Girly Men

Senator Huggy McClingman, sometimes also known as John McCain, appeared on Meet the Press in a new capacity today—as an expert on emotionalism. And who are we to argue with someone who clearly isn’t afraid to show his emotions, even toward a man whose 2000 campaign branded his wife a junky and started a whisper campaign that his adopted Bangladeshi daughter was his illegitimate black child? I mean, that’s someone whose experience tells us love conquers all. Or, failing love, an unfettered desire for power.

Anyhoo, McCain’s expertise on said topic was in full flourish this morning, as he opined on the motives of his colleague, Rep. Murtha.

MCCAIN: I think he has become too emotional and understandably so. He goes to funerals. He goes, as many of us do, out to Walter Reed, and he sees the price of war. And I think that that has had some effect on him…

I see McCain’s point. It’s probably better to avoid funerals of fallen soldiers altogether so as not to compromise one’s bull-headed determinism to “stay the course” with a little thing like emotion. Or reality.

A cursory glance at Murtha’s explanation for his resolution makes evident that his decision was, in fact, informed by fact and reason. Emotion may well have played a part, as would be expected, since he’s a human being and all. That said, isn’t it interesting to watch a GOP party hack suggest that even if the genesis of his resolution had been sheer visceral emotion, it would be a terrible thing? This is, after all, the party whose current president prides himself on his gut-based decision-making, which is just a “manly” euphemism for a reliance on emotional responses.

Real men have instinct. Liberals have emotion. Girly men.

When all else has failed, conservatives inevitably conjure more of their pathetic sexist innuendo. Left without a reasonable counter, McCain casts Murtha as hysterical, too emotional, incapable of reason. It’s the same rusty pot of antiquated sludge from which they pull their criticisms of women, and because their port of last call when they’ve been outmatched is to conflate liberal men with—ick!—girls, Murtha gets the same treatment.

Tune in next week when Ken Mehlman accuses Harry Reid of having cooties.

(Crossposted at Ezra's place.)