It's ironic Bush is recommending his staff read Bill Kristol's latest drivel, "Why Bush Will Be A Winner." Fortunately for Bush, he doesn't read. Otherwise he would know Kristol recently wrote this hate-filled screed:
For President Bush, loyalty is apparently a one-way street; decency is something he's for as long as he doesn't have to take any risks in its behalf; and courage--well, that's nowhere to be seen. Many of us used to respect President Bush.
Unfortunately for Bush, lots of adults do read. That is why old chickenhawks like Kristol lack credibility with the rest of us. It also explains why the purveyors of perpetual war are busy grooming a new crop of spokesmen in a futile effort to continue fooling the masses.
Like old wine in new bottles, these "fresh conservative voices" are being used to con people into swallowing the same War Party swill everyone rejected in 2006. It's an old trick that shows how desperate they are to push a poor product.
Here's the good news: They have exposed their Achilles Heel...
The Weakest Link: The purveyors of perpetual war are victims of their own success. They didn't plan for an extended media campaign, so they burned through their credibility like it was a no-bid contract with cost-plus provisions. Unfortunately for them, they can't turn to foreign workers to carry their water for them. That is why fresh new faces are so important if they are going to continue selling their wars.
Their Inconvenient Truth: For years we have argued that supporting our troops meant giving them a clear mission, necessary supplies to achieve that mission, and a clear exit strategy. We were mocked as "cut and run" fanatics. When we brought up the casualties, we were mocked for dishonoring the "volunteer" army. So what if a few people got their hair mussed? They knew what they were signing up for. Of course, the apologists glossed over the fact that people were misled about what exactly they were volunteering for, but no matter.
After Katrina, people realized we were abandoning cities over here because they were busy trying to take them over there. Sensible people started to ask an inconvenient question of the apologists, "If you are so gung ho about the war in Iraq, why aren't you fighting in it?"
The Dangerous Court Jester: Performing in an unusual venue for him, John Mellencamp tore up the script and threw out the rules during his recent appearance on the Colbert Report. That was no accident. That was a conscious choice. He directly challenged Colbert's persona as a chickenhawk and a fraud, thereby demonstrating how devastating that rhetorical attack is against the new crop of perpetual war propagandists. By ripping away the proscenium, Mellencamp has done to chickenhawks in general what Jon Stewart did to Tucker Carlson up close and personal. He has exposed them as frauds. That is a real problem for the purveyors of perpetual war.
The Great Disappearing Act: The reaction -- actually the overreaction -- of the media controllers to this bit of unscripted improv speaks volumes.
I would show you the interview from July 18th on ComedyCentral's Mother Load, but it is mysteriously absent. This conspicuous absence has not gone unnoticed on the Colbert Nation discussion boards where even the very thread discussing the event was wiped clean. Don't waste your time trying to find it on YouTube, Viacom's lawyers wiped all but 8 seconds of the segment from that archive.
Seeing Is Believing: Unfortunately for the Orwellian denizens of the corporate media, the Tubes can never be flushed completely.
For those who missed the performance and want to see what I'm talking about, enjoy this renegade copy while it is still available.
It's a joy to behold. Who knew a small-town rock and roll rebel would know scripture well enough to recognize the oft-misquoted line pimped by Constantine was really text out of context used as pretext to justify Holy War? Make no mistake, this was more than theater or exegesis. If you have a short attention span, just watch the last 50 seconds, starting at the 5:00 minute mark to see him turn chickenhawk apologists into a grease spot.
For all you factinistas out there, don't worry. I get it. The "fact" is The Colbert Report is just a comedy show and the interviews are exercises in improvisational theater. Truthiness lives to fight another day and The Word will still be here tomorrow. The only lasting change to the show is that John "Cougar" Mellencamp has now replaced bears as the #1 threat to the Colbert Nation. Oh, and the fact that Stephen finally got nailed on his own show.
But forget the facts for a moment. I'm going with my gut on this one, and my gut tells me something serious happened here.
The Reich Wing's Achilles' Heel: The first couple of times I saw a chickenhawk cheerleader get nailed as a hypocrite, I dismissed it as an isolated event. Not any more. Mellencamp's performance is a wake up call. Recent investigative reports covering Young Republican gatherings show life is busy immitating art all across the country. This leads us to one inescapable conclusion: Republicans have no defense against this attack. That makes it open season on chickenhawks. Time to name names and shame the same.
Unlike Cheney, I don't advocate indiscriminate attacks. If you are going after varmints, you need to know what you're looking for. So as a public service let me provide you with this:
The Official Fledgling Chickenhawk Identification Card version 1.0
Dan Senor
Matthew Continetti
Ben Ferguson
Jonah Goldberg
Rich Lowry
Jason Mattera
Ben Shapiro
Chris Vucovich
Every time these guys raise their heads, I say we pull out the mallets and play Whack-A-Mole. Good clean American fun!