Purple with Rage

Last week, when it was announced that Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, a 20-year military officer who has a Purple Heart for being wounded in the Iraq War and has served on the National Security Council and was appointed to his current position in the White House by Trump himself, would be testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, I heard numerous analysts say how finally there was a witness who Trump and the Republican Party wouldn't be able to attack such a patriot. I laughed, rolled my eyes and marveled at the truly remarkable short memory of people so otherwise bright.

Just a week before, Trump and the GOP attacked the Ambassador William Taylor, not only one of the Department of State's most respected ambassador who has served his country for 50 years, but who came out of retirement because he was asked to by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump himself!!!   

And Trump and the Republican Party found ways to attack the patriotism of Robert Mueller, a decorated war veteran who had received both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal.  Trump and the GOP had no qualms at all trying to run him through the mud.

And lest we forget, when running for president, Trump smeared a gold star family who had lost their so fighting the United States.  And Trump demeaned Sen. John McCain, who had been tortured in war and has been seen as a hero for standing by the men he commanded when he could have been sent home to recover -- and who was awarded two Purple Hearts, three Bronze Star Medals, and two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals -- and of whom Trump said, "I prefer people who aren't captured."

And this isn't new for the Republican Party.. For goodness sake, they created a whole new term for such reprehensible attacks on war heroes and patriotism, "Swiftboating," when they attacked Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry who won three Purple Hearts.

And then of course we can't forget when Trump, the man who his dad got out of the Viet Nam War by having a doctor write up a fake excuse of "bone spurs," was handed someone's Purple Heart as a gift and saying, "I'm always wanted one of these."

So, every time Trump tries to flim-flam his blind, unthinking base by saying how much he loves the military and veterans, I get the sense that he and the Republican Party tend to most love them for how they can demean their patriotism and heroism when it works his and the Party's advantage.