Thursday, April 02, 2015

THE NUANCED FOREIGN POLICY THINKING OF MICHELLE MALKIN



Right, because if Iran gets one nuclear weapon, that weapon will be so powerful it will be able to wipe out the entire planet, because it will be a special Evil Islamic Super Nuke raining hellfire on everyone on earth by means of a planet-encircling delivery system (sort of the way Santa delivers toys on Christmas Eve, except Muslim). America's 7300 nuclear warheads (and France's 300, and the U.K.'s 225, and Israel's 80) will be useless as a deterrent to this lone super-ultra-mega bomb, which will leave nothing but cockroaches in its wake.

Here's the thing: One-liners like this (and the endless right-wing comparisons to Obama to Neville Chamberlain) shape public opinion far more effectively than actual debate of the details. It's fine if people learn the facts and oppose what's been worked out, but the right is opposing something that's being sketched out for them in apocalyptic terms. Do I think they literally believe that this deal could lead to genocide across continents? Yes, I think they literally believe that. At least I think they viscerally believe it. And that's what we'd get have to get past in order to have a ratonal debate on this subject. I can't imagine that it will be possible.

(Malkin tweet via Digby and Luke Brinker at Salon.)

5 comments:

Unknown said...

People (especially those in England) would like to forget that Chamberlain was mightily cheered by most when he returned from Munich. As for the silly tweeters from the right, most don't have the historical sense god gave a goose. Especially that hack Malkin whose understanding of the world is limited to 140 characters and send.

Ken_L said...

For the last few weeks, I've noticed that the negotiations with Iran have consistently been characterised by right wing extremists as 'a deal to let Iran get a bomb'. It's a wonderfully clever piece of dishonesty.

Why can't a few Democrats start calling this kind of stuff out forcefully and often? Obama can't really do it, he's still supposed to be the head of state who tries to unify the nation, but can't Biden have a go? Why aren't there some Democrat equivalents of McCain and Graham, accepted by the media as wise men on foreign policy? I mean someone, preferably sooner rather than later, should be telling the American public that one of the major parties is Hell-bent on starting a war in which the USA will be the unambiguous aggressor.

Professor Fate said...

I will start to worry about the Iran deal the moment Iran occupies the Sudetenland - and not before then.

Victor said...

Look, for Malkin, it's either pimping for war, or going back and sending her flying monkeys to look at the countertops of families she doesn't like.

And that got old.

bergamot5 said...

We should be routinely dumping in our drawers at the through of a terrorist-supporting Muslimy nation acquiring a nuclear weapon, unless that terrorist-supporting Muslimy nation is spelled "Pakistan", because ... well ... because!