RUSH: From the Politico today, Mike Allen. This is interesting. ‘A well-known anti-war leader has gone public with the transcript of a private conference call that shows peace activists are exasperated with the Democratic congressional leadership and at a loss for a long-term strategy. The Aug. 29 call highlights divisions in the Democratic Party that Republicans are gearing up to try to exploit as Congress debates its response to the report on Iraq this week by Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. … Republicans say the call reflects the degree to which war opponents have failed to gain the advantage that many in both parties thought would build over the summer. Rabbi Michael Lerner, the editor of Tikkun magazine…’and a long-ago, deeply involved supporter of Hillary Clinton, ‘… posted the transcript Friday on the website of the Network of Spiritual Progressives, of which he is a co-chair. The transcript shows that opponents of the war in Iraq plan to try to convince freshman Democrats from conservative districts that they might not get reelected unless the party produces something serious in the way of resistance to the war. But the call shows the war opponents are having little success because of fears about the impact on next year’s elections if the party is seen as defeatist.’
I’m telling you, what’s happening here, these freshman Democrats are being called into Pelosi’s office, and they’re being told, ‘You’re going to vote with us on these resolutions or else.’ Now, folks, they’re being bribed or they’re being blackmailed. I don’t know which it is. But clearly the anti-war activists are not getting their money’s worth out of the Democrat Party. I mentioned this in my stirring monologue in the first hour. Why don’t we get any reports on the numerous conference calls between Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi with the people at MoveOn.org and the Daily Kos and the rest of these literal lunatic fringe websites? Because that’s who’s pulling their strings. Who knows what they’re being told, but we had stories out this morning that Democrats were not going to personally call Petraeus a liar, they’ll leave it to their surrogate groups. ‘We’ve got them for that,’ said one unidentified senator. Well, apparently the surrogate groups are not happy with that. They want to hear these words come out of the mouths of Democrats, and so right on cue, Tom Lantos today called a four-star general sitting before him in a House committee hearing room, in full military dress, a liar, with no credibility, a puppet trying to discredit anything and everything that is said. Petraeus is a smart guy. I’m hoping that these Democrats with this have once again opened the door right into their nose and will be walking out of this committee hearing room this afternoon a bit bloody. If it happens, the American people will not know about it, because the Drive-By Media will not report that.
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RUSH: Here’s Alan in Arlington, Texas. Hi, Alan. Welcome to the program.
CALLER: Hello, Rush. I just want to thank you for being the anchor and mouthpiece of America. Today has been the worst day of my life. Up until today, 9/11 was the worst day in my life. And as I sit here and listen to this congressional hearing, I have shaked, rattled, and rolled, and cried and everything else. I can’t believe our country, what has happened to our Congress?
RUSH: Well, it’s not that hard to explain. The answers may be tough, they may be tough to accept, you might not want to believe them, but it’s not hard to explain what’s happened to the Democrats in Congress.
CALLER: Well, I understand, Rush. I’ve listened to you for 18 years and I think you’re the greatest man in this America, and I think you’re one of the top five individuals that have walked this earth. When I was in the third grade, I remember walking home from school the day that Kennedy was killed, and I knew then right from wrong, and I cannot believe that these Democrats, not the Democratic Party, but these Democrats, do not know right from wrong. They’re evil.
RUSH: (Whistling.) Evil?
CALLER: Evil. And I don’t know why Lieberman hasn’t flipped and become a Republican.
RUSH: It’s called being reelected in his —
CALLER: Well, I don’t care, but we helped him, and he needs to be on our side of the fence —
RUSH: He is. Hey, hey, hey, he is on our side on this.
CALLER: I know, but he needs to be 50-50.
RUSH: Well, look, that’s not a big deal. Democrats aren’t able to get anything done, and that’s why they’re doing all this. Their left-wing lunatic fringe supporters are just livid and leading them around. If there are puppets here, it’s the damn Democrats. They’re the ones who are puppets.