A Hack Bested By Hack With Silly Name

While some conservative bloggers are now using the term harrowing in place of torture, when I saw this clip last week of conservative radio-pundit "Mancow", I realized that Sean Hannity had been bested.



Even though Olbermann kept his promise of a donation should Hannity back up his nonsensical blathering, the thing that keeps resonating in my head are the voices of fringe conservatives that talk about the information that has been gleened from water-boarding.

Conservatives aren't going to be able to take away any sort of lesson in ethics from a grown man that calls himself "Mancow", not unless they are able to reframe the debate around water-boarding. No longer are they concerned with the very real fact that it is torture, that we have prosecuted people for using the technique, or are willing to ask the very real questions surrounding a single person being waterboarded nearly 200 times. Because there is a very clear line between attempting to gather information and blatant, sadistic, torture.

Sure, some will cite the "in the box with caterpillars" meme, but these are two completely divergent tactics.

Honestly, I'm a bit upset that it had to be "Mancow" that did this, that this whole discussion has brought him this much attention. Attention that, in my opinion, he really doesn't deserve. Because, in the end, this isn't about him at all. But, he's screwed it all up for the rest of us.

This is the equivalent of Pat Boone covering metal songs and then us discussing the merits and flaws of an older generation attempting to interpret modern music.

Why did it have to be this hack?

The only people who actually consider this clown has an ounce of credibility are those employeed by Fox"News".

What I'm attempting to say is that he's dumbed-down the debate.

That being said, I suppose I'm just as much at fault for giving this guy a platform as any. But why couldn't it have been Hannity? Perhaps the conservative movement wouldn't be able to see one of their star-players completely doing a 180 and calling water-boarding what it really is.