| The Weakest Link: The purveyors of perpetual war are victims of their own success. They didn't plan for an extended media campaign, so they burned through their credibility like it was a no-bid contract with cost-plus provisions. Unfortunately for them, they can't turn to foreign workers to carry their water for them. That is why fresh new faces are so important if they are going to continue selling their wars.
This late in the game, the old guard can not take the field because they inevitably get hit with "You were wrong about everything you said before, why should we believe you now?" Frank Luntz can only work his semantic magic for so long before people realize they are putting lipstick on a pig. As a younger, and wiser, Donald Rumsfeld so eloquently noted, "Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up." Well kids, itlooks like the inevitable has finally arrived. The Children's Crusade has begun and that means it's open season on Chickenhawks.
Their Inconvenient Truth: For years we have argued that supporting our troops meant giving them a clear mission, necessary supplies to achieve that mission, and a clear exit strategy. We were mocked as "cut and run" fanatics. When we brought up the casualties, we were mocked for dishonoring the "volunteer" army. So what if a few people got their hair mussed? They knew what they were signing up for. Of course, the apologists glossed over the fact that people were misled about what exactly they were volunteering for, but no matter.
After Katrina, people realized we were abandoning cities over here because they were busy trying to take them over there. Sensible people started to ask an inconvenient question of the apologists, "If you are so gung ho about the war in Iraq, why aren't you fighting in it?"
The Court Jester: Performing in an unusual venue for him, John Mellencamp tore up the script and threw out the rules during his recent appearance on the Colber Report. That was no accident. That was a conscious choice. He directly challenged Colbert's persona as a chickenhawk and a fraud, thereby demonstrating how devastating that rhetorical attack is against the new crop of perpetual war propagandists. By ripping away the proscenium, Mellencamp has done to chickenhawks in general what Jon Stewart did to Tucker Carlson up close and personal. He has exposed them as frauds. That is a real problem for the purveyors of perpetual war.
The Great Disappearing Act: The reaction -- actually the overreaction -- of the media controllers to this bit of unscripted improv speaks volumes.
I would show you the interview from July 18th on ComedyCentral's Mother Load, but it is mysteriously absent. This conspicuous absence has not gone unnoticed on the Colbert Nation discussion boards where even the very thread discussing the event was wiped clean. Don't waste your time trying to find it on YouTube, Viacom's lawyers wiped all but 8 seconds of the segment from that archive.
Seeing Is Believing: Unfortunately for the Orwellian denizens of the corporate media, the Tubes can never be flushed completely. For those who missed the performance and want to see what I'm talking about, enjoy this renegade copy while it is still available. It's a joy to behold. Who knew a small-town rock and roll rebel would know scripture well enough to recognize the oft-misquoted line pimped by Constantine was really text out of context used as pretext to justify Holy War? Make no mistake, this was more than theater or exegesis. If you have a short attention span, just watch the last 50 seconds, starting at the 5:00 minute mark to see him turn chickenhawk apologists into a grease spot.
For all you factinistas out there, don't worry. I get it. The "fact" is The Colbert Report is just a comedy show and the interviews are exercises in improvisational theater. Truthiness lives to fight another day and The Word will still be here tomorrow. The only lasting change to the show is that John "Cougar" Mellencamp has now replaced bears as the #1 threat to the Colbert Nation. Oh, and the fact that Stephen finally got nailed on his own show.
But forget the facts for a moment. I'm going with my gut on this one, and my gut tells me something serious happened here.
The Reich Wing's Achilles' Heel: The first couple of times I saw a chickenhawk cheerleader get nailed as a hypocrite, I dismissed it as an isolated event. Not any more. Mellencamp's performance is a wake up call. Recent investigative reports covering Young Republican gatherings show life is busy immitating art all across the country. This leads us to one inescapable conclusion: Republicans have no defense against this attack. That makes it open season on chickenhawks. Time to name names and shame the same.
Unlike Cheney, I don't advocate indiscriminate attacks. If you are going after varmints, you need to know what you're looking for. So as a public service let me provide you with this:
The Official Fledgling Chickenhawk Identification Card version 1.0
 Matthew Continetti
 Ben Ferguson
 Jonah Goldberg
 Rich Lowry
 Jason Mattera
 Dan Senor
 Ben Shapiro
 Chris Vucovich
I think these guys need our help signing up, so let's be sure to show up and offer to drive them to the nearest recruiting center. That way everyone can do their part and support the troops. |
