Bell Curve The Law Talking Guy Raised by Republicans U.S. West
Well, he's kind of had it in for me ever since I accidentally ran over his dog. Actually, replace "accidentally" with "repeatedly," and replace "dog" with "son."

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Karl the Rat and Tricky Mickey Mouse

So where does the ABC/Disney propaganda piece fit in? According to "thoughtful" Republican blogger, Andrew Sullivan, Karl Rove intends to make 2006 election the most exploitive, most partisan abuse of the 9/11 story yet. The Bush administration push to legalize torture and get what amounts to Congressional approval after the fact for war crimes and broad ranging violations of US law and the US Constitution is the keystone.

They are hoping that Americans will see Democratic opposition to torture as being "appeasing the terrorists" and this ABC propaganda piece is their little version of Aleksandr Nevsky. It is the film they hope will prime people's minds to the idea that Democrats are soft on terrorists because ...well, pick a stereotype: liberals are effeminate (let's psychoanalyze that little mantra some day), liberals hate America as much as Bin Ladin does, liberals are soft in the head etc.

I am hoping that two things will keep Rove from using this strategy effectively. 1) John McCain seems to have taken a principled stand against the Bush position on torture and it is damn hard for a draft dodging, ANG gold bricker to call McCain a coward or unpatriotic. 2) Most of the American people seem sick of hearing about 9/11 all the time. I get the impression the country is finally ready for closure and may not appreciate such naked politicization of 9/11.

3 comments:

Dr. Strangelove said...

Let us also hope that reminders of 9/11 are more of a double-edged sword these days. They remind Americans not only of the fear they felt then, but of the fact they feel no safer now--in fact, it's worse. That may convince them that Bush has botched it... as he so obviously has.

Anonymous said...

The Republicans don't seem to mind calling former vets unpatriotic. Remember Senator Max Cleland. 

// posted by USWest

Anonymous said...

True. And as I posted that I remembered that Bush has done almost as bad to McCain himself (in the South Carolina Primary in 2000).

But McCain has become such a huge national figure that I think that if Bush or Cheney went after McCain for opposing torture it would be their "Have you no shame?!" moment.  

// posted by Raised By Republicans