Our Founding Fathers

Watching the John Adams miniseries right now, and finding it very entertaining and inspiring. I heartily endorse it, as it's giving me a greater reverence for the founding principals of this nation and the men who expounded those principles.

That said, I'm not sure about Rush's expounding on the founding fathers to take a swipe at John Kerry.

How did we, the United States of America, get from the likes of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington -- I'll throw Jesse Helms in there -- to the likes of John Kerry, who served in Vietnam, the haughty John Kerry, how in the world do we get from Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington, Adams, Helms, Reagan, to John Kerry, to Chuck Schumer, to Dick Durbin?

Hmmmm. Jesse Helms, eh? A scene from his life might illustrate his worth.

"When Carol Moseley-Braun of Illinois became the first African-American woman to sit in the Senate, Helms followed Moseley-Braun into an elevator, announcing to Utah Senator Orrin Hatch: "Watch me make her cry. I'm going to make her cry. I'm going to sing 'Dixie' until she cries."

Then, emphasizing the lines about how "good" things were before the Civil War ended slavery, Helms sang "Dixie.""

Nice. I'm not sure that sort of behavior qualifies one to be a founding father in my book. For more quotes and a review of what the Conservative press is saying about Jesse Helms, check out this post at Obsidian Wings.