What's with these guys? This has to be some sort of pathological condition I don't understand. It's 2009 and neo-conservative think tank guys like Frank Gaffney are still going on Hardball and saying we had to invade Iraq because "they" attacked us on 9/11 and Saddam was working with bin Laden. This is from yesterday's show:
Here's the transcript:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: If we don't know that Iraq had anything to do with 9/11--if we don't know that--and you say it's an open case, and if we were never able to prove that he had nuclear weapons, do you go to war against another country with the loss of lives and treasure of thousands of American lives and an unlimited number of Iraqis dead. . .Do you do something like that--do you go to war with another country when you don't have your case made. You admit it's an open case. I want to know the rules of engagement here. When do you go to war, Frank?
FRANK GAFFNEY:Well, in this case, I said to you, in the immediate aftermath of the 3,000 Americans being slaughtered by people-some of whom had, in fact, collaborative relationships with Iraqi intelligence. . .
DAVID CORN: There we go again! Who? Who? Who had a collaborative--Frank, stop right there and tell me who had a relationship.
GAFFNEY: You take pre-emptive action to prevent the kinds of attacks that we now know Saddam Hussein clearly had in mind with chemical and biological agents.
Remember, this is the same guy Chris Matthews "eviscerated" for the same thing back in December.
I did hear one very distressing thing last night, as Chris Matthews was signing off he did some quick comments by the crowd, as he struggled to find a McCain supporter the one he found said something very disturbing. Asked why he supported McCain he replied; "I'm pro-war". Now, he also explained that he was being Commissioned this December. I wanted to toss Brandon's book through the television to him. Here's a guy who has romanticized war and could put his troops in peril if someone doesn't clear his head of his romantic ideas about war. I've never heard anyone, including the chickenhawks say they were "prowar", they use euphemisms, but they don't say it outright, that was scary. Chris was stumped, all he could manage to say was "thank you for your service." Ho-ly Shit! I don't think even McCain's campaign would have chosen this guy for this response, because this would scare the shit out of every mother.
Were any of you watching Matthews that late? And did you hear that comment too?
This one is funny for a couple of reasons. First, Hardball's Chris Matthews comes pretty close to just calling this guy a chickenhawk to his face on live television. And any time that happens, it's funny.
Second, I love the fact that this guy, Jason Mattera, is a spokesman for the conservative Young America's Foundation--the key word being spokesman. In fact, YAF's website describes him like this:
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Jason has become known as a dynamic speaker, spirited writer, and expert campus-activism strategist.
Okay. Now keep that in mind as you watch this. And let me know if he comes across to you as a "dynamic speaker."
Here is the transcript for our deployed readers:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Starting with you Jason, what do you guys, what do people your age think about the war in Iraq right now, as it's going, as we're fighting this to try to get Iraqis to take over the fighting? What's the view of your group?
JASON MATTERA: I think my group is supporting President Bush on this matter, uh, we're looking to defeat the terrorists and--
MATTHEWS: Where? In Iraq?
MATTERA: In Iraq. Of course in Iraq. Um, and you don't see on college campuses as you did in the 1960s these rampant protests, uh, these obstruction of classrooms, these, the book burning, everything that went down. I think the kids are more conservative today and I think groups such as the Young America's Foundation help that-
MATTHEWS: You're 21 years old, you're eligible to serve. Would you like to serve in this war?
Of course he wouldn't, Chris.
MATTERA: I'm fightin' the battle for ideas. I'm fighting for--
MATTHEWS: No, I'm just asking a particular question. Would you like to enlist in this war?
MATTERA: No, cause I'm fighting a separate battle. I'm fighting, we're fighting the culture war here, but I'm also supporting the battle that's raging in Iraq.
And yes, he said that with a straight face.
MATTHEWS: Well what kind of people should fight in this war, if not you?
MATTERA: Those who want to. Those who want, who feel the desire of the passion to go over to Iraq. I have many friends who are in Iraq myself, people from my church, people who I graduated with--
MATTHEWS: Mmm. . . .
MATTERA: --um they want to go fight over there. I'm here. I'm fighting the culture war right now. Both needs to be fought and both need to be won by conservatives.
MATTHEWS: Paul Hackett, a Democratic candidate for Congress who just lost that close election in Ohio, referred to the President as a chickenhawk, someone who supports war but doesn't fight it. What do you think of that phrase "chickenhawk?"
MATTERA: I don't like the phrase "chickenhawk."
MATTHEWS: Why not?
Because you're a chickenhawk?
MATTERA: Huh. (smirks) Because it doesn't fit and I don't think--
MATTHEWS: It means you talk tough, but you act chicken.
MATTERA: Yeah! I understand that, but I don't think that President Bush is a chickenhawk.
If this is the guy they want out front, we're in good shape. And I should also note that, again, the chickenhawk in question uses the "I-have-friends-in-Iraq" argument to gain some element of moral authority over the situation. This is a common technique, as we've seen. I'm just not sure why these guys think having "friends in Iraq" is equivalent to being in Iraq. Because, surprising as it may sound, it's actually a little different.
"The welcome mat for memoirs by veterans of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom might never wear out so long as they write with the savvy of Brandon Friedman . . . Friedman's take is vivid, frank, precise and dramatic."--Military Times
"Add Brandon Friedman's The War I Always Wanted to the ranks of outstanding non-fiction produced by officers from elite combat units in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Always truthful, often excruciatingly so, The War I Always Wanted rises at numerous points to the level of literature."--Steven Pressfield, author of Gates of Fire
"A Time To Lead confirms the rewarding benefits of military service at a time when such service is experiencing considerable strain. It also includes a comprehensive description of America's current national imperatives, which deserve serious consideration."--General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., former Secretary of State
"This is a primer on leadership forged in battle and by decades of experience. . .This isn't just a book; it's a manual for leading people and living a good life."--Barry McCaffrey, General, USA (ret.)
"Whip smart, sassy, with a mouth as foul as a sailor's, 28-year-old Sergeant Kayla Williams. . .tells what it's like to be a female soldier in Iraq."--Booklist
". . .echoes military memoirists from Julius Caesar to Ernie Pyle."--Publishers Weekly
". . .a shocking, on-the-ground view of one military woman's experience in Iraq."--Bookmarks Magazine
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