No, not Felix and Oscar, but Joe and John: Lieberman and McCain. Putative Democrat and the Republican quondam candidate. Often appearing to be on the same side, their opinions drive us to confusion and not to any conclusion.
The right wing outrage machine has been like a chorus of vuvuzelas, blaring accusations that the classified rules of engagement instituted by General McChrystal on his own initiative were in fact forced on him by president Obama and his opposition, despite his sworn public testimony to the contrary, was the reason he was relieved of command. I suspect Joe Lieberman agrees, although I know he knows better.
The policy of trying to reduce the heavy civilian casualties so as to give the US less of the appearance of an invading horde bent on its own objectives and with no concern for innocent life or limb, is misguided says Lieberman; as though to say we shouldn't be concerned to appear as liberators with the best interests of Afghanistan at heart. We shouldn't care that people whose children we've cavalierly blown to hell aren't going to try to make our efforts any easier and so he's advising General Petraeus to shoot first and ask questions later. It's hurting our morale, says he as though 9 years of getting nowhere can be blamed on being the kind of nation we're supposed to be and more importantly as though it were president Obama's fault for worrying too much about worthless Muslim lives.
Perhaps John McCain's statement that even another ten years of war may not be too much to ask of our country, fits with Lieberman's disinterest in having the country we tell ourselves we're helping on our side. Ten more years of shooting up innocent families at weddings, on the streets, in their cars and in their homes will likely draw us into many more decades of war, and that McCain thinks this war is self justifying if not actually morally or functionally satisfying is not beyond conjecture. Another ten years, another 3, 4, 5 trillion dollars and who knows how many more dead: economic and moral collapse -- that should make the country crazy and enough to elect another Republican.
Pretty clever, and to think I thought McCain was an idiot.
Yes, these two are so alike that it's easy to get them confused. But then, this is not so much odd, as it is just Republican.
ReplyDeleteWar is good, remember? The success of our nation depends on waging and continuing wars. (And by "success" I mean, of course, the soaring profits of the military-industrial complex, and establishing our political and other influences wherever we possibly can.)
Why, John Boehner has recently proposed raising the retirement age to 70 -- a proposition that in itself would not be so offensive, if he hadn't tied it to our need to finance the ongoing war.
Not odd, just Republican.
But it makes me question the morality of living in a country where our tax monies go to fund killing and destruction, and are always woefully short when it comes to securing welfare, not to mention prosperity, of its own citizens.
Somehow these two should be sent packing. I will never forgive either for what they've unleashed on our country. Perhaps they could open a two guys burger chain.
ReplyDeleteI respected John McCain as a POW vet, but he lost me completely with the Sarah Palin pick. From then to now, it's Ready, Fire, Aim.
ReplyDeleteMcCain is a dishonest snake and always has been. Ditto for JL.
ReplyDeleteYes, call it the Burger Twits or something, but of course no cheeseburgers since Lieberman would tell us God finds it to be an abomination of the first order.
ReplyDeleteFunny that the holy rollers don't want that particular commandment on the courthouse wall.