Rudyard Kipling defined the problem quite explicitly in the 19th century, and it seems that little has changed since then--at least in the Congress of the United States.
I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.
"Hillary Clinton Stands with MoveOn.org in Smearing Petraeus" contains the roll call vote on the Cornyn Amendment. Note that this is not a vote for or against the war. It is a vote to stand with a dedicated professional soldier who was defamed by MoveOn.org (and then subjected to what could well be libel by the Daily Kos) for doing what our civilian government told him to do.
Vote Number: 344 Vote Date: September 20, 2007, 12:36 PM
To express the sense of the Senate that General David H. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces.
NAYs —25 Voted to support MoveOn.org and its smear of General Petraeus Those who voted to send General Petraeus and hundreds of thousands of other men and women in uniform to Iraq in the first place (H.J.Res. 114) are so noted.
Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Clinton (D-NY) H.J.Res. 114 AYE
Dodd (D-CT) H.J.Res. 114 AYE
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA) H.J.Res. 114 AYE
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA) H.J.Res. 114 AYE
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Levin (D-MI)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV) H.J.Res. 114 AYE
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY) H.J.Res. 114 AYE
Stabenow (D-MI)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
Not Voting - 3
Biden (D-DE) H.J.Res. 114 AYE
Cantwell (D-WA) H.J.Res. 114 AYE
Obama (D-IL) (refused to dignify the Cornyn measure by voting on it)
Let's take a good look at this. In October 2002, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and the other named Democrats voted FOR "A joint resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq." Now that they have buyers' regrets about the war for which they voted, however, they are standing behind MoveOn.org and its defamatory advertisement that calls a distinguished Army officer "General Betrayus" while accusing him of "cooking the books for the White House."
Even a McDonald's manager knows that you don't tell an employee to do something, and then blame him when your own instructions result in a bad outcome. This is, however, exactly what Clinton, Kerry, Dodd, Reid, and Schumer have done, thus showing their total lack of fitness to hold any position whatsoever of public trust or responsibility. Rudyard Kipling had them pegged, of course, long before they were born.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.
Here is some additional insight into the personal characters of Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. Both bayed as loudly for Saddam Hussein's blood as anyone in the Bush Administration. Both clamored for war, but now that the war they wanted has not gone as smoothly as expected, they look for anyone to blame but themselves. Someone who is totally incapable of taking responsibility for their own choices does not belong in college student government, let alone the United States Senate.
John Kerry, 23 February 1998: “Saddam Hussein has already used these weapons and has made it clear that he has the intent to continue to try, by virtue of his duplicity and secrecy, to continue to do so. That is a threat to the stability of the Middle East. It is a threat with respect to the potential of terrorist activities on a global basis. It is a threat even to regions near but not exactly in the Middle East.”
# Hillary Rodham Clinton, Floor Speech of 10 October 2002 (from her own Senate Web site): “In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001.” http://clinton.senate.gov/speeches/iraq_101002.html (and she didn't even have the brains to get it off her Web site before joining MoveOn's attack on General Petraeus).
Right. In 1998 and 2002, it was "Saddam Hussein has already used these weapons and has made it clear that he has the intent to continue to try, by virtue of his duplicity and secrecy, to continue to do so," and "He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members." In 2007, Hillary Clinton said that General Petraeus' testimony to Congress required "willing suspension of disbelief." John Kerry, meanwhile, was against MoveOn.org's advertisement--he said it was "over the top"--before he voted to support it.
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.
It is exactly because of gentlemen like David Petraeus that the likes of Eli Pariser of MoveOn.org are free to make up defamatory schoolyard names for him, while the likes of John F. Kerry and Hillary Rodham Clinton pile on.
