By John W. Lillpop
The great comedy divide between the American right and left has grown ever wider as a result of recent attempts at humor from both sides.
Liberals are outraged by CBS Sports golf analyst David Feherty who used a "metaphor" to describe the contempt with which Nancy Pelosi, Shrieker of the U.S. House, and Harry Reid, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate, are held by those serving in the military.
As reported, in part, at Foxnews.com:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/10/golf-analyst-feherty-sorry-pelosi-joke-dallas-magazine/
"CBS Sports golf analyst David Feherty apologized Sunday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for a morbid joke that went bad in a Dallas magazine.
"Feherty, one of the most popular golf analysts for his sharp wit and self-deprecating humor, was among five Dallas residents who wrote for "D Magazine" on former President George W. Bush moving to Dallas.
"From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can tell you this though," Feherty wrote toward the end of his column.
"Despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry "Reid and Osama bin Laden, there's a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death."
"Feherty, a former Ryder Cup player who grew up in Northern Ireland, has gone to Iraq over Thanksgiving the past two years to visit with U.S. troops, and he created a foundation
"This passage was a metaphor meant to describe how American troops felt about our 43rd president," Feherty said in a statement. "In retrospect, it was inappropriate and unacceptable, and has clearly insulted Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid, and for that, I apologize. As for our troops, they know I will continue to do as much as I can for them both at home and abroad."
Admittedly, Feherty's metaphor might have been a smidgen over the top.
However, remember that Pelosi did her level best to strand the U.S. military in the Iraqi desert without the funds needed to fight an ongoing war, and dim wit Harry Reid declared the same war "lost" in a failed attempt at unilateral surrender.
Considering the characters involved, just how "over the top" was Feherty's metaphor?
While liberals are simmering with rage over a golf analyst's metaphor, the right side of the universe is aghast at the words of Wanda Sykes, a second rate comedienne, who lowered the bar of civility at the White House Correspondents' Dinner with intemperate remarks about America's greatest radio personality, the honorable Rush Limbaugh.
The right is even more outraged over the fact that President Obama appeared to endorse the death wish for America's great white hope by laughing and smiling at Syke's hate speech masked as a comedy act.
As reported, in part, by U.S. editor Toby Harnden in telegraph.co.uk:
Link:
"What was Wanda Sykes thinking? Perhaps more to the point, what was President Barack Obama thinking when he laughed and smiled as the comedienne wished Rush Limbaugh dead?
"Although the Left is reporting her White House Correspondents' Dinner speech as "taking shots" at Limbaugh and mocking everyone, that's a gross misrepresentation of what turned into a hateful and disgusting diatribe.
"I was at the dinner and I began by laughing at Syke's gentle teases about the press loving Obama so much they never capture him on film smoking but often seem to get him on the beach.
"It was amusing when she quipped that Obama trying so hard to be all things to all men that the next thing is he'll be seen mowing the White House lawn.
"But the speech took a very ugly turn when she laid into Limbaugh.
"This is what she said: "Rush Limbaugh said he hopes this administration fails, so you're saying, 'I hope America fails', you're, like, 'I dont care about people losing their homes, their jobs, our soldiers in Iraq'. He just wants the country to fail. To me, that's treason.
"He's not saying anything differently than what Osama bin Laden is saying. You know, you might want to look into this, sir, because I think Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker. But he was just so strung out on OxyContin he missed his flight."
"She then concluded: "Rush Limbaugh, I hope the country fails, I hope his kidneys fail, how about that? He needs a good waterboarding, that's what he needs.
"Obama seemed to think this bit was pretty hilarious, grinning and chuckling and turning to share the "joke" with the person sitting on his right.
"There's not much room for differing interpretations of what Sykes said. She called Limbaugh a terrorist and a traitor, suggested that he be tortured and wished him dead.
"What was his crime? Hoping that Obama's policies - which he views as socialist - will fail.
"That's way, way beyond reasoned debate or comedy and Obama's reaction to it was astonishing."
Well said, Toby Harnden!
Based on her performance, Wanda Sykes would do well to avoid being caught in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Osama bin Laden.
After all, Rush is regarded as a hero to soldiers serving in harm's way; hoping for his death might not set too well!
