Ann Coulter
 

I don't think any of this happened.

Ann Coulter
 

Ann Coulter
 

You're missing the difference. The message read was "cowards cut and run, Marines never do." I saw that as, if we do this bad thing that Murtha is (again) calling for, we'd be cowards. She never called Murtha a coward. And, as far as the rest of your statement, about the GOP calling Murtha "secretly a pinkco commie-lover who was sleeping with Michael Moore", um, no. In spite of the fact that he's been calling for disengagement for more than a year or two, no one did that. The closest we got was a bunch of Kos-sacks yelling that the R's were calling Murtha a coward, sort of like my little sister yelling to my mom that I had hit her and getting me in trouble when I'd actually not touched her.

Ann Coulter
 

Oh, I'm sorry. Yes. I don't have a transcript handy where a Congressman describes Murtha and Moore buying Rent tickets together, so there's really nothing to this stuff, and the logical chasm from "cowards cut and run, Marines never do" being a teensy bit more than a sober criticism of a policy position is just too great.

Similarly, having GOP Congressmen say that, by making these statements, Democrats have cooperated with our enemies and are emboldening our nemies? No biggie. It's kinda like saying that it's an unwise policy position, just with more colorful words.

Ann Coulter
 

That's not an accusation of cowardice or treason - that's an accusation of stupidity, and a rightful one. Go back to the statements of the war generals of the NVA concerning our anti-war movement - tremendously helpful to them.

Ann Coulter
 

And presto change-o, we're back to having everyone sit down and shut the fuck up so we don't embolden the terrorists.

I am so goddamned sick of these circular arguments. "It's OK to criticize the war -- but don't say he lied! It's honorable to call him negligent, but don't say it out loud, or don't have someone who's been elected to something say it, because then -- THEN -- that eeeeeevil mainstream media will take it!

"Yes, that mainstream meadia will take it and bend it to their own, diabolical, French-loving ends! They'll run it on Al-Jazeera 24/7! Abu Al-whatsisname will watch it and say (in Arabic) 'You know, I was ready to pack it in today, but you know what? Some WV congressman I've never heard of is sending me a love note! Let's go back to the barricades, brothers!'

"We would've won this thing two years ago if it weren't for that fucking MSM. We'd have won the battle, their hearts and minds, and been drinking oil at $15/bbl."

I'm beginning to understand how Rather held the unadulterated power that he did, and why he had to be destroyed.

Ann Coulter
 

I'm thinking there has to be a way to do it that accomplishes the goals, and yet doesn't provide huge solace and support and actual strategic advantage to the enemy. I didn't make up that part about the NVA leaders looking to our antiwar movement's hysteria and caricature-like behavior as being a major part of their victory - that's a fact. There's a difference in the argument between "don't say those things, they're unpatriotic" and "don't say those things that way, they harm our effort and cost us lives."

Ann Coulter
 

The message as she read it started with "Tell Congressman Murtha that . . ." Given that Murtha was a Marine, the statement could reasonably be construed either way -- and a bunch of folks in the room took the statement that way. That's why Rep. Whooziwhatzits apologized and/or retracted the statement (I forget which) later that day. Claimed in a WaPo interview this weekend that she had had no idea that Murtha was a Marine.

Gatti obviously used some hyperbole, but there was a statement by McClellan that day comparing Murtha to Michael Moore, by name. I'll post a link. (Shit, now you've made me do research!)

S_A_M

eta: http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/17/murtha.iraq/

Of course, the statement was slightly more nuanced than that:

"In a broadside issued Thursday night, Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said that it is 'baffling that [Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha] is endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party.'

"McClellan called Murtha, a retired Marine colonel who earned a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam, 'a respected veteran and politician who has a record of supporting America.'

"But McClellan added, "The eve of an historic democratic election in Iraq is not the time to surrender to the terrorists.'

Here was Hastert's take:

"US House Speaker Denny Hastert (R-IL) quickly shot back at Murtha: 'I am saddened by the comments made today by Representative Murtha. It is clear that as Nancy Pelosi's top lieutenant on Armed Services, Representative Murtha and Democratic leaders have adopted a policy of cut and run. They would prefer that the United States surrender to the terrorists who would harm innocent Americans. To add insult to injury, this is done while the President is on foreign soil ... Representative Murtha and other Democrats want us to retreat. They want us to wave the white flag of surrender to the terrorists of the world."

Yes, I want to surrender to the terrorists so that my daughters can be killed. I'm sure all the Democratic leaders want that too. Not saying that I'm necessarily in favor of Murtha's proposal, because I'm not sure, but -- Why, oh why, do we hate America?

I hate our politics and our political system -- it seems that it is now almost impossible to respectfully disagree with each other. There is too much focus on scoring points with memorable, inflammatory rhetoric.

Ann Coulter
 

Go in-house. No more research.

Ann Coulter
 

This?:

"'Congressman Murtha is a respected veteran and politician who has a record of supporting a strong America,' said White House press secretary Scott McClellan. 'So it is baffling that he is endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic Party'."

I don't think this means what you think it means. It also fails to convince me that anyone treated Murtha with disrespect. This sounds pretty durn respectful.

Ann Coulter
 

That was it, as you see.

A lot of the furor grew from the Ohio Rep.'s statement on the House floor -- colored everyone's perceptions of the thing. (BTW -- during the campaign she was nicknamed "Mean Jean" for her sharp tongue.)

S_A_M

Ann Coulter
 

Ah, so you were being respectful towards me last week when you lumped me in with MM. Thanks, bilmore!

Ann Coulter
 

Actually, I was being disrespectful to MM.

(Kidding, kidding, kidding - too many softballs, too little time . . . ;)

Ann Coulter
 

I'm thinking you are getting a little too close to making the word "treason" impossible to apply. To the extent someone has a genuine personal motive, can he or she ever commit treason? If I sell secrets to the enemy under the belief that, in the end, this will benefit my country which is currently going "off track" in terms of what I think is the "right road", I'm not committing treason?

Ann Coulter
 

Is selling secrets in those circumstances treason? I don't know. Arms? Hell, no! Apparently, they'll name a fucking airport after you.

Treason is pretty well defined as a crime. Democrats (and others) advocating a change in policies through the political process are not committing treason.

Republicans secretly selling arms to rogue states in the Middle East to fund facist paramilitaries in Central America, however, were.