The transcript does not seem to be up yet but the junior senator from Nevada, John Ensign was on Scarborough Country on MSNBC this evening and made some outlandish statements about the country and Americans exercising free speech.
My house isn't a real Scarborough Country watching family so I didn't see the entire episode but wanted to stick my head in to see the contrast from Keith Olbermann's Countdown on the Dixie Chicks. After pointing out that they really did do pretty well in touring and with sales after their last brouhaha, Olbermann took great delight in the integrity and fortitude they showed in the face of Bill O'Reilly. His show also pointed out the absence of a Voice of America broadcaster in Iraq since it had become so dangerous there.
This then, was followed by Scarborough interviewing Bernie Goldberg about how free-speaking people are damaging the US and then this Ensign guy. In response to a question about free speech "hurting the country" (whatever that means) Ensign cites Lincoln's `house divided' speech and then goes on to reference Lee's failure to win the war. I swear he was wistful for a Confederate Victory even though Nevada wasn't really a state and was not part of the Confederacy. I suspect that Ensign, rated between 0% and 42% on Veteran's issues by the DAV has been stricken with the faux reminiscence for the old South that is typical of right-wing "hyper-patriots" here. There are towns here in Texas and other states that have Confederate monuments put up by the UDC, which describes itself not as supporting treason and secessionism but as "the oldest patriotic organization" in the country.
Dean may have taken a beating for talking about the guys that have a Confederate bumper sticker, but there is plenty of that here in Central Texas. Up the block from is a gentleman that flies the CSA battle streamer and around the corner is one that flies the actual national flag of the confederacy, though most don't know what it means. Scarborough feeds these divisive attitudes and gives hate-mongers a platform to speak from, even if in code.