The "you're helping the enemy" con comes back to bite Bush butt

By Lee Russ

Saturday, January 27, 2007 at 12:17 PM

Remember how often Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, the National Review crowd, et. al. have accused the sane portion of America of helping the terrorists by criticizing the war (and exposing secret government programs, and voting Democratic, and on and on)?

Well, the theory of Never Dissent or Criticize has, not surprisingly, boomeranged back to bite some Bush admin butt.  Seems it dawned on the Iraqi Prime Minister, Maliki, that if the theory is good for the goose-steppers, it should be good for the Grandee.  If American citizens' criticism of Bush and the war helps the terrorists, then shouldn't Bush administration criticism of Maliki be subject to the same complaint?

Less than 10 days ago, from the U.K.'s The Times (emphasis added):

Although Mr al-Maliki's tone was measured throughout, he is clearly irritated at US criticism that he has failed to curb Shia militias. Robert Gates, the new US Defence Secretary, said that Mr al-Maliki could lose his job if he failed to stop communal bloodshed and Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State, gave a warning that he was living on "borrowed time" and that American patience was running out.

Challenged on the point, Mr al-Maliki remarked acidly: "Certain officials are going through a crisis. Secretary Rice is expressing her own point of view if she thinks that the Government is on borrowed time, whether it is borrowed time for the Iraqi Government or American Administration. I don't think we are on borrowed time."

He added: "I wish that we could receive strong messages of support from the US so we don't give some boost to the terrorists and make them feel that they might have achieved success. I believe that such statements give moral boosts to the terrorists and push them towards making an extra effort and making them believe that they have defeated the American Administration, but I can tell you that they haven't defeated the Iraqi Government."

That probably taught the White House not to employ that canard, right?  You should live so long.  If there's one thing this White House has proved beyond any doubt, it's that it never, ever, ever learns from its mistakes or even admits them.

So.....New Defense Secretary Gates, from even more recently than that, according to the AP report in the Houston Chronicle:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday an effort in Congress to pass a resolution opposing President Bush's troop buildup undercuts U.S. commanders in Iraq and "emboldens the enemy."

It's so easy to play this stupid game that even Chuck Colsen, Watergate felon cum super-Christian prison evangelizer can (and does) play it.

From Austin Cline on About.com:

Chuck Colson: Church/State Separation Aids the Terrorists

Is it possible that the separation of church and state is being used to aid terrorists, America's enemies? That's the charge being made by Chuck Colson. In effect, he is arguing that because his InnerChange prison program is being denied funds to promote Christianity in prisons, radical Islam will grow unchecked and this will lead terrorist attacks from home-grown radicals.

That's right, he wants the government to encourage Christianity in prisons as a bulwark against radical Islam...

I think we should play this game with corporate frauds, tax cheats, and their oily ilk.  We're sorry to have to sentence you to life in prison and take away all your toys, including that 125,000 square foot mansion, but we have to; anything else would make the enemy stronger.

Better yet, lets play it with Bush, Cheney, and the other war service dodgers.  We're sorry, but we have to make a real prison sentence example out of you.  After all, letting America's elite dodge active military service in times of war just emboldens our enemies by telling them that the country can't count on sufficient national unity or military strength to defeat them.