23.6.05
Another sorry Democrat
So Dick Durbin caved in and apologized for his remarks on America's torture at Guantanamo.
I'm not surprised - this type of snivelling weakness and inability to stand up for any kind of principle increasingly seems to be a characteristic of the leading figures in the Democratic Party. Pelosi would not attack Bush until it became painfully clear that there were no WMD in Iraq; Kerry would not stand up and say he was lied to and hell no, knowing what he knew in summer 2004 he would not have voted to give Bush monarchical power to wage war in 2002; and now Durbin with his stupid apology.
Of course, the whole episode was bullshit: Durbin never compared US soldiers to Nazis or anyone else. He was merely stating that the type of torture in Guantanamo is more like Nazi behavior rather than what many people usually consider "American". This is isn't true, as anyone who doesn't think history is simply for trampling upon knows - America has been responsible for training torturers for decades in places like Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. When considering something like torture, I don't see very much of a difference in morality between enabling and training torturers and actually getting involved in the wet stuff. Seen in this light, the whole "this-isn't-America" line is offensive - it implies that torture isn't "American" when, viewed historically (again, actually reading the pages of history rather than wiping our asses with them), it is very "American".
Nevertheless, the whole outrage over Durbin's remarks was entirely manufactured and rested upon the deliberate tendentiousness and misrepresentation that I pointed to above. So, he shouldn't have apologized, but dug in and told people that the truth hurts sometimes and that they should deal with it. But he chose to handle his predicament dishonorably instead. And now the Democratic faithful go about in a daze, again, wondering how and why another of their leaders sold them out and pandered to the right-wing. You would think that after a while, this tendency would become apparent.
These well-meaning, clueless individuals should develop some sense. Assorted right-wing cretins make all kinds of statements, totally disconnected from reality, accusing everyone who disagrees with them of treason, and they get away with it. You want to know why? Because they aren't timid and they don't give a shit about what their political enemies think. Does anyone really believe that Rove is going to apologize or resign for his recent statements? The Democratic demand for an apology would be laughable, if it weren't such a pathetically transparent attempt to make up for the Durbin fiasco.
Once again, the Republicans and their quasi-fascist minions strike up a number, and once again Democrats start dancing. This will never win elections.
So Dick Durbin caved in and apologized for his remarks on America's torture at Guantanamo.
I'm not surprised - this type of snivelling weakness and inability to stand up for any kind of principle increasingly seems to be a characteristic of the leading figures in the Democratic Party. Pelosi would not attack Bush until it became painfully clear that there were no WMD in Iraq; Kerry would not stand up and say he was lied to and hell no, knowing what he knew in summer 2004 he would not have voted to give Bush monarchical power to wage war in 2002; and now Durbin with his stupid apology.
Of course, the whole episode was bullshit: Durbin never compared US soldiers to Nazis or anyone else. He was merely stating that the type of torture in Guantanamo is more like Nazi behavior rather than what many people usually consider "American". This is isn't true, as anyone who doesn't think history is simply for trampling upon knows - America has been responsible for training torturers for decades in places like Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. When considering something like torture, I don't see very much of a difference in morality between enabling and training torturers and actually getting involved in the wet stuff. Seen in this light, the whole "this-isn't-America" line is offensive - it implies that torture isn't "American" when, viewed historically (again, actually reading the pages of history rather than wiping our asses with them), it is very "American".
Nevertheless, the whole outrage over Durbin's remarks was entirely manufactured and rested upon the deliberate tendentiousness and misrepresentation that I pointed to above. So, he shouldn't have apologized, but dug in and told people that the truth hurts sometimes and that they should deal with it. But he chose to handle his predicament dishonorably instead. And now the Democratic faithful go about in a daze, again, wondering how and why another of their leaders sold them out and pandered to the right-wing. You would think that after a while, this tendency would become apparent.
These well-meaning, clueless individuals should develop some sense. Assorted right-wing cretins make all kinds of statements, totally disconnected from reality, accusing everyone who disagrees with them of treason, and they get away with it. You want to know why? Because they aren't timid and they don't give a shit about what their political enemies think. Does anyone really believe that Rove is going to apologize or resign for his recent statements? The Democratic demand for an apology would be laughable, if it weren't such a pathetically transparent attempt to make up for the Durbin fiasco.
Once again, the Republicans and their quasi-fascist minions strike up a number, and once again Democrats start dancing. This will never win elections.
