DiFi cast a vote in favor of condemning a newspaper ad today. Seriously. The Senate has enough time to waste that they need to condemn a newspaper ad. But lest we forget what free speech really means, let’s talk about what this means for the Iraq debate.
Here’s the famous “Patreus or Betray Us” ad. You’ll find all the facts behind the ad as well as the thinking behind the ad. But apparently we can no longer question a military officer. A military officer hand-selected by the White House precisely because it saw eye-to-eye with the White House on its policy goals. An officer who has done the bidding of the White House for entirety of this war.
So, President Bush can run and hide behind the skirt of Gen. Patreus, but no way can we dare to challenge the general that Bush is hiding behind. Yet, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to attack MoveOn. As an aside, the Resolution that passed also managed to villify the word “liberal.” Thanks, Senator Feinstein. Way to stand up for your constituents. At least we have Senator Boxer, who herself brought up a resolution condemning the ad, but also condemning the villification of war heroes John Kerry in 2004 and Max Cleland in 2002.