http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/13819.html
December 5, 2007
Savage blasts ‘gay, phony general”; questions quality of U.S. troops
Perhaps the most memorable moment of last week’s CNN/YouTube debate
for Republican presidential candidates can midway through the event,
when Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr quizzed the GOP field on whether they would
allow Americans who happen to be gay to serve in the U.S. military, as
he did.
Kerr can back up the question with earned authority — he wore a
uniform honorably for more than four decades.
http://www.sldn.org/templates/about/record.html?section=81&record=1151
[Kerr] retired from the U. S. Army Reserve in 1986 with the rank of
Colonel and was commissioned in the California State Military Reserve
(California National Guard) on 15 March 1986, where his assignments
were Inspector General and later, Chief of Staff.
He was appointed Commanding General, Northern Area Command, CSMR, with
headquarters at Alameda Naval Supply Depot, Alameda, CA and promoted
to Brigadier General on 21 February 1991.
He held this position until reassigned to State Headquarters on 31
July 1995.
General Kerr retired on 1 June 1996 after 43 years of service to the
United States and the State of California.”
But in conservative circles, that record of service apparently doesn’t
qualify Kerr for respect.
The Republican audience on hand for the debate booed the retired
brigadier general, and this week, right-wing lunatic/radio host
Michael Savage attacked Kerr personally.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200712050003
“CNN is a bear trap. CNN is a bear trap for anybody conservative. Look
what they did the other night, last week rather, with the YouTube/CNN
debate, when they put a planted, gay, phony general in the audience to
throw out a question, and then Anderson Cooper followed up with
intelligible, ‘Did you get the question answered adequately?’ That’s
your idea of a fair debate? It’s like a Stalinist show trial.”
Once again, as far as conservatives are concerned, those Americans who
serve in the military but disagree with the right-wing line are
“phony.”
Indeed, Savage was just reading from Limbaugh’s playbook.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200709270010
But Savage may have been pushing his luck when he criticized U.S.
troops serving in Iraq.
While the “gay, phony general” line is pathetic, and likely to draw
plenty of well-deserved condemnations, let’s not lose sight of what
else Savage said.
Adding to his assault on Kerr, Savage said:
“I don’t care about this old queen, frankly. He disgusts me to make —
my flesh crawls from the old queen. That was a general? Now you wonder
why we’re still in Iraq five years later. General — with General Keith
Kerr, you know why we’re still in Iraq five years later.”
First, Savage the Clown doesn’t realize that Kerr didn’t serve in
Iraq.
Second, and more importantly, what do you suppose Savage meant when he
said we now know “why we’re still in Iraq five years later”?
The implication is about as subtle as a sledgehammer — Savage doesn’t
respect the troops serving in Iraq, and blames them for the duration
of the war.
It’s not because of Bush, Rumsfeld, the Iraqis, Iran, or al Qaeda —
for Savage, it’s because of those who wear the uniform.
Now, I’m not necessarily looking for a congressional condemnation here
— those are apparently reserved for MoveOn — but I think it’s worth
remembering that when it comes to prominent political figures who
disparage Americans who serve, it’s the right, not the left, throwing
the rhetorical bombs.
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So what's new?
Harry
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