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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJoan Walsh: Too Many of Trumps Liberal Critics Are Praising His Strike on Syria
https://www.thenation.com/article/too-many-of-trumps-liberal-critics-are-praising-his-strike-on-syria/Too Many of Trumps Liberal Critics Are Praising His Strike on Syria
Anyone who supports these missile strikes has to account for what comes next.
By Joan WalshTwitter
Today 2:19 pm
It shouldnt be surprising, but it is to me nonetheless: Plenty of liberals whove long criticized Donald Trump as unfit to be president are praising his strike on Syrian airfields.
On CNNs New Day Thursday, global analyst Fareed Zakaria declared, I think Donald Trump became president of the United States last night. To his credit, Zakaria has previously called Trump a bullshit artist and said, He has gotten the presidency by bullshitting. But Zakaria apparently thinks firing missiles make one presidential. On MSNBC, Nicholas Kristof, an aggressive Trump critic, said he did the right thing by bombing Syria. Anchor Brian Williams, whose 11th Hour has regularly been critical of Trump, repeatedly called the missiles beautiful, to a noisy backlash on Twitter.
While The New York Times posted several skeptical, even critical stories, it gave us this piece of propaganda: an article initially titled On Syria attack, Trumps heart came first, buying the presidents line that his opposition to anti-Assad military action was reversed by seeing the heartrending photos of children struggling to breathe after a chemical attack.
Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack, Trump declared. No child of God should ever suffer such horror. (No word how he felt about ugly babies.) The piece also failed to even mention that Trump is keeping refugees from the Syrian war, even children, out of the United States. Victims of chemical weapons are beautiful babies; children trying to flee such violence require extreme vetting and an indefinite refugee ban. After a public outcry, the Times changed the headline.
snip//
There remains the possibility that some of this is theater. It should be said: Some observers, besides RT, say its unproven that the chemical weapons attack came from Assad; rebels could be behind it. Theres also the possibility of a kabuki performance from Trump, Putin, and Assad. We already know the United States warned Putin of the coming missiles, and that Putin warned Assad, whose military moved airplanes and other military equipment away from the intended target. Trump, plummeting in the polls, his domestic health-care and tax plans on the rocks, the investigation into Russian election meddling closing in on his team, really needed a boost; maybe they gave it to him. Trumps sudden about-face on Syria makes it hard to judge.
However, according to Syrian state media, nine civilians, including four children, were killed in the air strikes. That is not kabuki. Trump has said nothing about those beautiful babies, nor will he. Liberals have to sober up and stop being besotted by beautiful missiles and presidential cruelty. Trump is the same Trump he was Tuesday, and that should scare all of us.
Initech
(100,068 posts)Tarheel_Dem
(31,233 posts)It was all I could do to keep from ......
RoadhogRidesAgain
(165 posts)For guiding this orangutan so called president into doing the right thing regarding Syria.
Assad should not get away with gassing innocent children. He got off lightly IMO. Should have bombed Damascus presidential palace.
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)I think it's total bullshit. He was advised by his cohorts (Bannon & Co.) that this was a perfect opportunity to gain some credibility points with the American public. And it worked. Even Lindsey and John are out there praising him with references to Reagan Of course there's not a bombing that McCain does not like.
Pachamama
(16,887 posts)LenaBaby61
(6,974 posts)As many have said, and I agree, those missile strikes were a coordinated act of a play between tRump and his puppet master/blackmailer putin. Yeah, putin's tired of Assad and of Assad's side-piece Iran, and he's probably angry at having to watch Assad's back. However, putin told HIS useful idiot--and a guy he can blackmail whenever he wants to--to do air strikes which really didn't do anything but get some people on the left having tingles up their leg because they've not seen missile explosions in a long time. Humm, I wonder WHY the part of the air strip with chemical weapons contained on it wasn't hit. I wonder why What WAS the point of doing the air strike raids then? How "curious" also that Syrian pilots were flying airplanes off of that same air strip TODAY to carry out strikes on areas under ISIS control in the countryside where civilians will undoubtedly be hit. Makes me think that the air strip was not meant to be totally destroyed. Plus, he will get some kind of bounce in polling from some quarters over this air strike. I hear that MANY on the Alt-right/nazi wing of the GOP are mad as wet hornets over those air strikes carried out by their American First president. I "guess" putin told his puppet "Go ahead my little puppet, make yourself look big and bad--but don't you DARE hit the area where the chemical weapons are resting," and tRumputin interjected "NO NO Geppetto I won't, cross my heart hope to die stick a needle in my eye." Where upon putin said "I'll do more than stick a needle in your eye if you hit those chemical weapons Comrade." I only care about getting my poll numbers up from 34%, and to make us look like mortal enemies. These air strikes will almost be as fun as the pussy-grabbing I love doing."
Love Tap Tomahawk missile strikes which didn't destroy the chemical weapons that was used to kill those poor "babies" that tRumputin pretended to give a damn about who he told to "Stay the hell out of the USA" up until a few days ago
I call BS on those ineffective air strikes which were nothing more than an act out of a play with many acts between putin and his presidentially installed puppet tRumputin.
Good Gawd, no foreign policy having tRumputin told bannon a nazi and his Jewish son-in-law to "work this out" in that filthy, treasonous den of SNAKES known as tRumputin's Illegitimate White House.
Cha
(297,196 posts)This is what I've been waiting for.. someone to call out Fareed.. lol@ Joan..
"To his credit, Zakaria has previously called Trump a bullshit artist and said, He has gotten the presidency by bullshitting. But Zakaria apparently thinks firing missiles make one presidential"
Link to tweet
trump bombs Syria but won't let the children find Refuge.. and he blames President Obama. I think this is going to come back and bite Fareed.
progree
(10,907 posts)heaven05
(18,124 posts)americans left and right that through common sense and intelligence out the window when the missles start flying, the other way. Shumer and Pelosi? Both saying boy-potus is right? Disfuckingusting. And I don't give a damn who doesn't like me saying this. We have no reason to be in the shitstorm in Syria. Period. It is all designed to give the terrible triumvirate some breathing room to figure out how to scam the gullibles further. So fucking obvious. FUCK!!!!! Americans were stupid enough to let this slime slither his way into the WH and now continuing their stupid in be backing him in an obvious ploy.
gordianot
(15,237 posts)Sometimes you need to sit down and leave God out of the picture.
zentrum
(9,865 posts)save his own ass. He doesn't give a damn about Syrian children.
burrowowl
(17,641 posts)was worthless except for the costs missiles and Wall rise for contractors, waste of TOMAHAWKS which didn't destroy shit. Was a distraction from Russian investigation.
markpkessinger
(8,395 posts)Here are some running thoughts I shared about all of this on Facebook over the course of the last 24 hours. First, from about 5:00 a.m. yesterday:
Now comes this news, that the Syrian military had moved personnel and equipment out of the way in advance of the strikes. Somehow , it seems, they knew when and where the strikes would hit. The strike itself damaged some buildings and pock-marked the runway, and thus put the airfield out of commission for the time being. Trump supporters have been eager to point out that a strike against Putin's client state must surely 'prove' that Trump isn't Putin's puppet. Well, not so fast, Sparky: an airstrike that the Syrian military mysteriously knew about in advance, and that only left one airfield unusable for the time being, hardly 'proves'' anything.
Off hand, I can think of at least two possible narratives that are a better fit for the fact pattern above:
(1) Trump was trying to deflect attention from the fact that he himself effectively gave a green light to Assad to test his limits just a few days before the gas attacks, when he publicly declared his administration was uninterested in removing him from power. If that isn't an invitation to push the boundaries, I don't know what would be.
Or, perhaps even more obvious:
(2) The entire Trump ship is badly foundering on the rocks, and Trump, obsessed as he is with his poll numbers and ego maniacal as he is, is tanking in his public approval ratings. His administration is embroiled in controversy regarding its extensive ties to Russia and Putin. And military actions are a tried and true method used by failing leaders to bolster public support and to distract people from paying attention to things the ruler would prefer they didn't pay attention to. A symbolic missile strike thus potentially addresses two vexing problems for Trump: his flagging pole numbers and the attention being paid to the Russian scandal. And, with respect to the Russian thing, provides him with something he can point to as 'proof' that he isn't in Putin's pocket
If Trump truly gave a rat's ass about the plight of Syrian children, there's plenty he could do apart from airstrikes that would have a much more beneficial effect. So, sorry, but I'm not buying it for a second.
Then, from around 4 p.m. yesterday:
Enjoy those higher prices at the pump, Trump voters!
And this, also from late yesterday afternoon, a comment I posted to the NY Times in response to an article saying that the missile strikes had "soured" the relationship between Washington and Moscow:
(1) Trump, who now can now fool his gullible supporters into believing he couldn't possibly be in bed with Putin;
(2) Putin and his fellow Russian oligarchs, who have been greatly impacted by the low oil prices of the last several years and stand to gain a great deal from the resulting price rise; and
(3) Assad, whose ability to carry out additional attacks stands intact and undiminished.
Who hasn't benefited? That would be:
(1) Those Syrian children whose fate Trump pretends to care about; and
(2) The American people, who were just treated, on their dime, to what amounted to a very expensive fireworks show.
Solly Mack
(90,765 posts)The man has no "heart".
malaise
(268,986 posts)and American exceptionalism. International Law and violations of their own Constitution are ignored over and over.
HRC disappointed - as usual.