KEN BLACKWELL OP-ED: Suspending Disbelief

The conservative Republican commentator chastizes Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.): "MoveOn.org took out an ad that will go down in history as one of the most despicable and over-the-top ever. This full-page ad called General Petraeus, 'General Betray Us.' Both Rudy Giuliani and John McCain were out in front condemning the ad, with Mr. Giuliani even taking out his own ad to defend General Petraeus. Both men seized the opportunity to stand up for the decorated combat soldier now leading our troops in war. Encouragingly, the condemnation from many Democrats was almost as strong as from Republicans. On the left, General Wesley Clark said that General Petraeus would never give a report he did not truly believe. Senator John Kerry, and even San Francisco liberal Nancy Pelosi, criticized the ad. But Senator Clinton refused to condemn the ad. Instead, she said on camera to General Petraeus that his sworn testimony called for 'the willing suspension of disbelief.' That’s a theatrical term. When we go to a play or movie, we willingly suspend our disbelief. We allow ourselves to forget that it’s fiction, that it’s untrue, so we can enjoy it. So Senator Clinton told the general that the only way she could possibly believe his report was if she pretended it was movie entertainment. In essence, she called our commanding general a liar to his face."

Mr. Blackwell argues that Hillary is not like her husband: "I disagreed with many things President Clinton did, but while much of his triangulating was for political benefit, it sometimes made him appear to be fairly moderate. He was a pragmatic politician, and despite his liberal leanings, he often went with the moderate move because it was the smart move. President Clinton would have condemned this ad. But not Hillary Clinton. She could do it. She’s opened up a big enough lead over Senator Barack Obama that she could now turn on parts of the left to portray herself as moderate to Middle America. MoveOn.org is such a rabidly extremist organization that it would be politically smart for her to publicly break with them. But she will not. Senator Clinton has gone so far to the left, she is so committed to the priorities of the blame-America-first, anti-military extremist fringe, that she cannot bring herself to denounce even a vicious attack piece against a heroic soldier. Even when she could hide behind Speaker Pelosi’s comments and has full political cover, she refuses. This is the man she voted to send to Iraq just earlier this year, when everyone was singing his praise. Now she calls him a liar, and defends those who call him a traitor. I thought she would be smarter than this. Senator Clinton has done more damage to herself than she knows. She has distanced herself from what her husband would do, and from Middle America, going to the left of many prominent liberals to join forces with radicals."