Get Mr. Herbert a beer

Herbert writes about Cleland's recent visit to the ranch this week and reminds us of the Hypocracy of Hawkitude, assembles a partial chickenhawk pantheon, and causes me to wonder why a party controlling all branches of government (fourth estate included) is so successfull playing the victim game.

Later, at a press conference under the hot Crawford sun, Mr. Cleland told reporters: "The question is, where is George Bush's honor? Where is his shame?"

Max I feel your pain, but lets be serious. Honor? Sorry, its one of those things that can't be purchased, it has to be earned, and quite franky the only thing our presnident has earned is contempt. Shame? Forgetaboutit. Never installed, instilled, or desired, as it would get in the way of the craven exercise of power.

Mr. Cleland reminded reporters of the scurrilous attacks by Bush forces against Senator John McCain in the Republican presidential primary in 2000 and said: "Keep in mind, this president has gone after three Vietnam veterans in four years. That's got to stop."

Not as long as an alarming number of Americans are willing to savage a man who had a consentual affair, and support a man happy to fondle women without their consent.

In what is surely the most important election of the last half-century, we seem trapped in the politics of the madhouse. What is incredible is that these attacks on men who served not just honorably, but heroically, are coming from a hawkish party that is controlled by an astonishing number of men who sprinted as far from the front lines as they could when they were of fighting age and their country was at war.

Sprinting? If it were possible to clock some of these guys, I would imagine that we would have enjoyed a resurgence in the white 100 meter world record holder. And who knows we might have been treated to this image.



And some 35 years later we could enjoy the political stylings of "Chickenhawk sprinters for War" as they jockey to get attention for stories like, "I made it 100 yards away from the draft board in 9.2 seconds, but I supported the war" "thats nothing Dick, I had to leap over the patriotic furvor of minorities on my way to a time of 9.1 seconds, while supporting the war" said Delay. "thats nothing", said George "I made the hundred yards from the draft board to the National guard in 8.9 seconds and I only had to whip the old man twice along the way"