Right On The Right

Set the stage in your mind. A panel is answering questions about progressives and the military, and a man in uniform stands up to argue that the surge is working. He's shouted down by the moderator. From The American Prospect:

As the Military and Progressives panel came to an end, a young man in uniform stood up to argue that the surge was working, and cutting down on Iraqi casualties. The moderator largely freaked out. When other members of the panel tried to answer his question, he demanded they “stand down.” He demanded the questioner give his name, the name of his commander, and the name of his unit. And then he closed the panel, no answer offered or allowed, and stalked off the stage.

Wes Clark took the mic and tried to explain what had just occurred: The argument appears to be that you’re not allowed to participate in politics while wearing a uniform, or at least that you shouldn’t, and that the questioner was engaging in a sort of moral blackmail, not to mention a violation of the rules, by doing so. Knowing fairly little about the army, I can’t speak to any of that. But it was an uncomfortable few moments, and seemed fairly contrary to the spirit of the panel to roar down the member of the military who tried to speak with a contrary voice.

—Ezra Klein

The left crushing dissent? Unheard of! The left parades around soldiers that disagree with the war, but soldiers that agree are silenced. Little Green Footballs has analysis on whether or not he was breaking military code by speaking up at a political meeting. Short answer, no.

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