Fake Outrage III

We previously mentioned (here and here) the phony outrage tactic deployed by progressive types when Republicans say something they can construe as racially insensitive. The examples above occurred when Tony Snow and Mitt Romney (each) used the term "tar baby". In both cases, no racial overtones existed, but—in both cases—a host of Deep Thinkers pretended to be offended, and pointed with fake dismay at the obvious racism that use of the term "revealed."

But sometimes the folks who enjoy playing this game really have to stretch, which just makes the fakery all the more obvious. A shining example was recently highlighted on the front page of the Huffington Post. The current miscreant is Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX), who, on the House floor, attempted to quote "successful Confederate general" Nathan Bedford Forrest, on the topic of military strategy:

Git thar fustest with the mostest.
Why is this bad? Well, Because the person being quoted, one Nathan Bedford Forrest, was the founder of the Ku Klux Klan. (Although he distanced himself from the KKK shortly after the founding.)

Now, Forrest was not being approvingly quoted on his KuKluxery or racism. Nevertheless, the lefty poster at least pretended to consider it "rather scandalous." And his very first commenter was positively eager to be a poster child for Godwin's Law:

I guess the Republicans really are the same kind of people as those who perpetrated slavery and the Holocaust, except without the opportunities to do so. At least that's what it seems like.
Sure it does.

Now, note that, at least according to Wikipedia, Poe's quote of Forrest was actually a widely-spread misquote, originating in an early-twentieth-century article in the New York Times. (Apparently an accurate quote would be "to git thar fust with the most men.") Does this absolve Poe in our blogger's eyes? Oh, heck no:

What's worse than quoting the founder of the KKK on the House floor? Quoting him incorrectly.
The blogger did not add, but could have: "…according to the official rules that I just made up."

Note that the Huffington Post has seen fit to post two articles by an actual ex-Klan member, just within the past month. Any lefties out there pretending to be outraged at that?


Last Modified 2007-05-09 5:07 PM EDT