Four days ago, Congress got together to fulfill a lofty goal. No, it wasn’t restoring Habeas Corpus, increasing The Children’s Health Insurance Fund, nor giving DC residents political representation. Instead it was to censure the juvenile MoveOn ad. This has been the first time Congress has appeared to agree on anything since re-approving warrantless wiretapping.
For all its worth, this is really a credit to the ongoing power in rhetoric and practices of the Republican Party. The work of Freedom’s Watch (a partisan group of elite investors) goes off with only some mutterings from the media and no apologies from any politician, for heavily partisan ads that blame Democrats for playing politics (see: irony) and again tries to link 9-11/Iraq. Republicans on the other hand are able to pass a symbolic resolutions and make Democrats cower and apologize on behalf this mostly grass-roots organization.
While the Republicans continue to do horribly in most polls, they still can make the Democrats heel with the slightest threat while not even receiving the same criticisms in return. In fact, a similar resolution proposed Thursday which included a condemnation of the MoveOn ad and the previous attacks on John Kerry in 2004 and Democratic Senator Max Cleland in 2002…failed. Only more than three years late and lacking any relevance, Democrats still couldn’t get it together.
I read the NY Times story you linked to and found this:
Ms. Boxer’s proposal, which failed, called for the Senate to “strongly condemn all attacks on the honor, integrity and patriotism” of anyone in the United States armed forces.
So… what? It is no longer the media’s job to criticize the military? Or the government? This shit is crazy! With MoveOn being made an example of, what are the parameters that are going to be set up for which web communities are big enough to warrant harrassment from the government and which are too small to matter?
Yes I saw that too. Which troubled me, so I posted the one with the more specifics about Kerry & Cleland.
It does seem blah to say that you can’t criticize military personnel…since last time I checked they’re humans and capable of being without integrity, honor, or patriotism.