Why GOP Name-Calling Is Backfiring This Time

The spectacle of Republican politicians painting their opponents as anti-American is a familiar one, Glenn Greenwald writes for Salon, but three recent headline-making incidents show that something has changed. "The idea that any of them would apologize for insulting liberals or impugning their patriotism is simply unfathomable," he writes—and yet they did.

President Bush has apologized “a grand total of twice” in 8 years, Greenwald observes. The roots of the recent turn toward remorse are numerous, but the takeaway is simple: "The views typically attributed to Democrats and liberals to justify the 'unpatriotic' and 'radical' labels—particularly those in national security—are now views shared by the majority of Americans."
(More Election 2008 stories.)