Rush Limbaugh, phony soldiers, and the Left’s desperate need for its own “Betray Us” moment
Update: Rush vs. Dingy Harry.
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 itResolved 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
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- Blue Crab Boulevard » The Smear Campaigns - Redux
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- rightlinx.com » Blog Archive » Phony Politics
- The TIW Blog » Blog Archive » Rush's "Phony soldiers" comment refered to Phony soldiers!
- Dem Introduces Resolution to Condemn Rush Limbaugh : The American Pundit
- politicalpartypoop.com » Blog Archive » Limbaugh on Solid Ground on ‘Phony Soldiers’
- Riehl World View
- Webloggin - Blog Archive » Democrats Use Fake Phony Soldier Outrage, George Soros and Washington Insiders to Shut Down Free Speech
- Media Matters In Hyper-Overdrive… « Nice Deb
- Condemning Rush Limbaugh non-statement; idiocy beyond comprehension » Infidels Are Cool
- Political Vindication Radio! Newsbuster’s Noel Sheppard; Media Matters Linked to Clinton | Political Vindication
- Wake up America-I question their patriotism
- Rush Limbaugh Challenges Harry Reid at Conservative Times--Republican GOP news source.
- Big Dogs Weblog
- Harry Reid Slanders Limbaugh On Senate Floor at The Lunch Counter
- Did Rush Limbaugh Call Veterans “Phony Soldiers”? at Forward Deployed
- EphBlog
- Representative Jack Kingston
- Political Vindication Radio! Newsbuster’s Noel Sheppard; Media Matters Linked to Clinton | Political Vindication
- Stop The ACLU » Blog Archive » Phony soldiers? How about “so-called” soldiers?
- Michelle Malkin » Fairness Doctrine Watch: The Crush Rush Democrats’ agenda
- “Battlespace Preparation” at Conservative Times--Republican GOP news source.
- The Daily Conservative
- Rush Limbaugh, Harry Reid, Phony Soldiers and Real Soldiers emails supporting Rush at Conservative Times--Republican GOP news source.
- Media Mythbusters Blog » Blog Archive » Crossing the Line from Misconstruing Context to Slander and Libel…
- Michelle Malkin » Rumor: Democrat mayor of Atlantic City, still missing, to resign over phony military claims
- 3ec81c68557c64e9d091
- Mainstream Media Dishonesty - 101 Liberal Media Lies « BUUUUURRRRNING HOT
- Pro General Petraeus, Anti Betray Us Editorial Cartoons « BUUUUURRRRNING HOT
- From Phony Soldiers to Fairness Doctrine « What Is Your Worldview?
- No Udall Fan » EphBlog
- Smearing Rush Limbaugh | Sequence Inc. Fraud Files Blog
- The War On Rush Limbaugh And Free Speech | TDC
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Categories: Jessie Macbeth, MoveOn.org, Rush Limbaugh, Scott Thomas Beauchamp, They don't support the troops
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Purple, one of my husband’s former CO’s was McVeigh’s Company Commander during Desert Storm. He said that when he saw him on tv after being arrested, that you could have knocked him over with a feather. He said that he was an outstanding Soldier but that his actions afterwords did not. It’s the same thing with Murtha, every Marine I know says that he is a “former Marine” and one of them said that he was at the Capitol Concert on Memorial Day weekend and when Murtha stood up beaming from ear to ear when the Marine Corps Hymm was played. Luckily he said his wife held on to him with a death grip and he didn’t do what he wanted to do.
I spent the morning on the horn with my representatives in Congress from the Commonwealth of VA and called Udall’s office (everyone must be, it took 3 hours to get something other than a busy signal in DC), as well as the usual suspects of Reid, Schummer, Clinton and Byah (sp?) of IN. I got basically a okay, will tell the person you called. But that’s okay, at least I called.
Thank you Charlie for a difficult job and welcome to one of the best boards.
This is pathetic — Rush was quite clear in what he said; how can you have a resolution when it’s so obvious that this is a smear?
How low can these Dems go?
Yes, I’m still waiting for his full military record.
Welcome newbies, Michelle must have been sick of seeing some of our names over and over…
Glib, wasn’t that back when Al Gore was behind a mule on his father’s Tennessee farm? Too busy plowing to invent the ‘net. Oh wait, he lived in a posh hotel just outside DC while going to a super exclusive private school…
And back in the 70’s it was Global Cooling that science foresaw…
After living and breathing the web for so long I’m still surprised such blatant smears catch fire. We have to keep telling the truth so this lie doesn’t get set in stone.
Oh, and I should say, thanks Michelle for opening registration!
Now if only hotair would open theirs
First entry. Thanks, Michelle for your past work. I worried about you in Iraq and am glad you returned unharmed. Looking forward to joining this fray.
The only surprising and possibly interesting thing here is that democrat pols are taking a page from the GOP’s playbook of passing corny symbolic “we’re more patriotic than thou” legislation. Any sensible voter should be tired that pols on both sides waste taxpayer’s time with such stupid gestures.
A hearty welcome to all the newly registered commenters … you are joining a great group with a lot of open discussion ahead of you … enjoy
I guess I’m showing my age but I’ve been listening to him long enough recognize this as simply Rush’s normal schtick. I also happen to hold the title of soldier in very high regard, a title not just anyone deserves. However unpopular the opinion may be I actually do think certain actions (like those being described) may tend to make one less deserving of such a title. /shrug
4 types of soldiers:
1) a true soldier, a volunteer to defend this nation.
2) a true but angry soldier, one who honestly signed up to defend this nation but became turned bad.
3) a person who ‘volunteered’ under false pretenses – (Scott Beauchamp)
4) the Frauds – Jessie MacBeth et al.
3 & 4 should be put in prison.
I gave a shout out to my Rep. Congressman Lee Terry.
The libnuts are going to eventually run out of rope and patience from the few sane ones who are left in the dem party. After the smear campaign against O’Reilly Juan Williams has got to now realize his party has been taken over by the whack jobs.
It’s time to call Udalls office and play with his staff
Rush is calling out Reid on air.
I wonder if Reid will have the balls to appear on the Show? Reid is a spineless weasel.
I try to keep up with these things, but it still amazes me that the same people that cry about “their freedoms being infinged upon” are always the same ones wanting to take others freedoms away.
BTW, thank you for opening the registration up again, Michelle. I missed it the last time and was sad for days.
Rush has just called upon the “hack-politicians” (like senator Reid) to tell him to his face what was or wasn’t done on his program. “Have you no shame…?”
I have a feeling that hack-politician Reid is not going to take him up on this challenge. Really, it’s pathetic to listen to these mindless partisan socialists attack a mere radio talk show host in order to cover their own anti-American asses.
What’s worse is that they’re doing it with a story that’s obviously been fabricated. Just wondering if there’ll be any republicans who’ll put Reid and his ilk in their lowly (rightful) place.
I called Udall’s office to voice my concern over the proposed resolution. The staff weenie says his boss listened to the full audio of the Rush broadcast and concluded Rush was referring to all soldiers. The funny thing is the staff weenie admitted Rush was talking about the phoney Jesse MacBeth.
I wanted to reach thru the phone and wring the little punks neck…I’ll just have download and print udall’s mug for target practice to vent off my anger instead.
buckshot …
Reid, Pelosi, and all the rest of the DemoCraps are always going to be too busy with their friends at MoveOn, KOS, HuffPo, and Code Pinko to spend any meaningful time with El Rushbo … Heaven forbid that might mean having to face up to all of his BS positions …
by “HIS BS positions” I was referring to reid … not Rush … DUH!
Now that Reid has condemned Rush for squelching the free speech rights of military personnel, will he now encourage the uniformed folks to speak out, despite the tradition of a soldier staying silent on political matters?
Has he now unilaterally removed the shroud from these folks? I’d LOVE for the troops to give the defeatocrats a few pieces of their minds.
How ’bout it, Reid? Or is it the case that as Rush said, you are always careful to take on folks who can’t fight back?
I got your point DesertLover
What ticks me off is they spout lies and to a certain segment of American Society they become the gospel truth to be further disseminated among the leftard population at large.
BTW, Thanks Michelle for opening registration. I have been trying to get in for months!
I wholeheartily admire your determination to set things straight. We need more empowerment in this world, and it starts with just one person willing to raise their voice!
Senator Reid has called for Republicans in signing a letter to the EIB Network demanding Rush apologize.
http://conservativebelle.blogspot.com/2007/10/rush-limbaugh-apologizes.html
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.
Hat Tip to Uncle Ralph on #22.
Great Read.
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.
I say let them bring the bill. You know…give an idiot enough rope
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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 …
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.
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.
Poison
How about a group of the wounded vets at the military hospitals in the DC area lighting that bonfire you are suggesting?
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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!
*********************
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.
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?