September 28, 2003 - The Bushist operatives have been deployed to the left with one central mission and that is to paint Wesley K. Clark, Gen, US Army. Ret. with a right wing brush. From Rush Limbaugh to Tucker Carlson they have been mining the record for every kind thing that the new Democratic front runner has had to say about George Bush or the members of the Bush Administration. It really doesn’t matter whether the President George Bush that the quote refers to is this George Bush or that George Bush.

Carlson, quoting from remarks of the General discussing the conduct of the First Iraqi war, conveniently dropped the “H” and claimed the words approving of George H. W, Bush’s coalition building strategy in preparing for the First Iraqi War were in praise of George W. Bush’s conduct of the second. It really is amusing and at the same time quite sad. Deprived of their usual line of attack – that this or that Democrat is too liberal to be President – the Rhetorical Rambos of the Right have been reduced to ranting that Wesley Clark is too Republican to be President.

They have even used their media bete noir, CNN, to carry the message. After years of cultivating Fox News as their media mouthpiece it was to the Clinton News Network that they chose to send the homemade video of General Clark addressing the Pulaski County Young Republicans in May 2001. Awarding CNN the scoop was, in their eyes, a master stroke of political calculus. The liberal elite core of what they believe is the Democrat Party would be unlikely to see it if it ran on Fox.

The Bushist strategy is clear, if aimed too far to the right. It is, “Stop Clark now. If he gets the nomination it will be too late to stop him.” The message is, “Hey, Democrats, you don’t want Clark – he is one of us.” It is the compliment of their line on John F. Kerry – “You don’t want Kerry. He voted for our war. He is so gullible that he bought into our line about WMDs and terrorism.”

Then there is the darker side of their line of attack, hidden beneath the surface that leaks out in the web forums and political chat rooms. It is always whispered – “you know he is Jewish.” It has been aimed at Kerry – “he tried to claim that he is Irish but he is really a Jew.” Then at Dean, “His wife is Jewish, you know.” At Lieberman of course, and now at Clark, “His “real” name is Kanne and he was born a Jew.”

Then there is the ultimate attack echoed hollowly by the Fox phalanx, “He is really a Clinton and you don’t want him again! Look at him, a Rhodes Scholar from Little Rock! He is really just a stalking horse for Hillary.” Karl Rove is working overtime and is a bit overwrought. All that footage from the Abraham Lincoln flight deck is gone to waste if either Kerry or Clark is the Democratic nominee. It will just be a reminder that while those men were earning Purple Hearts in Vietnam, George was not flying Texas Air Guard fighters in Birmingham.

In November 2004 Senator Clinton can feed Tucker his other Wingtip!