Rage Machine says -- frag 'em boys

By Libby
Updated below

I was aware the Raging 101st Primary Smear Unit was conducting a little blogsurge against TNR, but I didn't really get interested in their latest tiny tempest until I read Andrew Sullivan, and then saw that loyal White House apologist, the WaPo's own Howard Kurtz, has piled on. How awfully pathetic to see our dauntless armchair warriors feel so beleaguered that they're compelled to go into full commando mode to attack even this most inconsequential challenge to their rapidly crumbling alternate reality.

I read the piece that had them so outraged. Digby in what may have been her most eloquent post ever, addresses their the roots of their over-reaction perfectly and really must be read in full. Meanwhile, I'm going to beg my partners indulgence and quote myself on their hypocrisy instead.

The stories Private Beauchamp had to tell were ugly, but hardly the worst accounts of war atrocities ever aired in the history of mankind. War is ugly and good men sometimes do bad things when put under extreme duress. Wow. Who would have thought that could happen?

Typical of the rager's response is Uncle Dimbo Jimbo who ominously warns the soldier to watch his back and promises John Cole a good beatdown for daring to defend the man's reporting. I guess that beats the hell out of consciously processing the real war news of the day. That being Pat Tillman was murdered by his fellow troops.

Yeah, the same Pat Tillman who was hailed as an exemplary American by these very wingnuts when his death was spun by the Pentagon as a heroic charge against the enemy. Now that evidence clearly proves Tillman was fragged, what do we hear from the outraged right? Sound of crickets.

Only one armchair warrior weighed in and he basically says, yeah he was fragged and the leftist commie deserved it and his brother should be next. In the good old days we would have beat his ass out of commission before he a commission to serve.

These are your self-styled true patriots folks. These paragons of keyboard courage are fighting for your freedoms, as long as you don't use them to contradict their carefully constructed fantasies.

Last word on this goes to John Cole whom I understand is to suffer a "savaging" tomorrow.

The funniest (and again, saddest) thing about the Beauchamp nonsense is that despite the hysterical cries that he is HURTING THE TROOPS AND LIVES ARE AT STAKE, no one really had read the TNR piece before the outrage pimps started linking it massively.

At this point it isn’t so much that these outrage pimps are stupid, it is that they are stupid and predictable.

Hope that savaging doesn't hurt too much John.

Update: Cernig reminds me to send you to John Cole's comment sections. Cernig is right, the man is on fire and some of his best snark is there. Like this:

For my sake, I am hoping this is investigated and we learn that the couple has ties to Dan Rather, Jamil Hussein, and Scott Beauchamp, supported the MURDER of Terri Schaivo and occasionally has recreational abortions, and we can finally achieve the dizzying heights of Wingnut Nirvana.

Then we can declare victory in Iraq, bomb Iran, and Michelle Malkin can break out the cheerleader outfit (WARNING- GRAPHIC STUPIDITY).

A man can hope.

In fact, both John and TimF are hot this week. Why don't you just start at the top and keep scrolling. There's a whole weekend's worth of reading pleasure there.