Virtually Speaking is a public affairs interview show that I host every Thursday at 6 p.m. SLT. Last week’s guest was Glenn Greenwald, (GlennGreenwald Writer in SL), who came by to discuss his new book ,  Great American Hypocrites This was Greenwald’s second visit to the program.

The book is about the way in which conservative politicians portray themselves, and their liberal adversaries in order to distract voters from issues and policies. This is only made possible, Greenwald points out, with the complicity of equally hypocritical members of the media.

This all got its start with John Wayne, nee Marion Morrison, who constructed a public image of a bluff, tough Green Beret when he was, in fact a man who avoided military service and lived the life of a pampered movie star. This image manipulation became the archetype for American conservative politicians

In Greenwald’s words:

"At a time when virtually nobody avoided combat, Wayne did exactly that, using the most dishonorable means imaginable, throughout all of World War II.  Because the most successful male actors, including older ones, went to fight, he was able to stay in Hollywood and become extremely rich playing war heroes.  He spent the rest of his life glorifying every American war and accusing war opponents of being cowards, Communists and traitors.  He crusaded for traditional American morality, attacking others whom he perceived to deviate, while he engaged in compulsive womanizing and adultery, repeatedly breaking up his own family, and wallowing in pill addictions.

Before there was Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich, George Bush, Bill Kristol, David Vitter and even John McCain - there was John Wayne. One finds key parts of Wayne in each of them."

Of course, it is one thing for a movie star to create a false image for publicity purposes, but when our political leaders do so, it stirs Greenwald’s ire, especially when the politicians strenuously advocate public policy related to “family values” that they themselves do not adhere to. Whether it is Newt Gingrich’s serial adultery or John McCain’s dumping his wife who waited over five years for him to return from captivity in Vietnam, Greenwald sees the exploitation of these immoral men trumpeting the need for greater morality in America to be especially repugnant.