Throw 'Em Out

Regular readers of Charles Oliver's Brickbats have already seen this, but in case you missed it:

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, told a New Hampshire veterans group that members of MoveOn should bethrown out of the country for producing an ad attacking Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq. McCain's staff later said the presidential candidate merely meant that such ads had no place in the political debate.

CBS has the video, where McCain clearly says "MoveOn.org ought to be thrown out of this country." If he had a record of angry self-aggrandizement or muzzling political speech this might be troubling.

Matt Welch on McCain here and here.

Comments

[JW]

I liked him better when he would just stand out in the prison yard and scream "fuck you!" to the N. Vietnamese camera while giving it the finger. That at least had some substance to it.

[Jose Ortega y Gasset]

Are we really sure that the "fuck you" was directed at just the North Vietnamese?

[SugarFree]

Take 'em out to the woodshed, Grandpa! That'll fix up right!

Is McCain deliberately going after the Grey Panther vote? Will this be a winning strategy?

[John-David]

In the meantime, I see that Iraq is throwing Blackwater out out of their country. It's tossing-out week around the world.

[ed]

Clearly there is no room in politics for hyperbole, metaphor, figures of speech or sarcasm.

[Randolph Carter]

Clearly there is no room in politics for hyperbole, metaphor, figures of speech or sarcasm./i>

Yeah, McCain should have said something really funny, like "they should be drawn and quartered" or "they should be put in the stockades."

It's a laffer, and that's with 2 f's!

[Randolph Carter]

tag issues

[Chris S.]

Wait, McCain doesn't believe in unrestrained political speech. Who knew?

[joe]

In times of trouble, when we are beset with threats to our vital national security and serious thought about strategy is needed, you can always count on people like McCain to focus like a laser on...denouncing liberals.

[Bryan]

In times of trouble, when we are beset with threats to our vital national security and serious thought about strategy is needed, you can always count on people like Weigel to focus like a laser on...denouncing McCain.
/fixed

[Lamar]

Brian:

Confuse the roles of Senators and journalists much?

[joe]

Bryan,

David Weigel is not a United States Senator, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and candidate for President of the United States widely viewed as carrying the banner for one of the major party's foreign policy and military platforms.

[joe]

Er, Ranking Member.

[Episiarch]

David Weigel is not a United States Senator, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and candidate for President of the United States widely viewed as carrying the banner for one of the major party's foreign policy and military platforms.

Not yet. Just give him time. As soon as he has kids he'll stop being a libertarian.

[KoWT]

McCain has a plan

he'll appeal to the GOP's frightened control freak base, and rally them to bring him the party's nomination

and it might work

never mind that he'll poll like Walter Mondale in the general election

[WalterBoswell]

Throw 'em out where exactly? Where is the magical land that the uber-patriots want the 'traitors' thrown to? Shit, Israel is going to have a heap of problems sending it's own neo-Nazi immigrants back to mother Russia and you cannot get a better definition of the word traitor than a neo-Nazi living in Israel. McCain is a bonehead; Make him president.

[TrickyVic]

"""he'll appeal to the GOP's frightened control freak base, and rally them to bring him the party's nomination"""

That's Rudy's plan

[Hiro Moonbat]

Hiro Moonbat hereby warns the Bryan that another comment like that will result in his being hung upside down over a vat of corn syrup while I read every word of John Galt's speech to him!!!!! I'm warning you!!!! I will read in my most annoying Jack Nicholson voice!!!!

[Hiro Moonbat]

Bryan, you may select an alternative punishment!!!! Hiro Moonbat is indeed merciful!!! You may choose to be lectured about urban planning by Joe, who will be dressed up as Terri Gross dressed as a naughty penguin!!!! Indeed the mighty moonbat is munificent!!!!!

[Jose Ortega y Gasset]

"As soon as he has kids he'll stop being a libertarian." At the risk of thread-jacking, why? I have never had any conflict between my libertarian leanings politically and my role as a father.

[x,y]

I'm sure joe will be the first to snark when a Demoract attacks a Republican this campaign season. After all, we have more important issues to worry about.

[Johnny]

My first reaction was what that his continued into inanity was excellent entertainment.

My second was how many Americans agree? My Third was how many registered Repubs agree?

What worries me, it the potential for sincerity. Is the the real senator? Has this been what he's really been thinking?

How many Putin admirers do we have currently in government anyway?

[SugarFree]

Jose Ortega y Gasset,

It's a reference / joke to something a troll once said to Kerry Howley. Some crap about not being able to believe in human freedom once you have children.

[Jennifer]

In times of trouble, when we are beset with threats to our vital national security and serious thought about strategy is needed, you can always count on people like Weigel to focus like a laser on...denouncing McCain.

A reporter addigned to cover politics is caught red-handed writing a report about politics. Oh, the humanity. Dammit, Weigel, why can't you write something pretty that will make Americans feel good?

[Jose Ortega y Gasset]

I'm not enough of a regular to get the inside jokes. As for Howley, it seems like she is heading for a semi-permanent gig on that opinion McNuggets television program, Red Eye.

Oh, and some "serious thought about strategy" could have spared us all this mess.

[joe]

I got Taco Bell sauce on the penguin suit.

Sorry.

I'll have to do it nekkid.

[Morat20]

That's Rudy's plan

That does explain why the GOP primaries has turned into a race to Crazy Town. McCain and Rudy are trying out-hawk each other, and I fully expect one of them to advocate the invasion of Canada any day now.

[Episiarch]

It's a reference / joke to something a troll once said to Kerry Howley

Bingo. I blame your lack of insider knowledge, Jose.

[ed\'s disciple]

ed | September 17, 2007, 11:29am | #
Clearly there is no room in politics for hyperbole, metaphor, figures of speech or sarcasm.

So's yer ol' man, Punko.

[cgee]

Jennifer, do you have a code in your nodes?

[Avatar300]

McCain and Rudy are trying out-hawk each other, and I fully expect one of them to advocate the invasion of Canada any day now.

Manifest Destiny!

[Cesar]

What? I thought Republicans were against "political correctness", so insulting a member of the military should be fine by them.

[Aresen]

As a Canadian, I strongly support McCain's statement and the similar statements by the pro-war hawks quoted in the post about the demonstrations.

We have a labor shortage here and could really use some thoughtful, motivated people.

😉

[Jennifer]

Jennifer, do you have a code in your nodes?

Stupid keyboard with the stupid keys I need to use right next to the stupid ones I don't.

[Mike Laursen]

I know some MoveOn members who would be happy if they could peacefully secede from the United States. Come to think of it, it has a certain attraction for libertarians, too. Perhaps we could work something out with future President McCain.

[J sub D]

Just among us adults, Doesn't Move On often behave like spoiled children that haven't been house trained. Standard libertarian disclaimer, free speech, right to assemble blah, blah, blah.

[Aresen]

Doesn't Move On often behave like spoiled children that haven't been house trained.

Talk about pot and kettle!