Netrooter Berates Elizabeth Edwards for Criticizing MoveOn Ad

MoveOn's "General Betray Us" advertisement in Monday's New York Times could end up being the gift that keeps on giving.

Though most of the Democrat presidential candidates have distanced themselves from this disgrace, John Edwards' wife Elizabeth made some remarks in Iowa Friday that have drawn the ire of leading netroots member Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake (h/t Protein Wisdom).

For those that have forgotten, Hamsher rose in infamy to national prominence last August when she posted a picture of Sen. Joe Lieberman in blackface.

This time, Hamsher was irked by the following remarks made by Edwards as reported by the Des Moines Register (emphasis added):

"Someone who's spent their life in the military doesn't deserve ‘General Betray Us,'" said Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.

Elizabeth Edwards spoke in an interview after a Des Moines campaign appearance. She noted that her father was a career naval officer, and she grew up on Navy bases, so she said she respects military service.

[...]

Elizabeth Edwards said the group could have made its point by simply using Petraeus' own previous words about purported good news in Iraq without insulting him personally.

She said she generally supports grass-roots organizations like MoveOn.org for giving average people a voice. "But I'm probably not going to agree with everything that any one group says."

Sounds reasonable, wouldn't you agree? Well, Hamsher didn't think so, and actually posted a letter to Edwards Saturday:

Dear Mrs. Edwards,

You're a smart woman.

[...]

So I was really disappointed today to read at Taylor Marsh's place that you had joined with Diaper Dave Vitter and John "McCarthy" McCain to attack MoveOn. We (and by that I mean the netroots) defend you when the MSM try to make your campaign a pinata over stupid, insignificant stuff. When they try to say your race should end because of your illness, but don't say squat about Fred Thompson's lymphoma. We're your first line of defense, the only messaging machine that progressives have.

So here's the rule. You never repeat right wing talking points to attack your own, ever. You never enter that echo chamber as a participant. Ever. You never give them a hammer to beat the left with. Just. Don't. Do. It.

Can you imagine the gall? This is what the Democrat Party has wrought by bowing at the altar of these far-left bloggers.

Alas, this one wasn't finished:

Understand that they [MoveOn] have contributed a lot to the anti-war movement and that from a practical standpoint, the Edwards campaign needs the solid support of the base to get where he needs to go and everybody's feeling a bit played this week because nobody other than MoveOn seems to want to take on the carefully orchestrated dog-and-pony show that just bought us a few more Friedman Units of war. And we're not very happy when the people we defend turn around and start kicking them for it.

We love you. We want to love you.

Knock it off.

Incredible. See what happens when you give people power that not only don't deserve it, but have absolutely no idea what to do once they've obtained it?

Fortunately, as a result of the Internet, we on the right can pull up a chair with a bowlful of popcorn and enjoy the show.

Someone pass the beer nuts.