ROVE'S LATEST SMEAR STRATEGY: GOP TARGETS MOVEON AS WEDGE ISSUE TO BAIT DEMS

In a hydra-headed propaganda attack, reminiscent of Joe McCarthy's wild charges in the 1950s that the Democrats were responsible for "twenty years of treason," Karl Rove and the Republican Party are engaged in a widespread smear campaign against MoveOn as "unpatriotic," hoping to hang the successful e-fundraising operation around the necks of Democratic candidates all across the country like a terror-tinged albatross.

In today's edition of the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, an article, "GOP Sees MoveOn as Wedge" (available online by subscription only), lays out the Rove-inspired propaganda blitz:

"From top White House operative Karl Rove (LEFT) to two of the party campaign committees, Republicans have launched a full-scale attack on MoveOn.org, questioning the liberal group's patriotism and worldview. These attacks appear to have two purposes: One is to put the group and its Democratic allies on the defensive over support for the war on terror. And the second is to drive a wedge between Democratic candidates and the millions of dollars that MoveOn's supporters have pumped into their campaigns. With MoveOn fast becoming one of the Democratic Party's most important fundraising sources, the second goal may end up being the more important one."

Take the case of GOP Senator Rick Santorum (LEFT), darling of the Christer right. The almost-certain Democratic nominee against Santorum next year is Bob Casey Jr., (RIGHT) the Pennsylvania State Treasurer, son of a former Democratic governor, and a noted social conservative who opposes abortion. Despite   Casey's conservative views, MoveOn sent out a major e-mailing soliciting funds for Casey's campaign as a way of defeating Santorum -- and with great success, raising over $150,000 for Casey in the first 24 hours after the fundraising appeal.

"But," reports Roll Call,  "the National Republican Senatorial Committee immediately went on the offensive with a release titled, 'Casey Moves In With MoveOn,' alleging that the group's e-mail on behalf of Casey shows how closely he is aligned with the 'ultra-liberal left.' John Brabender, Santorum's media consultant, predicted that if Casey continues to accept MoveOn money, he will have to answer for the group's controversial policies, which include opposing military intervention in Afghanistan. 'You can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep,' Brabender said. A group like MoveOn 'will have a lot of trouble in Pennsylvania, particularly in the middle part of the state. The group will be hung around Bobby Casey's neck.'  The rhetoric from Brabender and the NRSC is aimed at forcing Casey into a no-win choice: He could pass up a generous source of campaign cash, or he could accept MoveOn's ample resources, yet face an assault over the group's issue stances."

MoveOn underscored its financial power when, in just 48 hours, it raised some $800,000 for West Virgina Sen. Robert Byrd, (LEFT) a leading Democratic critic of the Iraq war. This prompted a raising of the rhetorical level by Rove & Company. As Roll Call notes, "The campaign against MoveOn moved to a new level with Rove's June 22 speech in midtown Manhattan, not far from the site of the World Trade Center attacks. Rove accused MoveOn and other liberals of wanting to 'offer therapy and understanding for our attackers.' Democrats pounced on the remarks and demanded an apology from Rove, noting that Durbin just the previous day had apologized for likening treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay to those in Nazi Germany or in Soviet gulags. But rather than issuing an emotional apology - as Durbin did - the White House and Republicans went into full attack mode on MoveOn and other liberals,  including Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. The Republican National Committee issued reams and reams of documentation on the positions of MoveOn and Dean regarding the war in Afghanistan. The White House refused to offer even a hint of an apology. And the NRSC sent out a fundraising e-mail lambasting MoveOn, beginning with: 'Karl Rove was right.' And a few days later, when MoveOn's pitch went out on Casey's behalf, the NRSC again pounced on the group and attacked the centrist-leaning candidate for allying himself with a liberal group - a line of attack that the committee has used mercilessly against Byrd ever since the late March fundraising pitch on his behalf."

Just as the American people are turning against Bush's war on Iraq, with a majority favoring withdrawal, the Rove Republicans are going to use scare tactics and the Big Lie technique so often brandished in past GOP campaigns to use guilt-by-association with MoveOn to try to brand Democrats as "soft on terror" -- even when, as in the cases of conservative Democrat Casey Jr. and the octogenarian Senator Byrd, the charges are ludicrous. Make no mistake -- the Big Lie can work. Just ask Max Cleland (RIGHT), the quadriplegic Vietnam War veteran, who lost his Senate seat in 2002 after a similar smear campaign. His GOP opponent ran an ad which It opened with pictures of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, then attacked Cleland for voting against President Bush's Homeland Security bill. It didn't mention that Cleland supported a Democratic bill that wasn't radically different. Cleland lost -- even though he had voted in favor of Bush's invasion of Iraq.

The gullibility of the American electorate is notorious when it comes to phony appeals to patriotism -- and the London bombings will only heighten the national mood of security hysteria. In fact, the horrific London attacks (LEFT) on the underground and the double-decker bus, resulting in 50 dead, were a gift from the terrorists to Bush and Blair, both discredited for their lies that took us into a war that did not need to be waged -- the Anglo-American duo will be strengthened now by those bombings, which is what the terrorists want. It's much easier for them to recruit when the world's only hyperpower and its Britannic helpmate are led by two mendacious figures with blood on their hands like Tony and Dubya.

So, with the attacks on Move-On and its use against Democrats like Casey and Byrd, the shape of next year's Congressional by-election is now clear. And remember, as the poet said, when the flag is unfurled, all reason is in the trumpet.