of the earth whether they speak out in favor or opposition to the war. This “stolen valor” gives these fakers an undeserved gravitas and is an insult to the true heroes.
#119

On October 2nd, 2007 at 10:05 am, meatpieandtatters said:

It kills me how the left can undermine our military with impunity declaring defeat and so forth. But when anyone on the right even comes close to a gaffe, the left will bastardize the context and inflate the matter to incite all matter of partisan attack. These people make Pravda look like Life Magazine.
#120

On October 2nd, 2007 at 12:17 pm, Cosmo said:

Don’t these tools of the liberal left understand that once their utility has been exhausted (i.e. Cindy Sheehan) or their fraud exposed (i.e. Jesse MacBeth) that they’ll be left holding the bag–abandoned–while their liberal puppeteers “MoveOn” to the next victim?
#121

On October 2nd, 2007 at 7:27 pm, RetFireman said:

On October 1st, 2007 at 8:00 pm, pctech45 said:
I wonder how this whole ordeal with the socialists in the Senate will translate at the ballot box next year. Will the American public remember?

It really depends on if the Republican candidate uses these events in their campaign. What they need to do is to tell the public about how Reid had declared defeat and all the other statements he has made, everything Kerry, Clinton, et al have stated concerning the WoT and the military, how they have lied and purposely drug someone’s name through the mud etc. If the Right finally stops playing Patty-Cake with them in the hopes that they will start to play fair and actually takes the gloves off in a full court press to expose the Liberals in Congress and elsewhere for everything they are, say and represent, then the American public will do the right thing, vote them out and tell them they have had enough. They will be out of office for a very long time until they clean up their act. however, I seriously doubt any of the Republican candidates are ever going to do such a thing. They are doing the Bob Dole thing and seemingly only running in order to give the Dems someone to run against. Reminds me of Bush in 92 when all he had to do was remind the public about all the things that had happened during his tenure, leaving him with only needing to say, “Let me finish what I started out to do”, which he never did. Instead, he gave a limp attempt at a campaign and ended up losing to a Used Car Salesman with nowhere near the experience, landing us in the problems we face even to this day.
#122

On October 3rd, 2007 at 9:33 pm, Straight_Talk_Luigi said:

Why don’t the democrats just forget about Rush, and, you know, MOVE ON? Isn’t that their new campaign message?

Lead by example, folks!
#123

On October 4th, 2007 at 12:33 am, Ombre Rose said:

On October 1st, 2007 at 12:16 pm, unamused said:
Why do people pay attention to what the left produces?

*********************

Because every single time they are on the verge of total implosion and collapse, someone in the GOP props them up, and votes with them in Congress (McCain, Thompson, KB Hutchison, Olympia Snowe, etc…), or works to get some Judicial Ruling to go their way, or gives them a prestigious award, giving them power over us WE DID NOT VOTE TO SUPPORT and DO NOT CONDON, and the GOP enablers just shrug their shoulders and walk away, muttering stuff about corp de’sprit and bi-partisanship, etc…
Then the GOP ENABLERS OF THE DIM/RINO ENABLERS do a lot of flibbertygibbiting about how there isn’t anything they can do about it, let’s all just be pragmatic and sensible, now, and remember, if we don’t want the DIMS in control, we’d better keep on supporting the DIM ENABLERS (because people of integrity simply are tres passe this year, you see), if we know what is good for us.
#124

On October 4th, 2007 at 12:51 am, Ombre Rose said:

On October 3rd, 2007 at 9:33 pm, Straight_Talk_Luigi said:
Why don’t the democrats just forget about Rush, and, you know, MOVE ON? Isn’t that their new campaign message?

Lead by example, folks!

Why should we LET them “move on”, when we have caught them red handed in SLANDER on top of catchign them REDHANDED AT TREASON for slandering General Petraeus?

Why let them out of it THAT EASILY?

These are FELONIES.

They rate a first-rate pounding on this sutff! They’ve worked hard for it, and are due their just wages, are they not?

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