The Move-On Flap: Dumb….Meet Dumber.

I really, really, REALLY don’t have time to post today as I’m neck deep in researching a story…BUT….there are moments when one’s choices are to post….or scream. (And the latter tends to alarm the dog and the neighbors.)

Today’s Senate vote created one of those moments—especially when paired with this Senate vote.

Now a lot of you conservative readers and commenters likely loathe MoveOn. Fine.

But, when lawmakers spend the time that they should be using to discuss issues surrounding the Iraq war, or the…..oh….one or two domestic policies that could use a little, you know, work, and instead use their taxpayer-funded sessions to have a grand-stander-friendly floor debate about the freaking MoveOn ad…I say we just shoot the lot of them. (Metaphorically speaking, of course.)

Listen, I thought the ad was incredibly ill considered, mainly because it distracted from the very real issues surrounding General Petraeus’ testimony, which fronted for a mind-bogglingly disastrous and dangerous war policy.

(The MoveOn ad made a play on Petraeus’ name — “Betray Us” — as he prepared to testify before Congress.)

In my book, MoveOn behaved with all the intelligence and maturity of pre-adolescents writing off-color slogans on school lockers to piss off the grown-ups. It was not effective as a political action —or or as political theater.

But it’s a political ad, people. And not even vaguely close to the worst one we’ll see this season.

I mean, do I really need to list some of the truly awful campaign ads we’ve seen in the last eight years? (In addition to the famous ones, how about these charming items by America’s Pac during the midterms that suggested that Democrats don’t like black babies.) And let me get this straight: It’s okay for Ann Coulter to say of 9/11 widows, ““I’ve never seen people enjoying their husbands’ deaths so much.” But NOT okay for MoveOn to say they feel betrayed by Petraus’ testimony?

Lawmakers are certainly free to give opinions on such things. In fact, we welcome real opinions (real being the operative word here, which sadly all but precludes most lawmaker comments).

But, instead, it was Dumb meets Dumber, as the Senate actually took time out to pass resolution condemning the MoveOn ad. (It passed 72-25)

The AP, in a rare moment of insightful political commentary, got it exactly right:

The ad became a life raft for the Republican party as the war debate kicked into high gear. With several Republicans opposed to President Bush’s war strategy, GOP members were able to put aside their differences and rally around their disapproval of the ad.

And there was also this:

Sen. Gordon Smith, one of the few Republican senators who supports legislation ordering troop withdrawals, told reporters Thursday he thought Petraeus’ testimony and the MoveOn.org ad were the two biggest factors in keeping Republicans from breaking ranks with the president: Petraeus’ testimony because it was persuasive and the MoveOn add because it went too far by attacking a popular uniformed officer.

Well, doesn’t that say swell stuff about the pathetic non-ability of said Republicans (and Democrats, for that matter) to hold on to the smallest shred of moral, ethical, and/or intellectual conviction—on anything!

A pox on all their houses.

Okay, that’s it. I’m off to go talk to some LA cops. (Maybe it’ll calm me down. And if it doesn’t…hey, the 101 freeway is a great place for screaming.)

PS: Regular commenter/blogger, Richard LoCicero has his own good take on the issue.

(Photo of Senator John Cornyn, R- Texas, by Alex Wong, Getty Images)