Inhofe's Vile Rhetoric Calls The Troops' Integrity Into Question

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_05/023799.php

INHOFE'S VILE RHETORIC KNOWS NO BOUNDS.... Most reasonable people, especially those in positions of authority, would steer clear of someone like the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer. Even within the religious right movement, Fisher is known for stomach-churning extremism.

But that didn't stop Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) from chatting with Fischer on his radio show, and arguing that Elena Kagan's Supreme Court nomination must be defeated because she might someday rule that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is unconstitutional.

And for Inhofe, that would be unacceptable. DADT is necessary, the clownish senator said, because U.S. servicemembers might no longer do their duty if some of their fellow soldiers are gay.

"For those of us -- and I'm one of them -- who have gone through the military, gone through basic training, and you stop and think -- it just doesn't make any sense. Second of all, it's just not working. You have women, men, then you have a third group to deal with, and they're not equipped to do that.

"And you know -- you hear the stories all the time. A military guy -- I happen to be Army, and Army and Marines always feel that when we're out there, we're not doing it for the flag or the country; we're doing it for the guy in the next foxhole. And that would dramatically change that."

There are multiple important angles to this, but let's focus on two of them. First, that Inhofe considers gay people part of a "third" gender is disgusting, even by his low standards.

Second, Inhofe probably isn't sharp enough to realize it, but his comments represent a pretty stunning insult towards Americans in uniform. Look at his argument again -- U.S. servicemen and women, he says, hate gay people so much, they may disobey orders and let their unit down if they think a gay soldier is in the next foxhole.

I can't think of the last time a high-profile American politician called the troops' integrity into question like this.

For what it's worth, the drive to repeal DADT, Inhofe's vile rhetoric notwithstanding, has been endorsed this year by President Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen, Colin Powell, and Dick Cheney. There's also ample evidence that those who wear the uniform aren't as hateful as Jim Inhofe thinks they are.

Just this week, Bruce McQuain, a veteran and conservative blogger, wrote, "I've thought about {the DADT policy} long and hard. I've actually changed my mind from years ago. I guess that's because I've known of and served with soldiers I knew were gay. And every one of them were good soldiers who served honorably and did an excellent job.... Sexual orientation should never be a bar to serving your country honorably in the profession of arms."

—Steve Benen

[saltpoint]

1. At first I thought Inhofe was just pointedly mean-spirited on the

issues, playing to his maniacal base, but cynically knowing better.

Lately it seems I was dead wrong. The man is just flat-out stupid.

[babylonsister]

2. I also think he is flat out stupid. It took him all of 6 hours

to condemn the nomination of Kagan, w/o even giving her the benefit of an interview. Here's Axelrod on that:

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/05/axelrod-sen-inhofe-should-have-given-kagan-more-than-six-hours-consideration.html

AXELROD: Well first of all one would hope that Senators would give more than 6 hours consideration to the nomination before they render a judgment. And if he had and he looked into it what he’d find is that she’s been a great champion of young people who want to enlist on the Harvard campus. And there are many who are serving today who were there when she was there who would, who would attest to that.

TAPPER: And then the other thing Inhofe said was that he didn’t like her comments back in I guess it was in the ‘90s about the Senate confirmation process being vacuous.

AXELROD: Well she may not be the first to make such an observation. And obviously the, the process itself from here on is an opportunity for Senators personally in interviews with her and in the hearings to ask all of these questions and my hope is that most of them refrain from making a judgment until they can ask her these questions. I think they’ll find her answers are, are, are persuasive.

[saltpoint]

5. Hey there. Yep. Axelrod is making too much sense for someone like

Inhofe to process.

Plus, I'm thinkning Inhofe's attention span isn't all that long, so inside 6 hours he condemns someone he knows nearly nothing about and hasn't even heard speak at her hearing.

Sheesh.

[Jennicut]

3. Yes, yes he is. And he has been for years.

Remember when Al Gore once testified in front of the Senate on climate change? Inhofe just plain came off as a nutty idiot.

[saltpoint]

4. Hi, Jennicut. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt

which in his case meant considering him cynical and deliberately contrary to the best interests of the environment.

But it's pretty clear he's dumber than a bag of Dust Bowl dirt.

[karynnj]

6. Some needs to tell him that some of his fellow troops were likely gay

It seems he is oblivious to that.

[catgirl]

7. He he- "the clownish senator" n/t

[TwilightGardener]

8. Almost everyone in the service knows they are serving alongside

at least several fellow servicemembers who are gay. And they don't care. What an insult, for Inhofe to believe our troops are as pigheaded as he is.