Arianna Huffington: Dept. of Misdirection

MoveOn had an ad attacking General Petraeus calling him General Betray us. I think it was a bit much. After all, I think Petraeus is an honorable soldier. So the right wing raises itself up in righteous indignation. The MoveOn ad allowed the right wing to do what they are so good at doing: changing the subject by attacking the critic instead of responding to the criticism. Good old Arianna Huffington turns the tables right back on them. But at least she comments on their process—if not her own—as she does it.

Does anybody really believe the problem with the war in Iraq is too much questioning of those in authority, too much bluntness, and not enough deference to those who have been in charge of the war for the last four years?

That's apparently the feeling of all the conservative talk-show hosts and GOP presidential candidates who came down with the vapors over the MoveOn ad that had the temerity to question Gen. David Petraeus. Tens of thousands of dead civilians, nearly 4,000 dead American soldiers, half a trillion dollars spent, and the squandering of America's moral authority -- none of that seems to have ruffled their feathers very much. But the ad? Now that has got them royally steamed.

Rudy Giuliani is up in arms, railing against 'character assassination on an American general who is putting his life at risk.' John McCain thinks 'MoveOn.org ought to be thrown out of this country.' Even Don Rumsfeld popped his head out of his spider hole to blast the ad.

It's the political version of the old lawyer's axiom: When the law is against you, argue the facts. When the facts are against you, argue the law. When both are against you, attack the plaintiff. And when the war is an unmitigated disaster, the facts on the ground are against you, and your only plan for the future is 'more of the same,' go crazy over a newspaper ad.

If they stopped doing this, would we?