Imagine my surprise then when I first read that the Texas Democratic Party might be running Rick Sanchez for the US Senate. Maybe there's some mistake, I thought. Maybe its actually former CNN anchor and leftist loon Rick Sanchez whom they are running. But no, evidently they really are going to support the candidacy of former Iraq commander Ricardo Sanchez, whom Democrats once upon a time raked over the coals for his conduct during the Abu Ghraib controversy. Red State ponders the irony-
A 2004 panel that investigated prisoner abuse found Sanchez, once the nation’s highest-ranking Hispanic officer, was derelict in overseeing Iraqi detention. According to a classified report by three Army generals, Sanchez approved the use of harsh military interrogation techniques that were once limited to prisoners held at facilities in Cuba and Afghanistan.
The irony that Democrats who once raked the lieutenant general over the coals now view Sanchez as their savior will no doubt be a hallmark of the campaign.
Senator Patty Murray, who steers the Democrats’ Senate campaign arm and vaguely teased reporters earlier this week of a top Texas recruit, said in 2004 that all those responsible for Abu Ghraib — no matter where they fell in the chain of command — must be held to account for their actions.
“These actions are a disservice to the thousands of American soldiers in the region who serve us honorably each and every day, and, sadly, are likely to make their efforts to calm a troubled region even harder,” Murray said of the controversy.
Red State goes on to suggest that it would not be easy for Sanchez to gain real traction, but I'm not so sure. They forget the heavy Hispanic turnout which is likely to go ten percent or more higher for someone of the status of Sanchez than they normally do even for a more traditional candidate from the Democratic Party, which typically out-polls Republicans among Latinos by a two-to-one margin as it is.
And that's not counting the very real possibility of illicit voting by illegal immigrants, something that has been a grave concern over the last decade.
Democrats are also probably intent on trying to position themselves yet again as, laughably, patriotic Americans by running Sanchez, a man they once excoriated and wanted to prosecute. After all, they used to say that the whole mess was his responsibility as commanding officer, and as such he, and everyone else up the chain of command should suffer the same fate as the lower soldiers involved in the scandal, who like England were prosecuted, imprisoned, and suffered the ignominy of a Dishonorable Discharge.
Well, since Ricardo Sanchez has now gained their approval and earned their respect to such an extent, what about those lower rung soldiers? What about Lynndie England? Can we soon look forward to the day when Lynndie will be forgiven her sins, baptized into the leftist progressive movement, and atone through a life of public service? Why the hell not? After all, Democrats always said she was no worse than Sanchez. You could make the argument in fact that he, as commanding officer, was worse, whether he was personally complicit, or incompetent and derelict in his ignorance of the matter.
So since he is going to be running as the Democratic candidate for the US Senate from the great state of Texas, why not Lynndie England as a Democratic Party candidate for office from her home state of West Virginia? If not Senator, then maybe the House of Representatives, or maybe even Governor. I think I've got her campaign poster all picked out for her.
LYNNDIE ENGLAND FOR US SENATE
WE GOT THE BEAT!
