Comments on: Limbaugh's Loose Lips

[mattcat25]

"Limbaugh''''s remarks in context were about one guy who made up stories about atrocities in Iraq and claimed to be a Ranger but was in fact only in the service for 44 days ... in essence, the guy was a fake soldier."



Limbaugh, like O%u2019reilly should clarify what, and whom if he was only speaking of one person. The plurality of Limbaugh%u2019s statement leads his audience to believe that any one of our military personnel that posses a contrary opinion to the mission in Iraq are phony soldiers.

The issue isn%u2019t even if a soldier had a legitimate military career (like George Bush), the issue is Iraq and the rush to invade, occupy, divert federal treasury funds to the private sector, and abscond with their natural resource OIL.

War, Corruption, Death, and Destruction are the issues, or platform of the Republican Party and their water boy Rush Hudson Limbaugh.

[dittomom1]

THE FAKE SOLDIER WAS JESSE MACBETH. HE ALSO MENTIONED SCOTT BEAUCHAMP. PERIOD. NEVER ANTI-WAR SOLDIERS. RUSH SUPPORTS SOLDIERS REGARDLESS OF THEIR OPINION. THEY SERVED. THEY HAVE RIGHT TO THEIR OPINION. ANY OTHER TRANSLATION IS WRONG. matthew felling should do some research by going TO THE SOURCE before he writes. that is, after all, responsible journalism.

[memekiller]

From Limbaugh''s own transcript:

RUSH: Mike, you can''t possibly be a Republican.

CALLER: I am.

RUSH: You can''t be Republican.

CALLER: Oh, I am definitely Republican.

RUSH: You sound just like a Democrat.

[SNIP]

CALLER: I used to be military, okay, and I am a Republican.

RUSH: Yeah.

CALLER: And I do listen to you, but --

RUSH: Right, I know. And I, by the way, used to walk on the moon.

CALLER: How long do we have to stay there?

RUSH: You''re not listening to what I say. You can''t possibly be a Republican. I''m answering every question; it''s not what you want to hear, and so it''s not even penetrating your little wall of armor you''ve got built up. I said we stay to get the job done, as long as it takes. I didn''t say forever. Nothing takes forever. That''s not possible, Bill. Mike. Whatever. Nobody lives forever, no situation lasts forever, everything ends. We determine how do we want it to end, in our favor or in our defeat? With people like you in charge, who want to put a timeline on everything -- do you ever get anything done in your life? Or do you say, "Well, I wanted to have this done by now, and it''s not, so screw it"? You don''t live your life that way. Well, hell, you might, I don''t know. But the limitations that you want to impose here are senseless, and they, frankly, portray no evidence that you are a Republican.

[sanfelz]

Maybe Congress will vote to reaffirm the right to speak against the Iraqi war and still be a loyal American and a patriot. Or do loyal Limbaugh-ists and Bush apologists only allow those right to those they agree with?
Of course, they could divert their attention from MoveOn and properly fund health-care and armaments for the troops.

[smoyerjx]

Limbaugh''s remarks in context were about one guy who made up stories about atrocities in Iraq and claimed to be a Ranger but was in fact only in the service for 44 days ... in essence, the guy was a fake soldier.

[mattcat25]

The Republican go-to talking point for their invasion and occupation of Iraq has been %u201Cyou don%u2019t support the troops!%u201D. Even as the Republicans in the Senate killed Webb%u2019s Bill to allow for 1 for 1 equal treatment for duty versus down time between deployments, George W. Bush attacked the voice of dissent to questionable motives and statements from General Patraeus.

I%u2019m sure there are many of our soldiers that have opinion on the mission they%u2019ve been called upon to perform in Iraq. To berate anyone of these men and/or woman for holding an opinion is truly not supporting the troops.

[smoyerjx]

Matthew Felling, you too are just another lazy journalist wannabe who fails to present the whole story because you apparently are not skilled nor creative enough to make the facts into interesting news.

When you get the facts right you can respond with credibility. Till then you are just another hack.

This is exactly the kind of cub-reporting that earns the mainstream media such low marks in PEW polls. For your next trick you should write a four word editorial, "Tase this, **** Limbaugh." I mean, that''s obviously your skill level.

[memekiller]

Rush could clear this all up very easily. Just say that he respects soldiers'' service regardless of their political views, and support the Democratic alternative to the MoveOn denunciation that called for respect based on their service, rather than only if a liberal group attacks a Bush supporter. Anyone who is honoring soldiers rather than playing political games would support this.

The fact is, those insisting Rush didn''t say this think he did say it, and wholeheartedly agree that a soldier is "phony" if they don''t support the war, just as Rush berated the previous veteran who called for being a "phony Republican" -- not because he wasn''t a Republican and longtime Rush listener, no, what made him "phony" in this case, as with veterans, is that they disagree with him on the point of the war.

Not fake, mind you, phony.

[memekiller]

When Dan Rather reported on Bush%u2019s grounding, you attacked the authenticity of the memos. When Aaron Broussard broke down crying on MTP about the mother left for days in a nursing home after Katrina until she died, you attacked the authenticity of the story. When a soldier writes about their war experiences in a Pro-War publication, you attacked the authenticity, claiming that soldier didn%u2019t exist. It%u2019s a standard trope with you guys to avoid the real debate.

So stop the diversion and tell me this, fellow Texan: Can you serve in the military and personally disagree with the occupation? Is there a veteran who is a Democrat you feel is honorable and worthy of respect, or is this respect based purely on partisan position? Do you show respect to General Clark? Respect for Kerry%u2019s service? No %u2013 you attack the authenticity of that service. Can you name me one person who deserves respect for their service, but doesn%u2019t agree with you or Bush politically? You%u2019re terrified of answering those questions.

[memekiller]

Is this on the same show? The same day? How far away from this call? Do you have a link to this transcript, or am I just supposed to believe you? On MediaMatters, you can listen to the actual show, and there is no mention anywhere near the quote.

What Rush DOES say immediately before is: What Rush Limbaugh says immediately before the quote in question: "the next guy that calls here, I''m gonna ask him: Why should we pull -- what is the imperative for pulling out?" referring to the veteran who called previously. Immediately afterwards, he says you knew what you signed up for, subtext being, so stop complaining. But no MacBeth, whoever that is. never heard of them. It sounds more like he''s referring to the ones who recently died after writing the NYTs editorial.

[jessemacbeth]

You see, Memekiller? It''s right after he mentions "fake soldiers".

I know, I know. It''s really difficult for you to follow...

[jessemacbeth]

"Here is a Morning Update that we did recently, talking about fake soldiers. This is a story of who the left props up as heroes. They have their celebrities and one of them was Army Ranger Jesse Macbeth. Now, he was a "corporal." I say in quotes. Twenty-three years old. What made Jesse Macbeth a hero to the anti-war crowd wasn''t his Purple Heart; it wasn''t his being affiliated with post-traumatic stress disorder from tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. No. What made Jesse Macbeth, Army Ranger, a hero to the left was his courage, in their view, off the battlefield, without regard to consequences. He told the world the abuses he had witnessed in Iraq, American soldiers killing unarmed civilians, hundreds of men, women, even children. In one gruesome account, translated into Arabic and spread widely across the Internet, Army Ranger Jesse Macbeth describes the horrors this way: "We would burn their bodies. We would hang their bodies from the rafters in the mosque."
"

[memekiller]

I''m having trouble... point to the spot in the transcript where Limbaugh mentions Macbeth?

[memekiller]

"I think the context is clear %u2014 the troops are signing up because they want to be deployed to Iraq. If you serve and disagree with the Iraq policy, then you must be a %u201Cphony.%u201D (Indeed, there%u2019s a precedent on this. In June, Limbaugh labeled John Kerry a %u201Cphony.%u201D It wasn%u2019t literal %u2014 Limbaugh wasn%u2019t saying Kerry didn%u2019t wear the uniform %u2014 but rather, it was the noun Limbaugh chose to describe veterans who dare to disagree with Bush%u2019s policy.)"

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/13041.html#more-13041

[memekiller]

Tex and others, valiant try, really, but thorough debunking of this can be found here: http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/13041.html#more-13041

Besides, what''s your point? Limbaugh is the first to use the term "Betrayus" to describe the veteran Hagel. He claimed Paul Hacket joined the army to pad his resume and hide behind his uniform.

Rush was not referring to Macbetth, but an earlier call by a veteran wanting pullout.

And yes, everyone, go to the transcript and decided for yourselves.

[therealextex]

You ''REAL JOURNALISTS''at CBS ought to make at least a small effort to uncover the WHOLE story before you start repeatin'' things that aren''t true like they wuz FACT!
If I wuz you I''d check out the ''facts'' you peel off that loony left virtual smear rag ''Media Matters''(also known as verifying or vetting)and I''d make an effort to report the TRUTH! But hey-that''s just the way we conservatives handle reporting! I understand that YOU though-have an agenda.

[cvldiscourse]

Don''t believe everything you hear - from both sides! Seek truth, not just knee-jerk opinion. Limbaugh transcript cites (fake soldier) Jesse MacBeth, who told the world the abuses he had witnessed in Iraq. "In one gruesome account, translated into Arabic and spread widely across the Internet, Army Ranger Jesse Macbeth describes the horrors this way: "We would burn their bodies. We would hang their bodies from the rafters in the mosque." From Wikipedia: Jesse Adam Macbeth (b. Jesse Adam Al-Zaid,[1] in 1984) falsely claimed to be an Army Ranger and veteran of the Iraq War. Attorney Jeffrey Sullivan declared that Macbeth had been in the Army for just 40 days and according to the US Army had been kicked out as unfit before he could complete basic training. On September 21, 2007 Macbeth admitted in federal court that he had faked his war record. He lied in alternative media interviews that he & his unit routinely committed war crimes in Iraq. Video Transcripts were made in English & Arabic. After discharge in 2004, he purported to be a veteran, telling war stories, garnering attention from mainstream,alternative and student media outlets. Joined Iraq Veterans Against the War in 1/06 & was scheduled to represent them publicly at events throughout the US; The VAW has since said it does not endorse Macbeth or his accounts of military service. Accounts in Macbeth''s name appear on Military.com and Myspace.com; both were used to post claims about military service in Iraq.

[therealextex]

The Rest of the Story:

"Now, recently, Jesse Macbeth, poster boy for the anti-war left, had his day in court. And you know what? He was sentenced to five months in jail and three years probation for falsifying a Department of Veterans Affairs claim and his Army discharge record. He was in the Army. Jesse Macbeth was in the Army, folks, briefly. Forty-four days before he washed out of boot camp. Jesse Macbeth isn''t an Army Ranger, never was. He isn''t a corporal, never was. He never won the Purple Heart, and he was never in combat to witness the horrors he claimed to have seen. You probably haven''t even heard about this. And, if you have, you haven''t heard much about it. This doesn''t fit the narrative and the template in the Drive-By Media and the Democrat Party as to who is a genuine war hero. Don''t look for any retractions, by the way. Not from the anti-war left, the anti-military Drive-By Media, or the Arabic websites that spread Jesse Macbeth''s lies about our troops, because the truth for the left is fiction that serves their purpose. They have to lie about such atrocities because they can''t find any that fit the template of the way they see the US military. In other words, for the American anti-war left, the greatest inconvenience they face is the truth."
It''s not what the left chooses to cite that can be controversial. What they intentionally omit can be much more instructional.

[therealextex]

In an effort to spare you your own Dan-Rather-oops-I-didn''t-vet-my-story-moment, Here is THE REST of Rush''s comment:
"Here is a Morning Update that we did recently, talking about fake soldiers. This is a story of who the left props up as heroes. They have their celebrities and one of them was Army Ranger Jesse Macbeth. Now, he was a "corporal." I say in quotes. Twenty-three years old. What made Jesse Macbeth a hero to the anti-war crowd wasn''t his Purple Heart; it wasn''t his being affiliated with post-traumatic stress disorder from tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. No. What made Jesse Macbeth, Army Ranger, a hero to the left was his courage, in their view, off the battlefield, without regard to consequences. He told the world the abuses he had witnessed in Iraq, American soldiers killing unarmed civilians, hundreds of men, women, even children. In one gruesome account, translated into Arabic and spread widely across the Internet, Army Ranger Jesse Macbeth describes the horrors this way: "We would burn their bodies. We would hang their bodies from the rafters in the mosque."

[ivoryape1]

Now, recently, Jesse Macbeth, poster boy for the anti-war left, had his day in court. And you know what? He was sentenced to five months in jail and three years probation for falsifying a Department of Veterans Affairs claim and his Army discharge record. He was in the Army. Jesse Macbeth was in the Army, folks, briefly. Forty-four days before he washed out of boot camp. Jesse Macbeth isn%u2019t an Army Ranger, never was. He isn%u2019t a corporal, never was. He never won the Purple Heart, and he was never in combat to witness the horrors he claimed to have seen. You probably haven%u2019t even heard about this. And, if you have, you haven%u2019t heard much about it. This doesn%u2019t fit the narrative and the template in the Drive-By Media and the Democrat Party as to who is a genuine war hero. Don%u2019t look for any retractions, by the way. Not from the anti-war left, the anti-military Drive-By Media, or the Arabic websites that spread Jesse Macbeth%u2019s lies about our troops, because the truth for the left is fiction that serves their purpose. They have to lie about such atrocities because they can%u2019t find any that fit the template of the way they see the US military. In other words, for the American anti-war left, the greatest inconvenience they face is the truth.