We are now watching the horrible sight of Trump lackeys who’ve truly lost all shame. I keep thinking about that famous quote from attorney Joseph Welch during the McCarthy Hearings concerning the U.S. Army and whether it had been infiltrated by Communists. Welch said to Senator Joseph McCarthy, “You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”
This is exactly how I felt when I watched Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson hurl pathetic, outrageous insults at Senator Tammy Duckworth last week. Duckworth, a decorated veteran who lost both her legs when her helicopter was shot down in Iraq, was accused by Carlson of “hating America.” Why? Because she simply said a national dialogue would be appropriate for discussing whether or not to take down statues of slave-owning Founding Fathers. He called her a fraud, a callous hack, a moron, deeply silly, unimpressive, and likened her to a child. But the most eyebrow-raising insult was when he called her “a coward.” That’s rich, Tuck. You, who never served in the military, is calling Duckworth a coward?
Duckworth’s response was pure gold: “These titanium legs don’t buckle.” She also pointed out the sort of people that seem to be making these vicious attacks. They’re made by “self-serving, insecure men who can’t tell the difference between true patriotism and hateful nationalism.” She continued, “[They] will never diminish my love for this country–or my willingness to sacrifice for it so they don’t have to.” Tucker Carlson is the perfect unapologetic mouthpiece for an administration headed by the consummate chickenhawk.
