Within a matter of about five minutes, I came across three tweets yesterday from high-profile Republicans trying to make President Biden the “bad guy” against Putin and Russia. And bizarrely, they not only ranged from thoughtless to reprehensibly egregious, but all three were just point-blank wrong.
But this all goes far-beyond only three tweets. I'll get to that in a bit, but first the three which set the foundation of it all in their empty, shameful and almost infantile efforts to match their words to America's enemy. The first came from Liz Cheney, who for all her truly noble efforts working on the House Select Jan. 6 Committee is still, at heart, a rock-solid conservative who voted with Trump about 95% of the time. She wrote – “Pulling our Embassy out of Ukraine is a disgraceful abandonment. America cannot defend our own freedom and security if we betray our allies and commitments around the world. Full and crippling sanctions must be implemented against Putin and Russia immediately.” First of all, there is already there is already discussion of President Zelensky's government being forced to leave the country and become a government in exile. So, moving the U.S. embassy for their safety in order to not get killed, hardly seems "disgraceful." Second, how soon the GOP forgets their Benghazi faux-outrage at Hillary Clinton for not having strong enough security (for which Republicans had actually cut the budget) such that four Americans died. But third, and most of all – the U.S. is not moving its embassy out of Ukraine! It is moving it to another city in western Ukraine, which is safer. The next tweet that came by moments later was from the ol’ standby Newt Gingrich, he of the House ethics violation, who can always be counted on for some kneejerk (heavy on the “jerk”) reaction against pretty much anything Democrat, no matter how mindless his response. In this case, Gingrich wrote – “The Biden Administration talks and Putin acts. This is such a clear replay of Chamberlain trying to deal with Hitler that it is more than a little frightening. Putin is pushing day by day and has no fear of NATO because he has no fear of the United States or its President.” One is tempted to wait before reacting to see how Gingrich then justifies Trump in Helsinki saying that he trusts Putin and doesn't trust U.S. intel services. Further, reading what Gingrich is saying here seems to suggest that it means he wants to send U.S. troops into Ukraine!! Because that’s pretty much the only physical “act” that that President Biden could do that isn’t just the Gingrich version of “talk.” But far more to the point, making a comparison of the U.S. forcefully uniting our NATO allies against Russia and pressuring Putin to Neville Chamberlain appeasing Hitler discredits Gingrich’s past as a "history professor." It’s utterly foolish. And my heart is heavy for his former students. It's helpful, too, for perspective to add an old quote from Nobel Prize-winner Paul Krugman: "Newt Gingrich is a stupid person's idea of what a smart person sounds like." And the third and final tweet, scrolling by my screen about a minute later, may have been the weirdest one of all, which considering the other two is quite an accomplishment. It came from former Trump Secretary of Defense and dreaming presidential hopeful Mike Pompeo. He wrote very simply – “American weakness always creates risk for our friends and our interests.” The depth of his near-total lack of self-awareness is spectacular. Reading his words, it’s like he’s begging everyone to assume he’s referring to Trump in Helsinki (man, do Republicans have a brain cloud over that, forgetting it ever existed) saying that he trusts Putin and doesn't trust U.S. intel services. Or perhaps Mr. Pompeo means instead his own photo op with the co-founder of Afghan's Taliban, before signing the country back over to them without pretty much any conditions. Because he’s most certainly not talking about President Biden strongly uniting our NATO allies to put pressure and sanctions against Russia. The man is a disgrace. In fairness, none of the three did themselves proud. Almost falling over one another to say things so foolish against America’s best interest. I understand criticism of an opposing Administration’s policies. I have less understanding when it’s the result of that criticism essentially provides accidentally or knowingly aid and comfort to our long-time adversary as a war seems imminent. But mostly, I have little understanding when, in expressing that criticism, is so…weirdly empty and demonstrably wrong. Flailing in desperation, when you’re a party with no policy foundation is such an easy thing to spot. And such a galling thing when its against the country’s best interests. The thing is, as I said above, this isn't really just about three tweets, no matter how high their profile. It's about this is pretty much what we're seeing swirling around the far-right. Because that's today's Republican Party. Enabling and supporting an insurrection to overthrow democracy seems the starting position for virtually doing the same in the Ukraine, ultimately taking the side of Russia to overthrow Democracy. All of which includes the far-right media. Which includes the Tucker Carlsons of the world on Fox "News" going almost All Pro-Putin that in some intel circles, as national security expert Malcolm Nance explained, he's known now as "Tuckyo Rose." I'm quite sure that the allusion is perfectly clear. But even if "Tokyo Rose" doesn't slip under any cracks, it's a good enough one to drill down further, being such a great play on words about an American citizen parroting the foreign government propaganda of our war-time adversary to convince Americans to forget their country’s interest, and who was someone convicted of treason. Meet today's fascist Republican Party. Doing what it can to bring down democracies here at home and around the world.
1 Comment
Douglass Abramson
2/22/2022 08:30:32 pm
As yes, Pompeo. The shame of Los Amigos High School Fountain Valley, CA. The only surviving Secretary of State of the eight since Putin blackmailed and bullied himself into power to publicly take the side of the Little Czar's Ukrainian policies over and over again for the last eight years, until this week. He also seems to have forgotten that his former boss killed the sale of a lot of heavy ordnance the Ukrainians
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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