A Republican recently explained to me that in debate, it is all about the gift of mockery. Discredit your opponent first, especially with soundbytes for the media, and you come out the conquerer.
I always figured that the moment you mock someone or attempt to discredit them, it was a sign that your arguement was weak or out of gas.
Today, Sen. Hastert applied this rhetorical method when questioned by a reporter about Sen. McCain's comments. As you read this, picture Hastert out in front of a group of House GOP lawmakers, who laugh at every phrase and expression Hastert gives the reporter. It's high school all over again.
Consider the report posted on CNN this afternoon:
The exchange [with Hastert] started when a reporter asked: "Can I combine a two issues, Iraq and taxes? I heard a speech from John McCain the other day..."
Hastert: "Who?"
Reporter: "John McCain."
Hastert: "Where's he from?"
Reporter: "He's a Republican from Arizona."
Hastert: "A Republican?"
Amid nervous laughter, the reporter continued with his question: "Anyway, his observation was never before when we've been at war have we been worrying about cutting taxes and his question was, 'Where's the sacrifice?' "
Hastert: "If you want to see the sacrifice, John McCain ought to visit our young men and women at Walter Reed and Bethesda. There's the sacrifice in this country. We're trying to make sure they have the ability to fight this war, that they have the wherewithal to be able to do it. And, at the same time, we have to react to keep this country strong."
Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda National Naval Medical Center are two military hospitals in the Washington area.
McCain, a prisoner of war during Vietnam, later released a written statement, taking issue with the spending habits of Republican lawmakers.
"The speaker is correct in that nothing we are called upon to do comes close to matching the heroism of our troops," McCain said. "All we are called upon to do is not spend our nation into bankruptcy while our soldiers risk their lives. I fondly remember a time when real Republicans stood for fiscal responsibility. Apparently those days are long gone for some in our party."
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