MoveOn.org moves from ‘betray us’ to ‘betrayal of trust’ ad
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Five days after setting off a political firestorm with an ad in The New York Times attacking the top U.S. commander in Iraq, MoveOn.org has set its sights on President Bush. The liberal advocacy group announced Friday it is rolling out a new national television ad campaign next week accusing Bush of “a betrayal of trust.”…. “Before the surge, George Bush had 130,000 troops stuck in Iraq,” states the ad’s narrator. “Americans had elected a new Congress to bring them home. Instead, Bush sent 30,000 more troops.”…. “Now he’s making a big deal about, you guessed it … pulling out 30,000,” the narrator adds. “So, next year, there will still be 130,000 troops stuck in Iraq.”…. In a statement, Nita Chaudhary, a MoveOn.org spokeswoman, said the president has “given us a sham draw-down plan — 30,000 troops by next July is not a plan to end the war.”…. “No one is fooled by this,” Chaudhary said. “It’s just a political scheme to provide cover for Republicans and run out the clock to the end of his term.”
I’ve had my issues in the past with MoveOn’s in-your-face stances, but what I do admire about the group is their ability to spark debate. Sure, they’re loathed by the Right, but only because these folks can’t stand it when they get called on their hypocrisy and demagoguery. The reality is that Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader © and his neoConservative thugs have been lying to the American Sheeple for the past 4 1/2 years. It’s just that Republicans have fallen back on the implied expectation that a sitting President is above the fray (as long as he’s a Republican, of course). When that same President is the driving force behind the lies and propaganda, though, and when he’s more concerned with legacy-building and enriching his already-wealthy benefactors…well, he’s nothing if not fair game.
Apologists for The Worst President EVER © may be having conniptions over the perceived “unfairness” of MoveOn’s attack, but this Administration has done the same and far worse. The hypocrisy inherent in the cries of unfairness is almost palpable. If you’re going to be dishing it out, you have no right to piss and moan when the same tactics are employed against you. This Administration has demonstrated time again that they will try virtually anything that will advance the agenda of Chimpy McFlightsuit © …as if using the bully pulpit of the Presidency makes the unfettered employment of lies and propaganda more acceptable.
If you’re willing to use groups like Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and “astroturf” groups to do your dirty work, you can’t claim the moral high ground when those tactics are turned against you. Deal with it and shut up.
