"As one of our outstanding historical figures once said, 'When a great democracy is destroyed, it will not be because of enemies from without, but rather because of enemies from within.'"
--Joseph McCarthy, speech to Ohio County Women's Republican Club, February 9, 1950
"Our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Democrats' manic obsession to bring down our commander-in-chief."
--Zell Miller, speech to Republican National Convention, September 1, 2004
Zellotry
by Jonathan Cohn
A critic could credibly describe Senator Zell Miller's speech to the Republican Convention as angry, misleading, or both. But to dwell on either the tone or veracity of Miller's text somehow misses the point given the scene that unfolded at Madison Square Garden last night. In an address originally billed as a critique of John Kerry's national security credentials, Miller essentially branded the Democrats as traitors because they haven't fallen in line with President Bush on all matters of national security. It was one of the most vile political speeches in recent American history, every bit as offensive as Pat Buchanan's infamous call in 1992 for "religious war" and, perhaps, a little more disturbing. Buchanan's speech, after all, was an assault on decency. Last night Miller declared war on democracy.
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http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=express&s=cohn090204