Democratic operative Paul Begala, writing at TPMCafe, discusses the lessons of Vietnam and how they apply to political discourse now.  One especially salient point wonders why the right continues to conduct a smear campaign against Cindy Sheehan, while ignoring the guy who desecrated both the cross and the flag, symbols which are supposedly near and dear to them:

[What] we political consultants call the "optics" matter.  The popular memory of the anti-war movement [during the Vietnam era] calls to mind (even for those of us too young to clearly recall it) the indelible image of young Americans burning the American flag.  Cops were called "pigs."  Cherished American icons were trashed.

It seems to me the new anti-war movement has learned these lessons well.  And it is the pro-war right that is repeating the mistakes of the past.

For me, one of the most incendiary moments of the entire Bush war in Iraq occurred when a right-wing thug ran his pickup truck over hundreds of crosses bearing the names of heroic Americans killed in Iraq.  He also took out scores of American flags in the process.  Police say the perp is Larry Chad Northern, a Waco real estate agent and gun nut.  Mr. Northern is, of course, entitled to the presumption of innocence, despite the fact that the local sheriff's office says Ol' Larry was spotted at 9:30 Monday night changing a tire on his pickup truck.  Citing sheriff's office reports, the Waco Tribune-Herald, reported that, "Small white crosses were found stuck in the truck's undercarriage."

Nice, Larry.  Real Nice.

(More on Larry Northern.)

ADDENDUM:  More, from Salon's Joe Conason, on the shameful smear campaign against Cindy Sheehan.

Comments

[tizzie]

"You're killing your father, Larry!" (sorry, couldn't resist)