Interesting note from Tapped at The American Prospect:
“AN ODD CLOSE. As the Military and Progressives panel came to an end, a young man in uniform stood up to argue that the surge was working, and cutting down on Iraqi casualties. The moderator largely freaked out. When other members of the panel tried to answer his question, he demanded they "stand down." He demanded the questioner give his name, the name of his commander, and the name of his unit. And then he closed the panel, no answer offered or allowed, and stalked off the stage,
Wes Clark took the mic and tried to explain what had just occurred: The argument appears to be that you're not allowed to participate in politics while wearing a uniform, or at least that you shouldn't, and that the questioner was engaging in a sort of moral blackmail, not to mention a violation of the rules, by doing so. Knowing fairly little about the army, I can't speak to any of that. But it was an uncomfortable few moments, and seemed fairly contrary to the spirit of the panel to roar down the member of the military who tried to speak with a contrary voice."
Regardless of the accuracy of what Wesley Clark said you would think the “progressives” with their care, support and concern of our troops that the situation would not be handled as it was. Did the moderator know the “rules” as
There are some very interesting comments one in which the person says:
“It would be best if active duty personnel refrained from involving themselves entirely in politics. It's too dangerous to allow otherwise, regardless of what Wes Clark thinks. Too many nations have gone down the path of NOT making a big deal out of this sort of thing.”
Sounds like concerns of a military coup; enlist, go to battle and let all the manipulation by the misled throw it all away.
Ultimately a tarnished public image is a concern as well; we all know how they’re all about how something looks rather than how it actually is:
“They'd better hope nobody got video and passed it on to O'Reilly. Whatever the technical justification, that sort of behavior will go over like a lead balloon with the public.”
If you have the stomach for it, pass some seconds away for a guffaw or two.
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