William “Old Shoe” Schumann is a fictional war hero in a fictional war concocted to distract the public from a very real presidential scandal in the 1997 political satire “Wag the Dog”. Although criminally insane and ultimately killed while trying to commit rape as the story unfolded, the president and his men needed their hero and Schumann would have to do.
Life bizarrely imitates art in the new Republican version of Wag the Dog, with Carter Page cast as Old Shoe Schumann. He may not be a debutante, but Republicans are wrapping Page and themselves up in the flag and incredibly claiming that the rights of a suspected Russian spy justify their dishonest attack on the premier law enforcement agencies of the federal government.
Today, on CNN, Utah Congressman Chris Stewart was quick to play that card...distraught that people are openly calling him a traitor while trying to explain that none of this is meant to distract from the Russian investigations. Paul Ryan wants us to believe this is all about “civil liberties”.
Indeed, I’m beginning to feel all warm amp fuzzy about Carter Page already.