Limbaugh, Carlson falsely claimed Marine referenced by Rep. Schmidt is serving in Iraq
On November 21, nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh and MSNBC host Tucker Carlson defended Rep. Jean Schmidt's (R-OH) controversial remarks regarding Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA) by falsely claiming that Col. Dan Bubp, the Marine Reservist whom Schmidt purported to quote, is currently serving in Iraq. In fact, Bubp, a Republican, is currently serving in the Ohio House of Representatives and is a colonel in the Marine Reserves. Media Matters for America has found no evidence to suggest that he has ever served in Iraq. Bubp has since denied making the comments that Schmidt attributed to him.
In an apparent response to Murtha's call to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, Schmidt delivered a November 18 floor speech in which she announced that she had "received a call from Col. Danny Bubp, Ohio representative from the 88th district in the House of Representatives." Schmidt claimed that Bubp had asked her "to send Congressman Murtha a message: that cowards cut and run, Marines never do." Murtha, a retired Marine and a Vietnam veteran, has been awarded two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star. Schmidt later retracted her comment, asserting, "[M]y remarks were not directed at any member of the House, and I did not intend to suggest they applied to any member, most especially the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania [Murtha]."
On his November 21 radio show, Limbaugh played an audio clip of Schmidt's original comments, including her statement that Bubp is the "Ohio representative from the 88th district in the House of Representatives." Limbaugh proceeded to defend Schmidt's statement, falsely claiming that a "United States Marine ... on the ground in Iraq had the guts to get a message to the Democrats in the House of Representatives." Limbaugh added: "But you notice here, folks, here's this Marine who gets his message to his congressperson read on the floor of the House: 'Cowards cut and run, Marines never do.' All hell broke loose. I wonder why."
Similarly, on the November 21 edition of MSNBC's The Situation with Tucker Carlson, Carlson responded to guest and Air America Radio host Rachel Maddow's criticism of Schmidt by falsely claiming that Schmidt "was quoting an active-duty Marine currently serving in Iraq, whose opinion ought to have some weight." After Maddow called Democrats' reaction to Schmidt's comments "appropriate," Carlson asked, "Because they have no respect for Marines in uniform serving in Iraq?"
But Bubp is not serving in Iraq. A November 22 Cincinnati Enquirer article noted that he "has served in the Marine Corps Reserve for 27 years, including three years of active duty." However, as the weblog Daily Kos pointed out, Bubp's campaign website for the 2004 election -- when he was first elected to the Ohio House -- contains a biography that details his military service and includes no reference to service in Iraq. Bubp's biography does note that, in 2003, he "[s]erved on the J-3 Staff at United States Central Command, Tampa, Florida for General Tommy Franks in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom."
As the Think Progress weblog has noted, Bubp now denies ever having asked Schmidt "to send Congressman Murtha a message." Following Limbaugh and Carlson's false claims, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Bubp said "that he never mentioned Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., by name when talking with Schmidt, and he would never call a fellow Marine a coward." According to the Enquirer, Bubp "said he called Schmidt on Friday afternoon to discuss the resolution that called for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq -- not to talk about Murtha."
From the November 21 broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show:
LIMBAUGH: I think they're all cowards. I think -- I think they get very defensive here. In fact, let me play this audio sound bite for you. This is Jean Schmidt -- she's a freshman congressperson from Ohio -- and this is from last Friday on the House floor. She's the one who defeated Paul Hackett in that recent special election in Ohio. And this is how it happened -- this is how it went down on Friday on the floor of the House.
SCHMIDT: A few minutes ago, I received a call from Colonel Danny Bubp, Ohio representative from the 88th District in the House of Representatives. He asked me to send Congress a message: Stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message: that cowards cut and run, Marines never do. Danny and the rest of America and the world want the assurance --
HOUSE SPEAKER PRO TEM MIKE SIMPSON (R-ID): Gentlemen!
SCHMIDT: -- from this body that we will --
SIMPSON: The House will --
SCHMIDT: -- see this through --
SIMPSON: The House will -- the House will --
LIMBAUGH (speaking over audio): Holy Toledo, folks!
SIMPSON: The House will be in order.
LIMBAUGH (speaking over audio): The House will be in --
SIMPSON: The House will be in order.
LIMBAUGH (speaking over audio): -- will be in order. Oh, the House was not in order.
SIMPSON: The House will be in order.
LIMBAUGH (speaking over audio): The House -- because somebody --
SIMPSON: "The House will be in order."
LIMBAUGH: -- a United States Marine on the floor -- on the ground in Iraq -- had the guts to get a message to the Democrats in the House of Representatives. "Cowards cut and run, Marines never do." And she prefaced it by saying, "I've got a message for Congressman Murtha from a --" These people on the ground over there -- these people in uniform in Iraq -- make no mistake about it, this kind of stuff offends them. They are volunteers. They have not been conscripted. They have not been sent over there against their wishes or against their will.
By the way, there was a -- I saw a headline when I was gone, something about 83,000 detainees so far in the war on terror. And I thought, well that's a good start. Let's keep it going.
I also have an AP [Associated Press] story today. In Morocco, two Al Qaeda members have been arrested. They are former residents of Club G'itmo [the U.S. detention facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba] - two former residents of Club G'itmo who were let go have been arrested as part of an Al Qaeda gang -- I think it's either in Pakistan or Morocco. I've got the story, and I'll dig it up here for you real quick. But you notice here, folks, here's this Marine who gets his message to his congressperson read on the floor of the House: "Cowards cut and run, Marines never do." All hell broke loose. I wonder why.
From the November 21 edition of MSNBC The Situation with Tucker Carlson:
MADDOW: What isn't good and what was gross about the Friday debate was what Jean Schmidt did, was saying, you know, cowards, you know, "Marines don't run" or cowards -- calling Jack Murtha a coward. That was wrong.
CARLSON: Wait a second. What you're missing is the context. And the context -- I don't know Jean Schmidt. And I could care less about Jean Schmidt. She's actually the newest member of the House. She is the lowest person on the totem pole in the House of Representatives. So she's irrelevant, politically.
MADDOW: Well --
CARLSON: But the point is she got that, she was quoting an active-duty Marine currently serving in Iraq, whose opinion ought to have some weight, by the criteria you just laid out, that we ought to pay respect to our men in uniform. And that's what this Marine said. So how can you say it's over-the-top and wrong?
MADDOW: I think that the reaction from Democrats was totally appropriate. That the House erupted when she called John Murtha a coward.
CARLSON: Because they have no respect for Marines in uniform serving in Iraq?
Ah, yes, the time honored technique of conservatives- make stuff up.
To paraphrase a great line from Treasure of the Sierra Madre:
"Facts? Who needs facts? We don't need no stinkin' facts!"
Excellent, I was very eager to see this get covered. Limbaugh seems to have painted himself into quite a corner now that Bubp is trying to cover his Bupt.
As for Carlson, what else is new? How could Rachel Maddow be so ill informed? I Googled Danny Bubp 5 minutes after the brou-ha-ha, and was in receipt of all the information laid out above. What's the problem with her and her staff? Does she even have staff? When Tucker Carlson makes you look foolish, you know you've been had.
I'd like to see the phone records to know who's really coordinating these charades. These are coming straight down from above. Hmm...I wonder who the ringleader could be?
Limbaugh: "They are volunteers. They have not been conscripted. They have not been sent over there against their wishes or against their will." ________________________________________________________________
In his comment, Limbaugh conveniently ignores the stop loss orders or "back-door drafts" which allow the military to suspend all laws and regulations and force the "volunteers" to continue serving.
Limbaugh and Carlson are bring about the usual.
1. Hackett lost by a small margin [link to www.sos.state.oh.us]
2. Even the current adminstration, known for taking cheap shots and smearing critics did otherwise-it criticized him in a different manner; it acknowledged that he had done his service and was a patriot. [link to www.nytimes.com]
3. Carlson's final two comments highlight how partisan it's become. The source may have never served in Iraq, but the larger issue is that it doesn't matter to people like Carlson and Limbaugh. The first part, according to Carlson is that it only matters if you've served and adhere to a certain ideology . Carlson's final point also shows how it's become a matter of being "pro-military,' OR ELSE.
Rush Limbaugh calling anyone a coward is laughable. Why won't he talk about his deferment? People who have never jocked up have no credibility. He and Tucker Carlson are the worst kind of chickenhawks. Guys named Tucker and Rush talking about who is a coward? Talking heads who have never had a callous on their soft white hands calling a decorated Viet Nam vet a coward? Murtha craps bigger than those two geeks. They just don't get it. Go home Rush and puff on your Cuban cigar, drink your scotch and pop your oxy. Cheerleaders is all you gutless wimps will ever be.
I am an ex-Marine who also served in Vietnam and I can assure you Carlson and Limbaugh have not earned the right to denigrade the gentleman from Pennsylvania. Unless and until they walk a mile in the shoes of a combat veteran neither will understand what motivated this hero to make the statements he made. It was and is my opinion that entering Afghanistan to eliminate Al Queda and Bin Laden, was the mission and our entry into Iraq was a complete and TOTAL MISTAKE that has cost the lives of countless numbers of people. Such a waste... So the question has become "How do we extracate our young people from this disaster?" Can it be so wrong to attempt to start a dialogue on this subject?
Can it be so wrong to attempt to start a dialogue on this subject?
Yes. Unfortunately, in George W. Bush's America the reporting of the crime is a greater offense than the crime itself.
I've come to expect no less from Pill-boy and Bowtie. But this is just ridiculous; not a shred of evidence that the guy has ever been to Iraq, in fact mountains to the contrary, and yet they speak. Anyone make odds on a retraction from either of these two punditainers?
As an ex-Marine, I hope you do indeed understand how some Americans can push for an end to this Iraq business and still have the greatest respect for our men and women in uniform, those that are doing the hardest work imaginable. Why doesn't the military complain more about Rush's unhelpful ranting? How well do you think this particular Rush show played on the armed forces radio? Rush is lying to our troops and getting away with it.
I agree with you wholeheartedly about the wrong focus of this war. Our enemy, bin Laden, is still free in Afganistan while our manpower is spending time and blood in Iraq.
The politicians in power won't listen to the people. Maybe they'll listen to the men and women of the military.
this is a bit of a side, but it really got under my skin when i first read what the screaching harpie Schmidt had to say, so i found her web site. there was this email contact address and decided to vent my disgust in very polite terms. ten minutes after sending the mail it was returned by aol as a defunct address. how lame is that?
I bet there is someone who reads the email and because it is Anti-Schmit, sends you back a phony 'return to sender' email that they have generated so you don't bother sending her anything ever again because you think the email address is bogus.
--i have heard that if its not from ohio, she doesn't receive it (maybe if you use an ohio zip code?)
try this:
Portsmouth Office 601 Chillicothe St. Portsmouth, Oh 45662-4023
740-354-1440
Limbo saying those three words reminded me that his pal W used to repeat them ad nauseum, in most of his speeches:
Somehow, W seems to have dropped the habit. I wonder why?
If any "liberal" had made a false claim like this, people like Limbaugh, Calrson, Hannity, etc. would have been apoplectic.
But it's the casual manner in which Limbaugh and Carlson (and Hannity too) make these that makes them believable to their listeners.
I read and article recently (I think it was on Salon) that said that Liberals tend to prefer facts, while Conservatives prefer punditry. I think this explains why the Right is uncomfortable with the "MSM", but likes FoxNews.
I dunno about Salon, but there was an EXCELLENT article on Daily Kos about that very thing.
[link to www.dailykos.com]
Another nail in the coffin of the "liberal media" myth. This story should be the lead on all the networks, all the cable shows, and every newspaper. What are they talking about today? The yearly Thanksgiving travel rush...as if that's news! Jesus H. Christ.
LYING WHORES.
What, No trolls defending the indefensible? Bring up non sequiturs involving Bill Clinton, Hillary, Kosovo, the Tooth Fairy, Bug Bunnys, the Face on Mars? I'm "almost" disappointed! :-)
Have a great Thansgiving everyone!
I notice the same thing, whereas the other recent Limbaugh thread has over 90 comments replete with bloviations aplenty, albeit written at or about the third grade level.
It's offensive to see lying chickenhawk conservative Republican scum like Drugbaugh, Bow-Tie Punk Carlson, and the rest of the lying chickenhawk Republipunk talkers and/or their lying chickenhawk lemmings call Rep. Murtha or anyone else who served and rejects their lies and dissembly to be cowards, traitors, or anything else.
The LIE can be emphasized since we now learned that the flag scamming lying right wing fascist hate hag Schmidt flat out LIED about the quote she concocted as coming from a Marine who didn't like Murtha's statement.
"The Dean" Bernie McCain, an independent progressive black talk radio host on XM 169/THE POWER said this comment in regards to the chickenhawk conservatives: "It's easy for you all (conservative chickenhawk liars) to favor war when other folks are bleeding."
Danny Bubp is a freshman state House member from the Ohio 88th district, a district which is within Schmidt's 2nd Cong. Dist.
His compaign website was a geocitites free site that actually says it is paid for by his campaign committee. The bio page of the site gives the following for his 30 years of military service:
Oh Bubp, how brown is thy nose? It is possible, given the last 30 years to have served in the USMC without seeing action, but I am surprised the rank of Colonel was attained without battlefield experience.
====
MARINE CORPS UNIFORM REGULATIONS
CHAPTER 11: LAWS AND DIRECTIVES
11002. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DIRECTIVES PERTAINING TO UNIFORMS
1. Implementing 10 U.S.C. 772, the President, by Executive Order 10554 of 18 August 1954, delegated to the Secretary of Defense the authority to prescribe regulations under which persons may wear the uniform. The following excerpts from DoD Directive 1334.1 of 11 August 1969 outline these regulations:
"a. Members of the Armed Forces (including retired members and members of reserve components). THE WEARING OF THE UNIFORM IS PROHIBITED UNDER ANY OF THE FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES:
(1) At any meeting or demonstration which is a function of, or sponsored by an organization, association, movement, group, or combination of persons which the Attorney Generalof the United States has designated, pursuant to E.O. 10450, as amended as totalitarian, fascist, communist, or subversive, or as having adopted a policy of advocating or approving the commission of acts of force or violence to deny others their rights under The Constitution of the United States, or as seeking to alter the form of Government of the United States by unconstitutional means.
(2) DURING OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE FURTHERANCE OF POLITICAL ACTIVITIES, PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT OR COMMERCIAL INTERESTS, WHEN AN INFERENCE OF OFFICIAL SPONSORSHIP FOR THE ACTIVITY OR INTEREST COULD BE DRAWN.
===
Yet it seem that Danny in at least two recent events violated this uniform code:
["
Later in the afternoon, the Schmidt campaign staged a "Support Our Troops" rally in Union Township's Veterans Memorial Park, where about 50 people gathered under the park's Vietnam-era medical evacuation helicopter to hear speech-making by Schmidt and some of her supporters...
The event was billed as a rally to honor veterans and local residents serving in Iraq, but much of the speech-making - particularly from State Rep. Danny Bubp, R-West Union - consisted of criticizing Hackett, an Iraq war veteran, for his differences with President Bush and the administration's policies in Iraq.
Bubp - who, like Hackett, is a Marine Corps Reserve officer - stood under the helicopter's wings in his military dress uniform, saying that the one thing military officers do not do "is criticize their commander in chief."
"I served for eight years under a president who loathed the military but we never said a word about it," Bubp said.
"]
Howard Wilkinson, "Candidates take it easy in final days", Cincinnati Enquirer, August 1, 2005
Then an Ohio Republican Newsletter:
["
September 30, 2004: You should have seen Colonel Danny Bubp in his full dress Marine uniform. The white gloves, spit shined shoes, and chest full of metals were very impressive. We were at a "Party for The President" in Batavia.
"]
The Becker Report; Volume I Issue VII October 3, 2004
=======
Then there is the claim that Danny lies about his Naval College Graduation, but I haven't dug to check it:
["
"As for the Naval War College graduate, he is not. He took a 2-week course at the college as part of his reserve duty; nothing more, nothing less. Yet he misrepresents that he is a "graduate".
Wampum Blog
"]
Happy Thanksgiving all
I've been to MacDill. It's very pretty -- right out on the bay. They have a very nice VOQ and Officer's Club and place to jog by the water. The base itself is on the bad side of Tampa, but they have excellent base security.
No wonder Bubp chose it over Iraq.
I've been to MacDill. It's very pretty -- right out on the bay. They have a very nice VOQ and Officer's Club and place to jog by the water. The base itself is on the bad side of Tampa, but they have excellent base security.
No wonder Bubp chose it over Iraq.
by Sagra
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Yes, it's quite the chic destination resort for chicken hawks this season.