Michael Flynn, right-wing hero: Will conservatives embrace him the way they did Ollie North?
SATURDAY, FEB 18, 2017 10:00 AM EST
Michael Flynn, right-wing hero: Will conservatives embrace him the way they did Ollie North?
Trump's disgraced adviser may be viewed as a righteous fallen rebel, like Oliver North or G. Gordon Liddy
AMANDA MARCOTTE
One of the strangest aspects of President Donald Trumps unhinged press conference on Thursday was his insistence that even though he had fired Michael Flynn, his short-lived national security adviser had essentially done nothing wrong.
Mike Flynn is a fine person, and I asked for his resignation. He respectfully gave it, Trump said. He didnt have to do that because what he did wasnt wrong what he did in terms of the information he saw.
Twitter erupted with cracks about the contradictions in Trumps position.
In a disturbing twist, it turns out that Trumps incoherent take on Flynn makes quite a bit of sense to the presidents legion of supporters. What Flynn did was unethical and possibly illegal, but at least for some people in the most devoted quarters of the right, thats exactly why they like him.
For decades now, conservatives have romanticized the idea of rogues for the right, valorizing men who break all the rules or even the laws in their pursuit of supposedly virtuous goals. Conservatives like to talk a big game about law and order, but when it comes to getting their way, they admire no one more than a criminal.
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http://www.salon.com/2017/02/18/michael-flynn-right-wing-hero-will-conservatives-embrace-him-the-way-they-did-ollie-north/