Richard Cohen tells it like it ain't

This is a remarkable series of paragraphs from the dainty scribe, Richard Cohen:

Back when I was in the National Guard and fearing a call-up for the war in Vietnam, I went to England on vacation. So it may be only natural, I suppose, that the thing I most starkly recall from that trip was England's majestic cathedrals -- not for the Gothic wonder of them all, but for the tombs of fallen soldiers. They died -- always valiantly -- often in conflicts of little account and no memory. The word "wasted" came to mind.

That word has made something of a comeback. It was used by both Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama -- and the context was the present war in Iraq. McCain used the "W" word when he announced on the David Letterman show that he would run for president. "Americans are very frustrated, and they have every right to be," he said. "We've wasted a lot of our most precious treasure, which is American lives." Precisely so.

The Democratic National Committee, ever poised for the cheap shot, accused McCain of "insulting our brave troops" and demanded an apology. Others joined in, and McCain obliged, saying he should have used the word "sacrificed." Among the sacrifices being made, of course, is McCain's integrity.

Earlier, Obama had also been caught uttering the truth. Soon after he announced for the presidency, the senator concluded a criticism of the war with the "W" word -- "over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted." Obama quickly apologized, confessing to a "slip of the tongue." He then reformulated his statement using the word "sacrifices." For some reason, the Democratic National Committee held its tongue.

Right. As usual, when Obama made his "slip of the tongue," the RNC, ever the paragon of reasoned political discourse, "held it's tongue."

Obama Dismissed The Sacrifice Of America's Military, Saying The Lives Of Those Who Had Died In Iraq Had Been "Wasted." Obama: "We ended up launching a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged -- and to which we now have spent $400 billion and have seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted." (Anne E. Kornblut and Dan Balz, "Obama Questions Rivals On Iraq," The Washington Post, 2/12/07)

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And this in an opinion piece in which Cohen agrees with the use of the word by both senators. Nevertheless, it is the DNC that is "ever poised for a cheap shot" against poor, defenseless John McCain, while the RNC's response to Obama's remarks go unmentioned.

Richard Cohen, thy name is "Wanker."

Anyhoo, read Glenn Greenwald on why this stuff, which shouldn't be so hard, is important.