"Marines never do"

Marine Corps Reserve Colonel Danny Bubp's message to Congress, delivered by the House's most junior member, Jean Schmidt (R OH) yesterday, had Chris Matthews gasping for air on "Hardball" last night. “One thing you don’t do is disparage your Commander-in-Chief,” said Bubp at a vets-for-Schmidt event last August. "Super-soft wool one-shoulder tee" by Victoria's Secret.

"The moral authority of presidential critics is directly related to how politically useful they are to the liberal agenda," wrote L. Brent Bozell III last August. Bush Lied, People Died™ poster girl Cindy Sheehan was the prop of choice then, her moral authority pronounced "absolute" by virtue of her having lost a son in battle.  No matter that other parents and spouses who'd lost loved ones stood staunchly behind the war effort. This week, the mantle of absolute moral authority passed to "hawkish democrat" John Murtha (D PA) by virtue of his having served three decades as a Marine colonel, recipient of a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. No matter that he has never been keen on this particular war. Colleagues and media allies trumped up his resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq as proof that Operation Iraqi Freedom had failed. How could anyone question the wisdom of a former Marine? Well, someone did, and the democrats and their media allies went ballistic. You may have caught it on "the news" last night or this morning. It was played over and over. Jean Schmidt (R OH) brought down the house when she stepped to the podium and called a spade a spade:

A few minutes ago I received a call from Colonel Danny Bubp, Ohio Representative from the 88th district in the House of Representatives. He asked me to send Congress a message: Stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message, that cowards cut and run, Marines never do. Danny and the rest of America and the world want the assurance from this body -- that we will see this through.

It was great theater:

Democrats booed and shouted at Schmidt as Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn., charged across the chamber's center aisle screaming that her comments were an uncalled-for personal attack.

The House took a 10-minute recess as Schmidt was told to stop talking. Democrats called for her remarks to be stricken from the official transcript, but Republicans ruled that the remarks would be reported.

Afterward, Schmidt apologized to lawmakers, saying that her statements were not directed at any member of the House.

Chris Matthews, inspecting the entrails on MSNBC's "Hardball" following the outburst, suggested Schmidt's words might "choke her career," reports thespis 148 of RedState.org, who couldn't disagree more:

Tonight, we in Ohio are very proud of Jean Schmidt! . . . This statement by Chris Matthews demonstrates, once again, his partisan view of everything. Schmidt was simply relaying an email message from a consituent in Ohio!

Newsbusters watched CBS so we didn't have to. Different network, similar spin:

A night after leading with Democratic Congressman John Murtha's call for the U.S. to withdraw from Iraq, Friday's CBS Evening News painted him as a victim of unjust attacks on his “patriotism,” though CBS provided no supporting soundbite of any such accusation, ludicrously insisted he was a “leading supporter” of the war and featured clips of Democrats, including “another decorated veteran whose own patriotism has also been questioned” (that would be John Kerry), who “fired back" at the “personal attacks” on Murtha.

These Blue Staters are so touchy about their "absolute moral authority." Relatedly, we found this bit of encouraging news buried in an overwhelmingly gloomy report on a series of Pew public-opinion surveys released Tuesday, highlighting "a sharp rise in isolationist sentiment in the general public":

And while the poll found a majority (56 per cent) of the public still believes the U.S. will be successful in establishing a stable democracy in Iraq, opinion leaders, with the exception of military officers, are much more doubtful, with around 40 percent believing that Iraq will split into three countries.

We're pinning our hopes on those 56 per cent of us unwashed Red-State types plus our magnificent military officers, like Colonel Bubp, who would never dream of disparaging their Commander-in-Chief.

Note: One more thing to love about Rep. Jean Schmidt:  She signed Citizens Against Government Waste's  "Hurricane Katrina No Pork Pledge" last September.

Update:  The beautiful and talented Beth Cleaver of My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy has drawn Aaron's Queen of Clubs card by popular acclaim. Can you say totally awesome?  Can't wait to see the design he comes up with. She invites us to link to her "Weekend Link Whorage Fest Open Trackback Covered Fest Carnival Dish."

Technorati tags: jean schmidt, marines never do, colonel danny bubp

Comments

[goomp]

Thank you, Jean Schmidt, and thank you the people in Ohio who voted for one who is not afraid to call a spade a spade.

[d7000]

So, you'd "never dream of disparaging their Commander-in-Chief"

I'm sure you said that about Clinton, right?

Hypocrite.

[Sissy Willis]

As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the President is a Marine's boss, but as President of the United States, he is not the boss of any civilian. The fact that you don't see the difference, d7000, suggests it may be time for you to brush up on your Civics. This should get you started:

Only under martial law -- temporary rule by military authorities imposed on the civilian population, especially in time of war or when civil authority has broken down -- would the Commander-in-Chief be your and my boss.

[andophiroxia]

Clinton did plenty to disparage himself by gutting the military like he did and giving us higher taxes.

Your moral equivalence is a tired stance. Why don't you actually read facts before you post?

[Scott]

Nice to see some feistiness on our side of the aisle - and especially to see someone finally point out that the MSM's emperor is indeed naked as a jaybird.

[wild bill]

CAMON d700 or what ever.
Ole billy boy "cigaring" an 23yo INTERN in the ORAL office isnt degrading enough for you?? Now it is us EEEVVVIIILLLLL repubs who called this filthy letcher, lying, pervert out, so it becomes fair to call Bush a liar......um which is a LIE itself.
Go marry ole cindy i hear she got DUMPED by her husband.