Matthew Yglesias calls out Glenn Reynolds for a recent post update:
Somebody just sent me a “but Bush said the war was over!” bit of snarkmail. Uh, no, he didn’t. Bush actually said that major combat was over in Iraq. The war on terror — really the war on fundamentalist Islamic terrorists, and those who back them — is nowhere near over. Bush knows that, and he’s said it repeatedly.
I actually got several variations on this theme, from antiwar types who always seem glad when people die in Iraq, so long as they’re Americans or our allies. They’re usually the same people who puff up if you “question their patriotism.”
I don’t question it. They’ve put its existence beyond question by wishing for America to lose.
Says Matthew:
Ah yes, those antiwar “types” who “seem” glad when Americans die in Iraq.
Is there a significant faction among the anti-war Left that takes joy in American casualties and other setbacks in Iraq, because they prove that the war was wrong and weaken Bush’s chances for re-election? Sadly, yes. We certainly have more than enough examples of such extremism.
If Glenn’s point is simply that the type of people who send him e-mails with gleeful “aha!” quips whenever there is a setback fall into that camp, then he’s quite likely right. If he’s suggesting that most–or even a large plurality–of opponents of the war fall into that camp, then he’s certainly wrong.
Update: Reynolds has issued an update to the update:
Aziz Poonawalla emails to ask if I meant that all antiwar people are anti-American. Uh, no, and I’ve said that plenty of times. Just the ones who dance on the graves of our soldiers, and our allies. And I get plenty of email from them, so I know they’re out there.
