Dramatic return of the Anti-American Right (3)

On the Russert show this morning, RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie called criticism of President Bush “political hate speech” and claimed that Republicans had never spoken of a Democratic President in such a way.

Forgetfulness of history is all too American. It’s our national pastime. But dissent is also American. In fact, dissent is the principle on which this nation was founded, and is the core value enshrined in and protected by the Bill of Rights.

Democrats are attacking Bush on his policies and the facts. (They are not, for example, accusing him of having staffers murdered, or of dealing cocaine while Governor, or being a traitor, all accusations that conservative Republicans threw at President Clinton.) That’s legitimate dissent. Calling legitimate dissent “political hate speech” is a clear attempt to delegitimize and suppress that dissent, and suppressing legitimate dissent is Anti-American.

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