“So, 4000 rubes are dead. Cry me the Tigris. Another 30,000 have been seriously wounded. Boo fucking hoo. They got what they asked for–and cool robotic limbs too.”
Thus begins a virulent anti-American soldier screed titled “Fuck the Troops,” written by Politico Magazine reporter Ian Murphy during the Iraq War. His current offering for Politico, “How I Punked Scott Walker,” appeared yesterday as the number two profiled story in the website’s new magazine. It describes Murphy’s failed attempt to upend the Wisconsin Governor’s historic battle against public service union collective bargaining rights.
Murphy’s May 2008 column appeared as the intense combat of “the surge” was winding down. As Murphy said “…our soldiers are lauded by all as saints. Why? They volunteered to partake in this savage idiocy, and for this they deserve our utmost repsect. I think not… stop sucking off the troops. They get enough action raping female soldiers and sodomizing Iraqi detainees.”
Murphy goes on to question young Americans’ service in defense of their country:
As a society we need to discard our blind deference to military service. There’s nothing admirable about voluteering to murder people… but what kind of world would we rather live in: one where fools are admired for being fooled and murderers are extolled for murdering, or one where we have the capacity to step back and say, “I don’t care who told you to do what and why; you’re still an asshole!”
Murphy admits that he is not certain about particular basic facts surrounding the authorization for the use of combat troops in the Iraq War because “I was doing a lot of heavy narcotics back in ’03.”
Using Murphy as a columnist for their magazine seems an odd and risky choice, as Politico has a national defense “Morning Tip Sheet,” a “Politico Pro” Defense policy offering, and a print edition that is a stocked with ads from major defense contractors.
Politico did not respond to a request for comment.