I don't want my readers (all two dozen of you) to get the wrong impression about the recent spate of articles about Rush Limbaugh and his comments about "phony soldiers." Faux outrage runs thick on both sides of the political divide, and I want to clear up my position on it.
I believe that all of the protestations of the MoveOn.org "Petraeus/Betray Us" ad were big heaping helpings of faux outrage, being used to refocus public attention away from the real issue: the sad state of the Iraq War/Occupation. And it is only the latest in a long string of phony outrages and diversions.
My reporting of the Limbaugh comments do not come from a place of outrage--not exactly. While I do find his comments outrageous, it's sort of his schtick. I'm not personally any more offended than I am by his comments on any other particular day.
What I am trying to point out is the hypocrisy between the two stories. Republicans (and apparently some cowed Democrats) were soooo incensed by the MoveOn ad, that both houses of Congress actually passed meaningless condemnations of the ad and its tactics. Hey, I even got an "Action Alert" from the Christian Coalition of America today, listing every Democrat that voted against it!
For those same people to give Limbaugh a pass on his "phony soldiers" comment is textbook hypocrisy. At the same time, condemnation--by Congress--of unpopular political speech is textbook un-American behavior. Political speech is probably the speech requiring the most protection. So, Limbaugh can say what he wants. He just doesn't get to be hypocritical without being called on it.
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