Tuesday, December 01, 2009

THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF TONIGHT'S SPEECH, BY FAR

What did you think the most important aspect of the speech was? The unusual coupling of escalation with exit strategy? The exquisitely subtle critique of Bush administration Afghanistan policy, in contrast to Dick Cheney's recent boorishness with regard to Obama administration policy? The decision to make an economic case against unlimited war in a venue usually chosen by presidents for rah-rah speeches steeped in jingoism and bellicosity?

Nope. The most important aspect of the speech -- according to wingnuts, at least -- was this:






The first one is from the Sean Hannity discussion forum. The second one, obviously, is from Fox Nation. And I'm sure ten thousand other wingnuts will utter or type the identical talking point in the next few days. (It'll show up in the next Dick or Liz Cheney interview, don't you think?)

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UPDATE: Here's RedState's Erick Erickson reciting the line (and putting in in boldface with yellow highlighting, as if to say, ACHTUNG! SOUND BITE HERE!):



Also the Patriot Room. Oh, and from non-Wingnuttia, here's Mark Knoller of CBS, too.

Media Matters lists quite a few George W. Bush speeches in which he never used the word "victory"; he seems to cranked up his use of "victory" in 2006, quite possibly in response to the rising popularity of this meme on the right -- but he never seems to have used the word directly in reference to Iraq.

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UPDATE: And, inevitably, here comes Andrew Malcolm, the resident wingnut at the L.A. Times, to parrot the talking point.

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