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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread: Comity

Open Thread: Comity

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Upon one issue all reasonable beings can agree: Luke Russert is a jackass.

And these guys are not much better:

… In the past, hawks—largely Republicans—might have objected because they didn’t trust the Russians, or trust the “international community.” It was only 10 years ago that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was dismissing Western European nations that declined to support the war in Iraq as “old Europe,” and the New York Post was labeling France and Germany as part of the “Axis of Weasels” for preferring weapons inspections to war in Iraq. Before neoconservatives despised that “axis,” they’d despised Henry Kissinger and détente with the Soviet Union, amending trade bills to add human rights conditions for Russian Jews.

But realpolitik is back. Members of Congress are more outwardly concerned about Syrian Christians than they are about AIPAC’s endorsement of airstrikes. They’re tentatively endorsing a Russian plan that may or may not be sincere.

“We did a lot of things with the Soviets,” suggested Rep. Darrell Issa after leaving the closed-door briefing on Monday. “We did a great many things during the Cold War that were positive, including work on nonproliferation. My statement earlier that Putin was part of a smaller but still evil empire that opposes the United States, that blocks it, that has backed Iran, that continues to support Syria for purposes that are not good—I stand by that. But if Russians in this case could get weapons out of the hands of both parties, that’s something we should work on.”

A reporter who’d talked to Issa before about Russia remarked that he’d completely changed his tone. Issa swiveled to find her, looking away from the TV cameras that had been capturing his wisdom.

“He’s still an evil man from an evil empire!” Issa assured the reporter. He turned back to the cameras. “If in fact Putin can, for the sake of his sponsored nation—if he can get weapons out of the hands of Assad, for positions that are in his best interest, then we should work with him. The Russians may not be able to deliver the elimination of chemical weapons, but neither can this military strike.”

Reader Interactions

63Comments

  1. 1.

    DaveinMaine

    Wow, for being a war-mongering slave of the M-I-C, Obama seems remarkably open to diplomacy. And here I thought he was just like Bush…

  3. 3.

    TG Chicago

    I don’t disagree that Luke Russert is a jackass, but I’m not seeing any evidence of that here. He was just passing along the remarks of Steny Hoyer. Is that such a terrible thing?

  4. 4.

    Chyron HR

    @DaveinMaine:

    Yeah, but True Progressives know that in Obama’s HEART he’s the Butcher of Damascus. That’s why it agitates them to think that he’ll be unfairly remembered by history as a guy who didn’t bomb Syria if, by a totally random random coincidence, he ends up not bombing Syria.

  6. 6.

    The Dangerman

    I took a quick look at Red State (apparently, I’m a masochist); as best I can tell, Obama is bad for not hitting Syria, bad for threatening to hit Syria, bad for going to Congress for authorization to hit Syria, bad for agreeing with Russia to prevent the need to hit Syria, bad for not getting Allies on board like Bush over Syria, and, of course, BAD for Benghazi and Syria was just a coverup since the anniversary is tomorrow. Basically, they are making it up as they go along; whatever Obama does, they are against it. They are tying themselves up in knots to reach that conclusion, but reach it, they are.

  8. 8.

    DaveinMaine

    @The Dangerman: If there is another benefit to this 11-th hour diplomacy, it’s displaying for all that the GOP’s only belief is “Whatever Obama does, we want the opposite”.

  9. 9.

    lamh36

    ok, I’m not trying to be snarky, or anything, but seriously, has there always been a “response” to EVERY DAMN Presidential speech given by a POTUS, or is this a new phenomenon?

    I see Rand Paul is giving the “response”. Speaking of which, if this was actually Rubio and not an intern, then haha Rubio, well done…douche.

    @brianbeutler7m

    MT @marcorubio: drink pleny of water! RT @skenigsberg: yess @SenRandPaul to deliver a video response to Obama speech: http://dailycaller.com/2013/09/10/rand-paul-to-deliver-response-to-obamas-syria-speech/ …

  11. 11.

    Glocksman

    A blast from the past.

    While browsing through some old files, I found this pic I made back during the 2008 election.

    Given McCain’s cheerleading for bombing just about anyone, I believe it’s still somewhat apt.

  12. 12.

    c u n d gulag

    Puke Russert must have some really nasty photo’s of NBC exec’s with children, corpses, and/or farm animals!

    Because there is NO reason why he’s still employed, because, outside of being the son of NBC’s late, not-so-great, Buffalo Whale, and his former-pretty-good-reporter Mom, he has NO qualifications for being on any news show.

    And even with that DNA, he’s the absolute worst person on network and cable news shows – and THAT’S saying something!!!!

  13. 13.

    MomSense

    @Jamey:

    It stands for Continuing Resolution. It’s a way to extend the current budget so that the government doesn’t shut down.

  14. 14.

    jl

    What would prove that Luke Russert is a ‘serious’ journalist? Which is a low bar these days. Who is he competing with, Woodward?

    And I think ‘CR’ he means continuing resolution on federal budget, but not sure.

    Edit: ‘bothsidesdoit’ is a real contribution to journalism though.

  16. 16.

    scav

    Watching the Repubs pretzel-reverse-logic in a smaller and smaller timeframe (while shouting loudly about their bedrock adherence to founding principles!) is somehow a never-ending joy (once ridden of the burden of trying to explain how they get away with it). SpinOut!

  23. 23.

    geg6

    Fuck that fat, ugly, stupid, pumpkin headed frat boy legacy piece of shit Luke Russert. I want that asshole front and center in the tumbrel. And his dad’s corpse should be dug up and propped up there right beside him.

  24. 24.

    jl

    “If in fact Putin can, for the sake of his sponsored nation—if he can get weapons out of the hands of Assad, for positions that are in his best interest, then we should work with him. The Russians may not be able to deliver the elimination of chemical weapons, but neither can this military strike.”

    Issa comes within a hundred yards of making sense, that will hurt him among the base.

    I don’t recall Obama or anybody in favor strikes arguing that it was a realistic way of ‘eliminating’ them in Syria. I’ve been against the strikes, but try not to distort what was being proposed. Maybe Issa understands it, but he is desperate after his total fail at bringing the mother of all scandals to bring down the Obama administration.

  26. 26.

    Amir Khalid

    @The Dangerman:
    I think you’ve got that backwards. It is not that Obama is bad because he says/does/advocates those things. Red State and others of its political ilk proceed from the premise that Obama is bad. Therefore, whatever he says/does/advocates is bad and wrong, even if they were saying/doing/advocating the very same thing right up to the moment he adopted their position on it.

  27. 27.

    geg6

    @geg6:

    Okay, I take back using the word “fat” as a pejorative for that worthless waste of flesh, Pumpkinhead Jr. I like fat people and it’s not a bad thing as long as they are in good health. Sorry!

  33. 33.

    Emma

    @lamh36: God have mercy. I laughed so hard at the comments I got the hiccups.

    “Our ancestors picked way too much cotton for him to be micro-managing fabric.” – SU

  36. 36.

    MomSense

    Oh FFS, Chris Matthews starts his show with “the President stands at the abyss tonight…”

    @HinTN:

    Can we lock the pundits in a pissoire and throw away the key??

  37. 37.

    geg6

    @MomSense:

    Yup, the Hardball intro sent me out of the house to sit on the deck and watch the sun set. He’s also still calling Kerry’s original remarks about a deal an “offhand comment.” I had to leave before Chuck Toad started talking about how this is all another Obama fail parade.

  39. 39.

    Emma

    @MomSense: Me, I’d prefer an oubliette. Deep enough we would have to send them light by dragonback.

    On the other hand, why would they need light? Or food?

  40. 40.

    kdbart

    If Tim Russert had been murdered instead of dying of a heart attack,
    Luke Russert would probably be anchoring the NBC Nightly News.

  41. 41.

    Chris

    @The Dangerman:

    I took a quick look at Red State (apparently, I’m a masochist); as best I can tell, Obama is bad for not hitting Syria, bad for threatening to hit Syria, bad for going to Congress for authorization to hit Syria, bad for agreeing with Russia to prevent the need to hit Syria, bad for not getting Allies on board like Bush over Syria, and, of course, BAD for Benghazi and Syria was just a coverup since the anniversary is tomorrow. Basically, they are making it up as they go along; whatever Obama does, they are against it. They are tying themselves up in knots to reach that conclusion, but reach it, they are.

    According to the wingnut friend I talked to last night, “Obama got us into this mess, Obama can get us out.” A reference to the red line statement, which isn’t entirely without merit…

    … except, he’s not allowed to “get us out” via any diplomatic solution, because then Arabs would laugh at the size of the American penis. (It was phrased as “our credibility is on the line,” but yes, that really is why Syrians must now die).

  44. 44.

    MomSense

    @Emma:

    Ooh an oubliette. The only problem is they would only have to close their mouths and they could float to the top.

  45. 45.

    MomSense

    @Emma:

    I love that one, too and this one. I’m going to grab a Bath & Body Works candle and begin a vigil for not only the fabric but the thread. *amen*” – DR

  49. 49.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @MomSense:

    Oh FFS, Chris Matthews starts his show with “the President stands at the abyss tonight…”

    That brings to mind a favorite (if probably apocryphal) story about a young cub reporter from a NYC newspaper who was sent to western PA to cover the Johnstown Flood, back in 1889. The emotional lede to his story, telegraphed to his editor, began: “God sits brooding tonight on the banks of the Conemaugh River….” The editor wired back: “Forget flood. Interview God.”

  50. 50.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @MomSense:

    Oh FFS, Chris Matthews starts his show with “the President stands at the abyss tonight…”

    That’s okay. I’ll start worrying when he starts gazing into it.

  51. 51.

    Scotius

    Ironically enough, Luke Russert’s career path is proof in its own right that America is not a serious country.

  53. 53.

    Villago Delenda Est

    The case of Luke Russert is the searing indictment of the utter failure of our “meritocracy” in which the “merit” is pretty much what the “merit” in the old English nobility was…who your daddy was (or is).

    Burn the motherfucker down. Piss on the ashes.

  55. 55.

    jl

    @Omnes Omnibus: The abyss is Matthews fear of what his audience will be if he tries to cover the diplomatic process.

    Edit: I am tired of hearing that every damn thing is a critical test of the Obama presidency, for reals, for ever and ever, double down, for keeps.

  57. 57.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @jl:

    The ultimate test of the Obama Presidency: what the White House Christmas Card looks like in 2016.

  58. 58.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @jl: Inorite?? Every speech, every press conference, every debate, every SotU, every Inaugural address, every interview, is The.Most.Crucial.And.Important.And.Fraught.And.Portentous EEEVVVAAARRR!!!

  62. 62.

    jl

    @SiubhanDuinne: Compared to the first 6 years of the GW administration, which was “Dude, you gotta be on board with this Leader of Real Men”.

    Until GW had one of the few administrations where we could close the case on the doofus/genius debate by the time it ended.

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