Bruce DuMont was kind enough to invite me on Beyond the Beltway last night, with Rich Miller of Capitol Fax and Dan Proft of Illinois Leader (and the Jack Ryan for U.S. Senate campaign).
The topic of the show was Iraq and the most vivid example of the absolute breakdown of trying to occupy a nation on the cheap -- the Iraqi prisoner abuse.
One woman called up and said her son was serving in the military. He and some other active duty servicemen spelled out with their bodies "Remember 9/11" to generate more feelings of payback against the Iraqis. She also said that a little nudity isn't a big deal and that the prisoners were probably getting better treatment than homeless people in America (we all sort of froze in horror at that part). But it wasn't until after the show that I thought of the right response.
Those soldiers might have well have spelled out "Remember Pearl Harbor" or "Remember the Alamo" because revenge has nothing to do with our occupation of Iraq. It's so disheartening to be reminded of how many people have merged Al-Queda and Iraq in their minds -- totally incorrectly -- and to see high-lever Bush officials intentionally mislead people into merging those two.
Anyway, the show will be on Chicago-area television this week and next (we taped two hours, since Bruce is going to Boston next Sunday for the radio show on the eve of the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts), and you can see the schedule at www.beyondthebeltway.com
(Also, if you're at all interested in Illinois politics, Dan Proft's company is putting out this fantastic book called "Inside Illinois" which is a great resource on the Illinois General Assembly. It's 60 bucks, but if you want to lobby at all, it is worth it. Even though the conservatives produce it, it's just as valuable for progressives. You can check it out here: www.insideIL.com)
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