Friday, August 03, 2007

The Military and the Kossacks   [Byron York]

The panel at which there was a dustup over the Iraq war is described this way in the YearlyKos program:

The Military and Progressives: Are They That Different?

This panel will examine the military, and how it embodies progressive values. We’ll also examine why conservatives gained the military vote and how progressives can get it back.

 Panelists: John Soltz, Brandon Friedman, Ilona Meagher, Jon Power

At the American Prospect, Ezra Klein described the close of the discussion this way:

As the Military and Progressives panel came to an end, a young man in uniform stood up to argue that the surge was working, and cutting down on Iraqi casualties. The moderator largely freaked out. When other members of the panel tried to answer his question, he demanded they "stand down." He demanded the questioner give his name, the name of his commander, and the name of his unit. And then he closed the panel, no answer offered or allowed, and stalked off the stage.  Wes Clark took the mic and tried to explain what had just occurred: The argument appears to be that you're not allowed to participate in politics while wearing a uniform, or at least that you shouldn't, and that the questioner was engaging in a sort of moral blackmail, not to mention a violation of the rules, by doing so. Knowing fairly little about the army, I can't speak to any of that. But it was an uncomfortable few moments, and seemed fairly contrary to the spirit of the panel to roar down the member of the military who tried to speak with a contrary voice.

Whatever happened, there probably weren't many witnesses.  Earlier, Klein filed this post:

I'm at YearlyKos, sitting in the back of the room at the "Military and Progressives Panel." This looked, at least to me, like the marquee panel of the hour, and the organizers seemed to agree: It was placed in the Grand Ballroom. But the place is empty — a couple dozen attendees at most, a sea of empty tables stretching out. Whether this is a function of reduced Democratic insecurity over the relationship between progressives and the military or a simple lack of interest in the subject is anyone's guess. But it is, to me, a surprise.

By the way, as you can tell, I'm not at YearlyKos this year.  I'm busy on a story for the next NR, and I also felt that the newness of the whole netroots thing would be a bit faded after last year's convention in Las Vegas.

08/03 05:13 PMShare