The Truth Sucks.
I watched Fred Barnes, a conservative Fox News commentator, freak out yesterday (on his show The Beltway Boys) because of this quote from Cindy Sheehan:
"9/11 was Pearl Harbor for the neo-conservatives' agenda".
Gasp! How dare she say that?! Isn't that just crazy talk? According to Barnes, this statement proves that Cindy Sheehan is a left-wing extremist who is completely out of touch with reality. The problem for Fred Barnes? Sheehan is not just shooting her mouth off. She is referencing and almost quoting a document released by a neoconservative think tank whose members included Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. In September of 2000 this group (the Project For a New American Century, click here for it's Dr. Strangelove site) released a report stating that the United States needed to transform it's military into a more fluid, global fighting force. It also advocated regime change in Iraq and the creation of permanent US bases in the Middle East. Acknowledging the difficulties of instituting these changes, the report goes on to say:
“The process of transformation is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event—like a new Pearl Harbor.”
In other words, something like 9-11 would have to happen for us to institute our neo-conservative policies. Sheehan's mistake here is not that she said something crazy. It's that she is more informed about the origins of our foreign policy than the average American is. Fred Barnes, a staunch neo-conservative, almost certainly knows this. He's just being a good little knee-jerk Republican and feigning surprise over a honest and accurate statement. It's a spineless move, but it's easier than facing the mess his boy has made in Iraq. It's a perfect example of the priority for Republicans right now: phony outrage over genuine debate. They're hoping that being offended easily and often will make reality go away.
"9/11 was Pearl Harbor for the neo-conservatives' agenda".
Gasp! How dare she say that?! Isn't that just crazy talk? According to Barnes, this statement proves that Cindy Sheehan is a left-wing extremist who is completely out of touch with reality. The problem for Fred Barnes? Sheehan is not just shooting her mouth off. She is referencing and almost quoting a document released by a neoconservative think tank whose members included Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. In September of 2000 this group (the Project For a New American Century, click here for it's Dr. Strangelove site) released a report stating that the United States needed to transform it's military into a more fluid, global fighting force. It also advocated regime change in Iraq and the creation of permanent US bases in the Middle East. Acknowledging the difficulties of instituting these changes, the report goes on to say:
“The process of transformation is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event—like a new Pearl Harbor.”
In other words, something like 9-11 would have to happen for us to institute our neo-conservative policies. Sheehan's mistake here is not that she said something crazy. It's that she is more informed about the origins of our foreign policy than the average American is. Fred Barnes, a staunch neo-conservative, almost certainly knows this. He's just being a good little knee-jerk Republican and feigning surprise over a honest and accurate statement. It's a spineless move, but it's easier than facing the mess his boy has made in Iraq. It's a perfect example of the priority for Republicans right now: phony outrage over genuine debate. They're hoping that being offended easily and often will make reality go away.
posted by Samwick @ 6:49 AM
4 Comments:
At 10:32 AM,
Impulsivecompulsive said…
Feigned outrage is a hell of a lot easier to maintain than honest debate. Easier on the voters too - no need to analyze policy or justify action, just get mad. Less thought, more go. (Come to think of it, heck of a lot easier on Dubya too, he don't do the thought thing to good.)
At 11:47 AM,
Samwick said…
He was just making a general point that Sheehan was a far lefty and should not be listened to. He put, on screen, a series of quotes and basically said she was out of touch with the average American. Another quote he used was something along the lines of "Bush is the most dangerous terrorist in the world". Anyway, it was all mild stuff (and in some cases accurate stuff) that he was pretending to be shocked by. I hate Fred Barnes.
"no need to analyze policy or justify action, just get mad"
This was essentially the whole point behind what he was doing. Just list neutral statements and overreact. This was on the show Beltway Boys, by the way, a show devoted entirely to mock outrage.
At 5:51 PM,
Sheryl said…
"They're hoping that being offended easily and often will make reality go away."
All it really shows is what a bunch of bureaucratic pussies they are. Imagine if they are that scared of Cindy Sheehan how these chickenhawks would deal with real combat.
At 11:47 PM,
Samwick said…
"Freddy Boy strikes me as the type of wingnut that actually realizes how evil he is, and revels in it."
I think this is right. I mean, he's close friends with fellow Fox News commentator William Kristol, who is one of the founding members of the Project For a New American Century. Barnes is well-aquainted with the neo-conservative view of foreign policy, so it was interesting to see him get upset by this one Sheehan quote. Interesting in how blatantly dishonest it is.
"Imagine if they are that scared of Cindy Sheehan how these chickenhawks would deal with real combat"
Damn, that's a nice point. I'm pretty sure that they are bed wetters one and all.
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