'The Valentine's Day Massacre'
Friday, February 17, 2006
The title of this post comes from an article by David Goodman in the far-lefty magazine Mother Jones on the sabotage of Democrat Paul Hackett's candidacy against Sherrod Brown in the Democrat Senate Primary. It is quite apt.The details contained within have set the Ohio and "progressive" blogospheres ablaze.
Is Paul Hackett a "war criminal?" HELL NO!
A whisper campaign started: Hackett committed war crimes in Iraq -- and there were photos. "The first rumor that I heard was probably a month and a half ago," Dave Lane, chair of the Clermont County Democratic Party, told me the day after Hackett pulled out of the race. "I heard it more than once that someone was distributing photos of Paul in Iraq with Iraqi war casualties with captions or suggestions that Paul had committed some sort of atrocities. Who did it? I have no idea. It sounds like a Republican M.O. to me, but I have no proof of that. But if it was someone on my side of the fence, I have a real problem with that. I have a hard time believing that a Democrat would do that to another Democrat."
In late November, Hackett got a call from Sen. Harry Reid. "I hear there's a photo of you mistreating bodies in Iraq. Is it true?" demanded the Senate minority leader. "No sir," replied Hackett. To drive home his point, Hackett traveled to Washington to show Reid's staff the photo in question. Hackett declined to send me the photo, but he insists that it shows another Marine -- not Hackett -- unloading a sealed body bag from a truck. "There was nothing disrespectful or unprofessional," he insists. "That was a photo of a Marine doing his job. If you don't like what they're doing, don't send Marines into war."
A staffer in Reid's office confirmed that Hackett had showed them several photos. "The ones I saw were part of a diary he kept while serving in Iraq and were in no way compromising. The one picture in question depicted marines doing their work on what looked like a scorching day in Iraq," said the aide.
Coming from the same party which sat on its hands while the NAACP released that horrid "Chains" ad that insinuated that then-Gov. George Bush was somehow insensitive to -- or even complicit in(!) -- the dragging death of James Byrd by a trio racists, color me unsurprised. It is noteworthy that the Democrat Machine would so blatantly attack one of their own, but this is the party which has so viciously attacked the decision to go to war in Iraq; it seems to me to be the only possible progression.
It is quite easy to oppose the Iraq War and I have respect for many who did. I have had several debates with one of my favorite uncles (a Republican socialist!) and have never for a moment questioned his integrity or his patriotism. I opposed the first Gulf War (mistakenly, I now believe) and almost every one of ex-Pres. Bill Clinton's many military forays. The irony of a draft dodger spending two terms sending American boys into harm's way is just too mind boggling for a simple man like myself.
So you opposed the war -- fine. But that was not enough for some Democrats and leftists (is there any difference anymore?) To them, not only was the Iraq War "illegal," it was "immoral." It went from "the wrong war at the wrong time" to a belligerent act of imperialism and the deliberate destruction of the Iraqi people. Why should it come as a surprise that they would feel little compunction over smearing "one of their own?" If the Iraq War is immoral, then surely those who wage it are immoral.
Why show respect to warmongers?
Please do not expect me to feign surprise when these "Peace Democrats" show their true nature. Ohio has seen this before as its Democrats cried "peace" in an attempt to end the Civil War without victory for the Union.
Democrats are as Democrats do.
NOTE: This post was inspired by several sources; please check them out:
BizzyBlog: Democrats Go Beyond Eating Their Own in Taking Out Paul Hackett
Ohio 2nd: Cascade Failure
Ace of Spades: Hackett Withdrawal Presages Liberal-Left Split?
Mother Jones: Backroom Battles
