Al Gore

Of course, Faux News wasted no time in smearing Al Gore's Nobel Prize award (in typical right-wingnut fashion, they slung mud not only at the former vice-president but also at the Nobel Prize Committee in general, for, among other things, having previously awarded the Peace Prize to "that crazy Jimmy Carter"), but that's to be expected: As the Propaganda Ministry for the GOP, Faux News's mission is to disseminate lies and vitriol against anyone The Government deems an Undesirable--former presidents, former vice-presidents, twelve-year-old kids, anyone who voices a contrary point of view, etc.

Meanwhile, here's this little bit of sanity from Talking Points Memo:

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On Gore

10.12.07 -- 10:05AM

By Josh Marshall

First, before any other yapping and commentary, a big congratulations to Al Gore.

There are several layers of irony and poetic justice wrapped into this honor. The first is that the greatest step for world peace would simply have been for Gore not to have had the presidency stolen from him in November 2000. By every just measure, Gore won the presidency in 2000 only to have George W. Bush steal it from him with the critical assistance of the US Supreme Court. It's worth taking a few moments today to consider where the country and world would be without that original sin of this corrupt presidency.

And yet this is a fitting bookend, with Gore receiving this accolade while the sitting president grows daily an object of greater disapproval, disapprobation and collective shame. And let's not discount another benefit: watching the rump of the American right detail the liberal bias of the Nobel Committee and at this point I guess the entire world. Fox News vs. the world.

And not to forget what this award is about even more than Gore. If half of what we think we know about global warming is true, people will look back fifty years from now on the claims that "War on Terror" was the defining challenge of this century and see it as a very sick, sad joke -- which rather sums up the Bush presidency.

But more than thinking only of what might have been, where can we go from here?

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Nicely done, John Marshall. Expect to be smeared on Faux News in the next day or two.

Take THAT, You Scoundrel!

Last week I got this e-mail, ostensibly from Senator Harry Reid, via the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (whose motto is Send Us Money-- oh, no wait, it's Committed to Electing a Democratic Senate. Sorry. The constant click-here-to-send-us-more-money-to-make-TV-ads-that-no-one-watches links threw me):

Subject: Rush Limbaugh

Dear William,

I normally ignore Rush Limbaugh, but his comments last Wednesday went too far for me to remain silent. It's one thing to call me "Dingy Harry" - it's another to insult our men and women in uniform, calling those who oppose the war "phony soldiers" as Rush did during his Sept. 26 broadcast.

Of course, Rush continued his tirade Monday by denying he had said anything wrong and attacking John Murtha, who served 37 years in the Marines.

This week, 41 Democrats signed a letter to Clear Channel CEO Mark Mays, demanding that Rush apologize.

You can send your own letter to Mays by clicking here.

In December 2006, a poll run by the Military Times found that only 35 percent of service members approved of President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq. Would Rush consider every other Soldier, Sailor, Airman and Marine to be phony? What about General John Batiste who retired from active duty in order to speak out against this war?

Rush has the courage to sit behind a microphone and lash out at those who oppose George Bush's misadventure in Iraq - yet when it was his time to serve, he received a deferment and has never worn a uniform.

Limbaugh's show is broadcast on Armed Forces Radio, and therefore service members around the world heard his insults. It's time for Clear Channel to make Rush apologize.

Demand that Clear Channel CEO Mark Mays take action by clicking here. Rush certainly has the right to say whatever he wants - but we have an obligation to speak out when he goes too far.

Thank you,

Harry Reid

Wow. Pretty hard-hitting stuff, huh? I mean, all these Democratic Senators ganging up on the poor defenseless CEO of Clear Channel and--gulp!--demanding an apology! Jeepers. And then, their bloodlust running high, they further demand he make Limbaugh apologize too! It's almost hard to watch, isn't it? Have these Senators no mercy? Can't they find it in their hearts to let these poor schmucks up off the mat?

Well, look, I like an insincere apology as much as the next guy, but I'd really much rather see the Democrats in Congress try, you know, doing something for a change, and so I sent the following reply to Senator Reid, or whoever actually reads these things, if in fact anyone does:

Dear Senator Reid,

I would rather see the Democrats in the Senate put their weight behind taking Limbaugh off of Armed Forces Radio. For years now I have listened to conservatives complain about being "forced" to contribute, via taxes, to the National Endowment for the Arts, which sometimes has funded projects and artists they consider "offensive." Well, I consider the poisonous, hatemongering lies spewed by Rush Limbaugh to be "offensive," and, borrowing from our conservative friends' playbook, I'm annoyed that my tax dollars are being used to support his insults against American soldiers.

I encourage you and the other Democratic members of Congress to, instead of trying to wring empty apologies out of corporate toadies, cut to the heart of things and do something about Limbaugh, namely, kick him off of Armed Forces Radio.

Sincerely,
William J Reynolds

Of course, any such saber-rattling on the part of the Democrats in Congress would produce exactly the same effect as all their saber-rattling over the war in Iraq, the president's various abuses of power, the torture of political prisoners, the vetoing of SCHIP, etc.--viz., nothing at all--but at least it's a higher level of saber-rattling, no? Demanding apologies...good grief. Apologize or what--a duel? Get real.

Anyhow, no word yet from the DSCC or Senator Reid. Any minute now, though, I'm sure.