Aug 28 2007
Typical Liberal dodge- HuffPo columnist makes outrageous statements, then claims “it’s just satire”
Typical indeed. Martin Lewis made some fairly idiotic comments in a post entitled “General Pace, You Can Save the US - by Arresting Bush for “Conduct Unbecoming”.
General Pace - you have the power to fulfill your responsibility to protect the troops under your command. Indeed you have an obligation to do so.
You can relieve the President of his command.
Not of his Presidency. But of his military role as Commander-In-Chief.
Actually no he cannot. The Commander in Chief is a peculiar position in the military. He commands it, but he is not Military and he is not subject to the authority of the UCMJ.
Read Article 2. No where is the Civilian leadership mentioned. The constitution has the only legal remedy to a renegade president, Impeachment.
But Martin is ignorant, and continues his impassioned appeal for insurrection by carefully not calling it insurrection:
To be crystal clear - I am NOT advocating or inciting you to undertake any illegal act, insurrection, mutiny, putsch or military coup. You are an honorable patriotic man.
I am NOT advocating or inciting you to interfere with any of the civilian duties of the President. That would not be a legal action by you.
Sorry, since the Constitution invests Bush with military command as the CIC, any attempt by the Military is essentially tantamount to a coup.
And the resulting backlash against Martin was pretty clear, so clear he answered it:
“Let’s Twist Again”: Right-wing Bloggers Smear HuffPost
A much wiser person than I once asked rhetorically “How do you explain bad taste to people who haven’t got ANY taste?”
I have been reminded of that question as I watch with bemusement the right-wing blogosphere getting its knickers in a twist over my column that presented a tongue-in-cheek open letter to General Peter Pace suggesting that he arrest George W. Bush for “Conduct Unbecoming”. It was of course just ‘a modest proposal’…
And what follows is a lesson in satire, with him proudly central as a victim of a smear campaign by right wingers who misunderstood his noble intent. His proposal, despite all the citations of Military law and logical arguments, it was just a tongue in cheek satire.
Of course, the Al Franken/Randi Rhodes Defense. Say anything, no matter how outrageous, and then when the outrage comes, act surprised and hurt, and claim you are a victim of humorless conservatives.
The problem is that Martin believed his post enough that he defended it in the comments. These are all straight from his post:
As my post says - I am absolutely not advocating a de facto military coup. I am simply advising General Pace that he should relieve President Bush of his command of the military - pending a court martial.
It is an interesting question as to who would then become Commander-In-Chief. I’m not sure that it would be the Vice President. But if it was - the same course of action could be taken if the Vice President acted with “Conduct Unbecoming”
Note his ’satire’ went as far as to speculate on the successor, including an attempt to usurp the normal succession of the presidency.
I utterly reject the use of any force or illegal action of any kind and specifically reject and condemn any calls for it. I do call on General Pace to speak his conscience and to do his ethical, moral duty to his forces and to his nation. Sometimes the right words from a man of courage have a moral impact that resonates.
Ah, the satirical call to his morality.
I ask General Pace to do two things. One is to relieve the President of his command as Commander-In-Chief. The other is to place the President under military arrest. It is arguable as to the conflict between the Constitution and the Uniform Code Of Military Justice. One of the important legal ramifications of My Lai was the obligation to relieve a senior officer of his/her command in exceptional circumstances. If General Pace was performing a military imperative in a peaceful, non-threatening manner and simply informed Mr. Bush that he was being relieved of his military command, there would be no justification for the Secret Service to act as you suggest. Whatever the ultimate consequence, the impact of such a courageous and noble act on behalf of his nation, would be significant
And the defense of his dupe, General Pace, with the implication of nobility. Not mutiny, a noble sacrifice.
Missing from the comments was the simple statement “Get over it, I was kidding.” Maybe he was using satire. But he seems to miss the point of satire:
1. the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
2. a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule.
3. a literary genre comprising such compositions.
Sorry, if so it’s weak.
Martin is a coward. Rather then cowboy up and stand up to his ideas, regardless of their absurdity, he takes the wimpy way out and takes shelter in the label of satire.
Hey Martin? Show some guts and stand by your column. Don’t wimp out and hide behind the Satire card. Your post clearly was not satire, as you responded in full seriousness to the comments.
Free speech is yours. I defend that. But you have to take the responsibility and not the coward’s way out. Grow a pair, and mean what you say.
Or did you suddenly figure out that Sedition and Inciting to Insurrection is illegal?
Finally, until you actually understand the UCMJ, stay out of it. Stick to groundless demands for impeachment.
You made an ass of yourself.
Trackposted to Hot Air, Captain Ed, Sister Toldjah, Outside the Beltway, Right Pundits, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Perri Nelson’s Website, The Virtuous Republic, Committees of Correspondence, Rosemary’s Thoughts, The Random Yak, Big Dog’s Weblog, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, Allie Is Wired, third world county, Right Celebrity, Faultline USA, Wake Up America, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, Pirate’s Cove, Blue Star Chronicles, The Pink Flamingo, High Desert Wanderer, HA, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
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