“The Tokyo Rose Of Al Qaeda”
You’ll never guess who:
“Republican U.S. Senate challenger Christopher Reed accused fellow Navy veteran and Democrat Sen. Tom Harkin of aiding the enemy because of his call to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq on a scheduled timetable.
In a taped debate that aired Thursday night on Iowa Public Television, Reed called Harkin the “Tokyo Rose” of al-Qaida and Middle East terrorism.
“We’re taking advice from somebody who has an eight-year history of becoming the Tokyo Rose of al Qaida and Middle East terrorism,” Reed said.
After the debate, Harkin called Reed’s comments “beyond the pale.” and says Reed has lost his bearings.
The term refers to Japanese women who broadcast anti-American messages in English to U.S. troops during World War II.
“The white flag of surrender, accusing our Marines of torture, voting to defund our troops while they are in harm’s way, those are all records of having an anti-American policy,” Reed said.
Reed specifically said Harkin was “providing aid and comfort to the enemy,” language consistent with the U.S. definition of treason. When asked by the moderator whether he was accusing Harkin of treason, Reed replied, “”No. I’m accusing him of giving our enemies the playbook.””
Tom Harkin? A traitor? That’s just unhinged.
As I said yesterday: in a sane world, this sort of slander would be not just wrong, but politically suicidal. Luckily, Iowa seems to be pretty sane: the latest polls have Harkin leading Reed by 21 points. With any luck, the rest of the country will get the message.
