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Home Front: Politix
MoveOn.org Calls Petraeus a Traitor
2007-09-10
by Pete Hegseth

Tomorrow--as General David Petraeus provides his Iraq assessment to Congress--the antiwar group MoveOn.org is running a full-page advertisement in the New York Times under the headline: "General Petraeus or General Betray us? Cooking the books for the White House."

Let's be clear: MoveOn.org is suggesting that General Petraeus has 'betrayed' his country. This is disgusting. To attack as a traitor an American general commanding forces in war because his 'on the ground' experience does not align with MoveOn.org's political objectives is utterly shameful. It shows contempt for America's military leadership, as well as for the troops who have confidence in him, as our fellow soldiers in Iraq certainly do...

MoveOn.org has been working closely with the Democratic congressional leadership --as an article in today's Sunday New York Times Magazine makes clear. And consider this comment by a Democratic senator from Friday's Politico: "'No one wants to call [Petraeus] a liar on national TV,' noted one Democratic senator, who spoke on the condition on anonymity. 'The expectation is that the outside groups will do this for us.'

MoveOn.org has helped frame the core choice: Whom do we trust to run this war--MoveOn.org and its allies in Congress, or Gen. David Petraeus and his colleagues?

Pete Hegseth is executive director of Vets for Freedom and an Iraq War veteran.
Posted by:Fred

#24  Response!

White House spokesman Tony Snow called it "a boorish, childish, unworthy attack" and called on members of Congress to condemn the ad. By the end of the day, 30 Republican senators and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., had written to the Democratic Senate Leader, asking him to "join us in making it clear that you do not share the views of Moveon.org, and that you will not join Moveon.org in attacking the character of this fine officer" and House Republicans had introduced a resolution condemning the ad. The GOP presidential candidates added their voices to the chorus as well.

But Democrats said doing so would be falling into a GOP trap and criticized Republicans for trying to change the subject from the substance of Petraeus's testimony.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-09-10 22:31  

#23  Somewhere in the Eastern part of our country MoveOn.orc volunteers are furiously folding tin foil hats for the brave legions about to go into battle.
Posted by: Spanky Angomoque8497   2007-09-10 17:29  

#22  Quite Zenster, quite.

This from bash.org (collects funny and interesting logs from IRC chat - warning, 'adolescent' humour most of the time, but it is *really* funny sometimes)

This one http://bash.org/?4753 is pretty neat;
The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?
Posted by: Tony (UK)   2007-09-10 16:50  

#21  Mike nails this on both counts:

Is anyone shocked by this? Disgusted, yes, but not shocked.

MoveOn simply has too much fundraising clout — and a fear-inducing inclination to attack Democrats who stray from the MoveOn line — for many in the party to take it on. . . .

This represents a fundamental moral and ethical bankruptcy of the democratic party. There currently exists for liberals a pre-condition of displacing thought with "feelings" and reason with intuition. A few hundred years ago this amounted to physical suicide. The contributions of intelligent and productive people have made survival far too easy for certain portions of this world's population.
Posted by: Zenster   2007-09-10 16:02  

#20  Hope a few Senators are putting together a resolution condemning the MoveOn.org ad.

Such a resolution would get a number of Dem co sponsors and only a few Dems would vote against it.

This would make it almost impossible to keep the nutroots out of the spotlight at the Dem Natl nominating convention.
Posted by: mhw   2007-09-10 15:26  

#19   MorOn is a Soros front is it not?

Yes, Bright Pebbles. A 1960s Stalinist front group all grown up, from what I understand.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-09-10 14:11  

#18  I would argue that most of MoveOn.org needs to be put on trial for treason and sedition. And most would be found guilty.

Not in many of the blue states, unfortunately.
Posted by: lotp   2007-09-10 13:22  

#17  all your base are truly belong to us?
Posted by: Querent   2007-09-10 13:03  

#16  "MoveOn simply has too much fundraising clout — and a fear-inducing inclination to attack Democrats who stray from the MoveOn line — for many in the party to take it on...."

I call it "Wrong Base Syndrome".

The Democratic Party needs to find a new base, one that won't lead it off a cliff by turning them into domestic enemies.

Posted by: Dave D.   2007-09-10 12:32  

#15  I would argue that most of MoveOn.org needs to be put on trial for treason and sedition. And most would be found guilty.
Posted by: DarthVader   2007-09-10 10:06  

#14  That kettle is really black.
Posted by: The Pot   2007-09-10 08:55  

#13  Byron York, in National Review:

With its full-page “General Betray Us?” ad in the New York Times, MoveOn.org has once again put itself at the forefront of the antiwar movement. And if past patterns are any guide, a number of Democrats are embarrassed, and even angered, by MoveOn’s actions but are afraid to reveal the true extent of their feelings. MoveOn simply has too much fundraising clout — and a fear-inducing inclination to attack Democrats who stray from the MoveOn line — for many in the party to take it on. . . .

Now, with the “General Betray Us” campaign, those Democrats again face the question: Do they dare to cross MoveOn? Not long after the 2004 elections, Pariser famously said of Democrats, “Now it’s our party. We bought it, we own it, and we’re going to take it back.” The next few days could be crucial in determining whether he was right or not.
Posted by: Mike   2007-09-10 08:49  

#12  MorOn is a Soros front is it not?
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2007-09-10 08:47  

#11  congrats to the NYT for doing this

1. its revenue for the NYT
2. its a wedge issue that, with luck, will fester and fester and then erupt at the Dems convention
Posted by: mhw   2007-09-10 08:08  

#10  Problem is that you can't prove MoveOn is not correct, since any such proof would have to come through Petraeus' office and thus would also be a 'lie' - unless it was actually a lie and thus 'proved' MO's 'truth'. I confuse myself.
Posted by: Glenmore   2007-09-10 07:56  

#9  In psychology, psychological projection (or projection bias) is a defense mechanism in which one attributes to others one’s own unacceptable or unwanted thoughts or/and emotions. Projection reduces anxiety by allowing the expression of the unwanted subconscious impulses/desires without letting the ego recognize them. The theory was developed by Sigmund Freud and further refined by his daughter Anna Freud, and for this reason, it is sometimes referred to as "Freudian Projection"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection
Posted by: Procopius2k   2007-09-10 07:49  

#8  Oh, that's rich.

If people were prosecuted for sentiments rather than actions then pretty much every MorOn.org poster would be executed for treason.
Posted by: Shusotch Squank2158   2007-09-10 05:58  

#7  Is anyone shocked by this? Disgusted, yes, but not shocked.
Posted by: Mike   2007-09-10 05:52  

#6  It's more left wing projection.

Projection + Narcissism = Leftism.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2007-09-10 05:02  

#5  "General Petraeus or General Betray us? Cooking the books for the White House."

More fact-based, unemotional logic brought to you by the deep thinkers at moveon and aimed at the clear-headed liberal thinkers. All of whom agree that cooking the books is a bad thing.
Posted by: gorb   2007-09-10 04:26  

#4  I hope this backfires, it's just so idiotic that some people absorb it unless someone counters it with lots of denoucing of MoveOn and some facts about their members.
Posted by: Boss Craising2882   2007-09-10 01:17  

#3  "'No one wants to call [Petraeus] a liar on national TV,' noted one Democratic senator, who spoke on the condition on anonymity. 'The expectation is that the outside groups will do this for us.'

Brave Lions of Islam The US Congress.
Posted by: Besoeker   2007-09-10 00:35  

#2  Weekly Standard or Rantburg, newc?
Posted by: Seafarious   2007-09-10 00:32  

#1  This is the most vile, vain, and adolecent site I have found.
Posted by: newc   2007-09-10 00:13  

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