Conservative Values, part 117

So, lately, I've been posted a bunch of pieces about how bitter, venal, vicious commentary by Republicans against President Obama and women has seemingly given "aid and comfort" to conservatives in general to be as nasty and cruel as they like, believing it to be the tenor of the times and acceptable behavior.

O joy, we get to add another one to the list.

Stephen Steinlight is a senior policy analyst at the Center for Immigration Studies.  In a speech to the Highlands Tea Party in Florida -- okay, you just know this is not going to end well -- the scholar, or what passes for a scholar among conservatives these days said -- 

"We all know, if there ever was a president that deserved to be impeached, it’s this guy. Alright? And I wouldn’t stop. I would think being hung, drawn and quartered is probably too good for him."

Mr. Steinlight also said more -- though oddly, the one thing he apparently didn't say anything about is what exactly President Obama has done that is, in fact, a "high crime and misdemeanor" deserving of impeachment -- but the rest of his words, spiteful as they are for a senior policy analyst, pale in comparison to suggesting that the President of the United States should be "hung, drawn and quartered."

(Yes, this actually was from a conservative think tank.  Which puts into perspective their concept of the word, "think.")

In reaction, the director of research at Mr. Steinlight think tank, Steven Camarota, responded to an inquiry by the Huffington Post, saying, -- "Steve was speaking figuratively and hyperbolically, obviously, for effect. In that respect his intemperate comments were similar to those who are often critics of President Bush, and I would say like those comments, they are ill-advised, I would also say that the Center for Immigration Studies does not in fact support drawing and quartering the president."

And what I would like to say is that I'd love to hear from the CIS spokesman for him to name one policy analyst who had ever suggested that President Bush be hung, drawn and quartered, or killed in any way -- hyperbolically, figuratively or otherwise.  I am going to guess that he would be hard-pressed to find a single one.  And I will guess further that if by chance he did actually find one, or even several, I would add that I'll bet they weren't sloughed-off by their employers with an "Oh, they were just joking" hand wave -- nor should have been -- and "Fox News" likely spent days being outraged at how All Liberals Felt.

The executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, Mark Krikorian, did acknowledge that the senior policy adviser had been dealt with, so at least there was a consequence.  "I reprimanded him and put a reprimand in his personnel file,"

Ouch, that'll show him.

And if one ever wonders -- still -- why conservatives believe that they can say the most heinous thinks about a black President of the United States, or women, or pretty much anyone or minority group they dislike without thinking it's bad behavior and with the knowledge that their actions are accepted by the party...there yet another example why.

As I always note -- this is not about political correctness. This is about people saying things that are mean-spirited, nasty and intended to be as hurtful as possible...and not being honest or "man enough" to at the very least acknowledge that what they said was mean-spirited, nasty and intended to be as hurtful as possible.