William the Bloody Said WHAT?

[Disclaimer-this is not a primary related post, nor is this a place to bring your grievances from other blogs or other sites. This post is about the hypocrisy of Bill Kristol]

William Kristol helps drive the op-ed page of the New York Times further into the ground. In what will be, easily, one of the most mocked and most derided columns that the man will ever write, he criticizes Barack Obama for NOT serving in the military:

But there’s one obvious path of service Obama doesn’t recommend — or even mention: military service. He does mention war twice: “At a time of war, we need you to work for peace.” And, we face “big challenges like war and recession.” But there’s nothing about serving your country in uniform.

It can’t be that the possibility of military service as an admirable form of public service didn’t occur to Obama. Only the day before, Obama had been squabbling with John McCain about veterans’ benefits. He said then, “Obviously I revere our soldiers and want to make sure they are being treated with honor and respect.”

And the day after the Wesleyan commencement, Obama was in New Mexico, where he read an eloquent and appropriate Memorial Day tribute to our fallen soldiers.

But at an elite Northeastern college campus, Obama obviously felt no need to disturb the placid atmosphere of easy self-congratulation. He felt no need to remind students of a different kind of public service — one that entails more risks than community organizing. He felt no need to tell the graduating seniors in the lovely groves of Middletown that they should be grateful to their peers who were far away facing dangers on behalf of their country

Nor did Obama choose to mention all those college graduates who are now entering the military, either for a tour of duty or as a career, in order to serve their country. He certainly felt no impulse to wonder whether the nation wouldn’t be better off if R.O.T.C. were more widely and easily available on elite college campuses.

Obama failed to challenge — even gently — what he must have assumed would be the prejudices of much of his audience and indulged in a soft patriotism of low expectations.

The mind-blowing hypocrisy just stands out, doesn't it? The man who DID NOT SERVE but GOT EVERYTHING WRONG about the war and who has done nothing but ADVOCATE for war with his columns and appearances and publications is "snarking" at the Democratic candidate who GOT IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME and who wants to END THE WAR. Obama is refusing to do the "dog and pony show" and he refuses to keep creating new Veterans by extending the war for a hundred years--and the Republicans are scared shitless that the American people will get the message. Because THAT is the message that will help win in November, if it gets through.

That's all the Republicans have at this point--throw out a mind-numbingly ridiculous attack and hope and pray no one notices they're cowering in the bushes with their ass in the air, terrified and helpless. What happened to the New York Times? Every time Kristol hits "publish" he embarrasses himself and the people he works for.

When was the last time Kristol told young Republicans all over America to drop out of college and join the military? Because we have desperate shortages of qualified recruits. We're literally running a foreign legion and letting in the least desirable recruits right now. Sure could use an infusion of fat, young, pink, and soft Republicans. Let them soak up some of the atmosphere in Baghdad for a change.

--WS