Double Speak

As I noted in a previous post, I spent the past weekend in Pittsburgh where I attended an academic conference. Stepping out for a coffee on Sunday morning, I couldn't help but notice the headlines of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Titled "Murtha puts war at top of agenda in House," the article explored the controversy created by Rep. John P. Murtha, a Democrat from Pennsylvania and former Marine, who on Friday, November 18th called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. As I stood at the counter, coffee in hand, examining the story, I wondered how long it would take before the GOP launched the first wave of slanderous attacks. Little did I know they had already begun.

Following Murtha's speech on Friday, Jean Schmidt, a Congresswoman from Ohio, fired the first volley. In a speech delivered on the House floor, Schmidt had the following to say:

Listen to Linda

Schmidt later returned to the House floor to have her remarks stricken from the record. Incredibly, she had the following to say:

Mr. Speaker, my remarks were not directed to any member of the House and I did not intend to suggest they applied to any member, most especially the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Hold the presses! She didn't "intend to suggest that [her comments] applied to any member of the House?" Let's revisit her remarks for a moment:

He [Danny Bubp] also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message, that cowards cut and run, Marines never do.

This is exactly what concerns me about the state of affairs in this country. Somehow, members of the GOP have been allowed to cast spurious allegations for which they are seldom (if ever) held accountable. Be it the Swift Boat ads or Schmidt's more recent comments, the GOP has been allowed to wage a carefully orchestrated campaign designed to destroy the reputations of anyone who opposes the current Administration's policies. Even when they are required to issue an apology, it seldom matters. The damage has already been done. Most frightening is the realization that things will get worse before they get better. George Orwell must be tossing in his grave.