Lawrence O'Donnell Reveals Left's Hatred of Troops: "I don't care if they're demoralized."

Here is the transcript of the October 1st program of The McLaughlin Group that exposes the left for what it truly represents: hatred of America, hatred of our troops, hatred of our president and a fundamental lack of patriotism that translates to weakness in the face of the new global terror threat. The left is dangerous. Lawrence O'Donnell let his guard down in a fit of anger and exposed himself for what he truly is. Please contact MSNBC at http://www.msnbc.com/modules/Newsweek/feedback/nwfeedback.asp?cp1=1

PANEL: PATRICK BUCHANAN, MSNBC ELEANOR CLIFT, NEWSWEEK TONY BLANKLEY, THE WASHINGTON TIMES LAWRENCE O'DONNELL, MSNBC

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: You think he cleared the president's point that the troops will and can follow him even though he said that this war is a colossal diversion.

MR. BLANKLEY: Well, as Eleanor said, obviously the troops will obey orders. But the larger point is that he made it inadvertently against him in the debate when he said, "How do you tell a guy to die for a mistake," and then he called this war a mistake, and then Lehrer asked him, "Well, does that mean that you'd be asking these men to fight for a mistake?" And that's the problem.

Yes, obviously our men are going to do their duty. But it's awfully difficult if your commander-in-chief says, "This is a mistake; we shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be fighting and dying there, but go charge into the battlefield.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Do you think, when the absentee ballots come in, that the majority of the ballots are going to share the view of those Wisconsin guys?

MR. BLANKLEY: Everybody believes that the military vote will be disproportionately for Bush.

MR. BUCHANAN: Yes. Look, Bush has a tremendous point here. It's one of the best points of his campaign. However, I don't think he made it effectively. What Kerry did was answer it with a little anecdote about a couple of soldiers, but the anecdotes are what people remember. So in terms of the debate, I think that Kerry wins. But in terms of the broader point --

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: He also said -- he also enlarged it to say that the troops know that this war is not being handled right. Now, you've seen videotape and I've seen videotape --

MR. BUCHANAN: There's no doubt that there are some problems now with the troops over in Iraq that did not exist as of a year ago. What the president is saying is Kerry is responsible.

MS. CLIFT: But he also handled it substantively. He also handled it substantively because he said you separate the war from the warrior and you take care of the troops. And he also acknowledged the famous Pottery Barn rule of Colin Powell's, that you may not have favored the war, but we're there, we broke it, and we have a commitment to fix it. And that's a responsible position.

MR. O'DONNELL: Look, it's not our job to lie about war to make troops feel good. And I don't care what they feel.

MR. O'DONNELL: I don't care what they feel about the truth of this war. If John Kerry thinks this war is a mistake and if the United States of America elects him president, the troops are going to have to live with that. And they know better than anyone else whether it was a mistake or not.

MR. O'DONNELL: I don't care if they're demoralized. They have to go to war and be prepared --

MR. O'DONNELL: -- to live with the debate that goes on in the United States about whether it's right or wrong.

MR. BUCHANAN: But if you're going to be commander-in-chief, you cannot be demoralizing the troops in wartime, even if you think the --

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Pat, don't you think, don't you know, that those troops talk with their parents, talk with their sweethearts, talk with their wives, talk with their children, and they are informed about the debate going on over here?

MR. BUCHANAN: Kerry's most vulnerable position is the very fact that people think that he is poor-mouthing America in a time of war.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: In point of fact, does that have any impact on the troops at all?

MS. CLIFT: They are demoralized because they are targets in a country that doesn't want them. That's why they're demoralized.

MS. CLIFT: They're not demoralized because a potential president is pointing out that this war was unnecessary.

MR. BLANKLEY: Look, none of us know what each of these hundreds of thousands of fine young men and women are thinking. But I want to make a point about the problem that Kerry had regarding American voters, which is what we have some knowledge of, theoretically.

The problem Kerry has is that it seems that the majority of Americans, by a small number, want to see us win this war in Iraq, now that we're here, whether we should have been here or not. And he doesn't sound like a certain trumpet.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: He's got a plan to get out. He's got a plan to follow through. He does not want to quit. I want to rephrase that. He wants --

MR. BLANKLEY: He makes the words he wants to win, but the aura that comes out of him is "This is a mistake; let's find an exit strategy."

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: What about Bush's point? Will and can the troops follow Kerry? Eleanor Clift.

MS. CLIFT: Of course. First of all, we have a disciplined military and they will follow the commander-in-chief. And they know better than anyone, because they're on the ground, how they have been cheated in the fact that there wasn't a plan to get the peace, that they were under-equipped.

And Kerry has made excellent points here, and I think he really handled the question about his allegedly changing positions by stating his core positions in succinct fashion. That little red light on the podium, Kerry ought to take it everywhere he goes. It really helped him.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: You think he cleared the president's point that the troops will and can follow him even though he said that this war is a colossal diversion.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Do you think --

MR. BLANKLEY: That's a terrible way --

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Do you think, when the absentee ballots come in, that the majority of the ballots are going to share the view of those Wisconsin guys?

MR. BLANKLEY: No.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: You do not?

MR. BLANKLEY: Everybody believes that the military vote will be disproportionately for Bush.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: And you think that will be the case?

MR. BLANKLEY: I'm --

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: You want to make a quick point?

MS. CLIFT: Well, he also answered it substantively.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: He also said -- he also enlarged it to say that the troops know that this war is not being handled right. Now, you've seen videotape and I've seen videotape --

MR. BUCHANAN: There's no doubt that there are some problems now with the troops over in Iraq that did not exist as of a year ago. What the president is saying is Kerry is responsible.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Okay.

MR. O'DONNELL: Look, it's not our job to lie about war to make troops feel good. And I don't care what they feel.

MR. BLANKLEY: I don't --

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Let me finish.

MR. BUCHANAN: The commander-in-chief should not undermine the troops --

MR. O'DONNELL: He's not undermining anything.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Do you want to make a point here?

MR. BUCHANAN: He'd demoralize them.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: All right, the human --

MR. O'DONNELL: I don't care if they're demoralized. They have to go to war and be prepared --

MR. BUCHANAN: The commander-in-chief does care.

MR. O'DONNELL: -- to live with the debate that goes on in the United States about whether it's right or wrong.

MR. BUCHANAN: But if you're going to be commander-in-chief, you cannot be demoralizing the troops in wartime, even if you think the --

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Hey, Pat --

MR. BUCHANAN: -- war is a mistake.

MR. BUCHANAN: Kerry's most vulnerable position is the very fact that people think that he is poor-mouthing America in a time of war.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: In point of fact, does that have any impact on the troops at all?

MR. BUCHANAN: I believe it does.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: I believe it does not.

MS. CLIFT: They are demoralized because they are targets in a country that doesn't want them. That's why they're demoralized.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: We've got to move on.

MR. BLANKLEY: Let me --

MS. CLIFT: They're not demoralized because a potential president is pointing out that this war was unnecessary.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Eleanor, let Tony in.

MR. O'DONNELL: He says he wants to win it.

MR. BLANKLEY: He sounds like an uncertain trumpet.

MR. O'DONNELL: He says he wants to win it. He wants to fight it to win it.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: He's got a plan to get out. He's got a plan to follow through. He does not want to quit. I want to rephrase that. He wants --

MR. O'DONNELL: He wants to win it.

MR. BUCHANAN: If it was a blunder, why does he want to win?

MR. BLANKLEY: He makes the words he wants to win, but the aura that comes out of him is "This is a mistake; let's find an exit strategy."

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