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Pathetic and dangerous excuses by Obama apologists

By Scott Tibbs, June 10, 2014

A recent discussion about the Bowe Bergdahl situation on HeraldTimesOnline.com brought forth some typically childish "arguments" as well as one very dangerous argument. First, let me summarize the childish argument:

Waah! Waah! Waah! Waah!

Bush did it toooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

Waah! Waah! Waah! Waah!

Seriously? This is what Leftists are reduced to arguing?

Look. I do not care what George W. Bush did or did not do. Bush has not been President for over five years now. It is time for Obama and his apologists to grow up and stop whining about Bush every time Obama faces legitimate criticism for his policies. Bush was far from a perfect President and deserves a lot of criticism, but that has absolutely nothing to do with Barack Obama's policies and whether they are good or bad.

Some Leftists have even whined about Ronald Reagan, who has been out of office for 25 years. That is really pathetic.

To use one of Obama's favorite phrases, let me be clear: Barack Obama is the President. George W. Bush is not President. Ronald Reagan is not President. John McCain is not President and never will be. Mitt Romney is not President and never will be. The decisions made by Barack Obama belong to him and him alone, not anyone else. It is long past time for Obama apologists to own his policies.

Now for the dangerous argument:

Now shut up and go away because unless you've served, you have no place to be discussing what is and isn't too high a price to pay for one of ours.

This extreme glorification of military service reminds me of the 1998 movie Starship Troopers, where the only people who are full citizens are people who have served in the military. I think some folks do not realize that Starship Troopers is supposed to be a parody, not a serious movie.

The framers of the Constitution set the military under civilian command for a reason. While those who bravely fight the nation's enemies are honored, the idea that only the military itself is qualified to comment on military policy, war policy, national defense or related matters is antithetical to the concept of civilian rule of the military and is a ruse to silence the free speech of those who oppose whatever administration is in power. And yes, Republicans have done this too.

Of course, it is also an ad hominem logical fallacy. The validity of an argument does not hinge on the characteristics of the person making the argument. An argument is either logically sound or unsound, regardless of who is making the argument. This is basic logic, and not difficult to grasp when one is thinking instead of feeling.

Whatever one thinks of the Bergdahl trade, these fallacious arguments should be rejected.