E.J. Dionne has an interesting op-ed in today's Washington Post, in which he blasts Republicans for abandoning Ronald Reagan's sunny optimism and instead, "turn[ing] definitively away from hope and wag[ing] one of the most trivial and ugly campaigns in our country's history." Why have they done that? Why have they, over and over again, "crossed line after line in sheer meanness, triviality and tastelessness?" According to Dionne:
The reason is obvious: With the public turning against President Bush's policies in Iraq, most Republicans would prefer not to defend the war. Because most voters do not see the battle in Iraq as making us more secure, fear of terrorism has not worked as effectively for the GOP as it has in the past two elections. And the current majority can't exactly brag about, say, balanced budgets or its achievements in this Congress.
Right here in Virginia, Dionne writes, "Conservatives should be embarrassed by Allen's last-minute sliming of Webb's books, since conservative critics have been among their biggest fans." For instance:
In 2002 a writer for National Review, one of the nation's leading conservative publications, said Webb's "Fields of Fire" was "still the finest novel yet written about Vietnam." Reviewing Webb's novel "Lost Soldiers," a writer for the conservative Weekly Standard warmly praised the book's moral message and called it "an affecting and taut tale."
So what's the deal, Dionne asks? "Are such views now inoperative because Republicans desperately need to hold on to Allen's Senate seat?"
Sure looks that way.
Republicans: Nastiness and Hypocrisy "R" Us.
Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign. The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.