Karl Rove is baaaack -- after hanging in a 'secure location' [maybe Cheney's cave] for a bit following the indictment of Scooter Libby, Rove comes roaring back. First he appears before the RNC to excoriate Democrats for "wild and reckless and false charges" against Bush on the issue of domestic spying -- and then his lackeys in the media launch, on the same day, a wide-ranging assault on the political left, attempting to equate the entire Democratic party with terrorists.
It is of course, unsurprising that the GOP would choose this week to begin their next marketing campaign -- from long experience in the marketing industry, I can tell you that, indeed, mid-January is when you kick-off new product launches. The holidays are over, it's back to business as usual. And business as usual is what we're getting from the wingers -- the usual business of lies and deception and demonization.
First we have the mysterious appearance of the scary boogieman Bin Ladin [who pops up at the darnest times, like just before the election] then we had the ever-reliable Chris Matthews [MSNBC's Sleazeball] spewing that Bin Ladin 'sounds like' filmmaker Michael Moore. Then Joe Scarborough starts [lowbrow pundit who was once a Representative from Florida, until the mysterious death of his young female aide caused him to abruptly switch careers], as
Editor and Publisher put it:
Later on Thursday night, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough weighed in on the subject, going beyond Moore to claim that bin Laden was also borrowing language or ideas from the likes of Howard Dean, Sen. Kerry and Sen. Ted Kennedy. His guest, Tucker Carlson, who has his own MSNBC show, then spread the net further, to include opinion columnists at The New York Times.
SCARBOROUGH: Now, of course, Tucker, I'm not comparing these Democrats to Osama bin Laden, but look.
First thing, Osama talks about how our troops are terrorizing women and children in Iraq. John Kerry said the same thing in front of Bob Schieffer on "Face the Nation."
Osama's saying that George Bush knows he can't win this war, something that Howard Dean said, and, also, that this was launched for political reasons, which of course Ted Kennedy said last year, that this was all dreamed up in Texas for political benefit.
CARLSON: By the merchants of war who financed Bush's presidential campaign, in the words of Osama bin Laden and many on the left. In other words, Halliburton is responsible for this war, every single talking point.
Meanwhile, appearing on the Fox News show "Hannity & Colmes," former Rep. Newt Gingrich said, "I think it's quite clear as you point out, Sean [Hannity], that from this tape, that bin Laden and his lieutenants are monitoring the American news media, they're monitoring public opinion polling, and I suspect they take a great deal of comfort when they see people attacking United States policies."
Take particular note of that word 'comfort' -- Bush has already used it, as well, in a recent speech. You know, as in the Consitutional definition of treason -- giving 'aid and comfort' to the enemy. In other words, when you criticize anything the President does, you are 'attacking' the US and giving aid and comfort to al-Qaeda -- the enemy.
You are going to hear more and more of this as the year goes on. Because this is the Rove/Goebbels strategy: as Bush pushes for more and more police state powers, and citizens start to push back -- Rove will demonize them as traitors. It's an old trick, but it works every time.
Most disappointly of all, perhaps, was the embarrassing performance this week of The Washington Post, a paper I once held in high regard. After taking down readers' comments from their blog --for criticizing the ombudsman, who lied about the Republican crook Abramoff giving money to Democrats -- the executive editor, Jim Brady, goes on the Hugh Hewitt[winger extremist] radio show and says this:
JB: It looked like it was in a bunch of different blogs. I mean, it certainly was getting a lot of attention on Atrios and Daily Kos, and some other places. So I mean there did seem to be...you know, it wasn't a campaign in the sense of a really organized campaign, but it was kind of a grass roots campaign to...
HH: Well, you've just named the two central islands in the fever swamps.
And Brady agrees with him! There you go, folks. It isn't just our leaders who are being demonized -- it's anyone who dare speak up. Plain, ordinary citizens who want to be involved in the American political process -- our birthright. WE are in the 'fever swamps'. WE are giving 'aid and comfort' to the enemy.
Pay attention now, because the 'product' has been launched -- and it's The War on Democrats. The only one the Republicans really care about winning.