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McCain Slams Rush, Demands He Apologize And Retract "Phony Soldiers" Comment
The first Republican member of Congress -- and first GOP Presidential candidate -- has now stepped forward to condemn Rush's "phony soldier" remark.
Time.com's Ana Marie Cox asked John McCain for a response to Rush's comments, and she received this blistering statement from the veteran and torture victim:
Any American who risks his or her life to defend us has earned the respect and gratitude of every American citizen, irrespective of their views on this war. If Mr. Limbaugh made the remark he is reported to have made, it reflects very poorly on him and not the objects of his offensive comment. I expect most Americans, whatever their political views, will have the same reaction. He would be well advised to retract it and apologize.
That's pretty tough stuff.
Meanwhile, lots more other developments in the "phony soldiers" saga. Huffington Post has unearthed a new and even more eye-opening episode of Rush soldier-bashing.
And Think Progress has obtained a letter from Senate Democratic leaders calling on Rush's parent company, Clear Channel, to repudiate his remarks.
Meanwhile, our take on the press dynamic at play on this story is right here at The Horse's Mouth.
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Nothing less than a Senate AND House resolution condemning Rush will do.
September 28, 2007 3:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
now that would be something. time to ask the Dem leadership if they're gonna submit something. good thinking
September 28, 2007 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Where was McCain when the swiftboaters attack Kerry? Kerry defended McCain in 2000 in SC but McCain never returned the favor.
September 28, 2007 4:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's negotiate with Clear Channel to get them to add more Air America stations in addition to condemning Rush. That will win us elections.
Check out the Center for American Progress report that just came out about radio and right-wing dominance on the airwaves.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/06/talk_radio.html
Our analysis in the spring of 2007 of the 257 news/talk stations owned by the top five commercial station owners reveals that 91 percent of the total weekday talk radio programming is conservative, and 9 percent is progressive.
Each weekday, 2,570 hours and 15 minutes of conservative talk are broadcast on these stations compared to 254 hours of progressive talk—10 times as much conservative talk as progressive talk.
September 28, 2007 4:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Where is the outrage for his IMMORAL comments?
mr. limbaugh should be fired!
He comments are as anti-United States of America as any could be!
He is un-American.
September 28, 2007 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
"time to ask the Dem leadership if they're gonna submit something."
I think it would be better to demand that the Republican leadership submit something, or show themselves to be the hypocrites that they are.
My senator is John Cornyn, sponsor of the ammendment that condemned MoveOn.org. I'm going to email him and tell him that I expect him to condemn Rush as well. You can too.
http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
Do I expect him to actually do anything? Hell no.
September 28, 2007 5:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
TPM should follow up on their story today that McCain thinks the U.S. Constitution establishes the
country as a Christian Nation. This is simply right wing propaganda. McCain, and in fact every one of the candidates for President, Democratic and Republican, ought to be hammered on that statement. It is patently false. They should all be challenged to AFFIRM the Bill of Rights -- every one of them.
The first phrase in the first amendment in the Bill of Rights is precisely the one quoted in the story by TPM:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
i.e. of all the things the Founding Fathers were afraid of, religious tyranny headed the list. This country was founded by people seeking freedom from religious persecution and the right to worship as they pleased, not seeking to establish a "New Theocracy".
September 29, 2007 12:45 PM | Reply | Permalink