CNN is bringing back Crossfire next month, but viewers on August 27 got a taste of what they might expect: The left thinks we should bomb Syria, while the right thinks we should have started that a long time ago.
On the show The Lead, guest host John Berman moderated a “debate” between conservative S.E. Cupp and left-leaning Van Jones.
“Look, I want to commend the president for finally following through on our red line threats,” Cupp declared–before explaining that Obama’s plan was too timid:
We should absolutely intervene to stop the genocide of more than 100,000 people. We should absolutely intervene to stop Al-Qaeda and Islamic extremism from jihadizing yet another conflict. It is absolutely our obligation, and instead we do the bare minimum to save face and pat ourselves on the back for our civility and our diplomacy. I think it’s pathetic.
OK, and from the left? Jones said:
This president has now said there is a red line. It was not clear before whether the line was crossed. It’s crossed, he’s moving forward. I think we need to stand behind this president and send a clear message to Assad that this type behavior is not acceptable.
And:
If you kill Assad right now, wonderful. You have a huge power vacuum. Who is going to fill it? Listen, people have a nostalgia for 1953 when the U.S. could just sort of thump out dictators like in Iran. This is not the world we live in. It is a tough neighborhood over there, and the idea that we should have a more bloodthirsty and reckless president, I reject.
I’m not sure what “thumping out dictators like in Iran” is supposed to mean; in 1953, the United States supported a coup against Iran’s elected president.
But back to Syria: The American public is generally and overwhelmingly skeptical of military strikes on Syria. But in CNN‘s left/right debate, that point of view seems to be missing entirely.
UPDATE: Asked about the reference to “dictators like in Iran,” Jones (8/28/13) replied on Twitter:
.
@andEps / YOU ARE RIGHT! Slip of the tongue! … I meant “leader.” USA *replaced* him with a dictator, the Shah. Good point!
Van Jones is the quintessential “liberal”
Which one might think would lessen his cachet at “alternative media” outlets such as Democracy Now!
One might think that …
Look, the only difference between the media in the West and USSR’s Pravda is that the ruling elite in western countries have enough tact to make the sheeple think they have options, that they are living in democracies. When was the last time we were given a referendum to decide whether to attack a country or not? No. We can only choose between the two guys (parties) who would both do the bidding for the corporate profiteers.
The journalists and pundits (especially on public media) should be asking “who are we to meddle in every other country in the world’s business?” What moral ground are we standing on? Who appointed us world police? But the reporters are the last ones to ask the right question. There is a Persian adage which translates to something like this: “they add salt to food to prevent it from rotting. What are we to do when salt itself is rotten?!”
Missing? It was never their point in the first place.
They were telling us from the beginning they want us to go to war with Syria, so there is no need for debate. They don’t care who we go to war with, just that we need to go to war with someone, so they can do their job as cheerleaders in the two minute hate, aka the Corpse News hour.
I wondered which Van Jones would show up – the one who did such great community activist work in the Bay Area, or the Obamapologist.
FAIR is a failure. Its scatter-shot postings fail to focus on the worst offenders (ie. the WSJ), and it provides no way to approve or disapprove comments or respond to them directly. As a result, the site is a mecca for semi-literate trolls, and its TV and radio versions are nothing more than ego trips for its staff.
That’s pretty incredible that Van Jones would spout off such ignorance of a key episode in recent American history. In 1953 the U.S. did not “thump out a dictator” (and who would have “nostalgia” for that even if it were the case), in fact it is a historically documented fact that the CIA (as directed by operative Kermit Roosevelt, Teddy’s grandson)
caused the overthrow of Iran’s democratically elected government of Prime Minister (not president) Mossadegh.
Somebody has been using chemical weapons to kill Syrian civilians. The USA must go there and show them how to kill civilians with conventional arms (well, we might use white phosphorous or depleted uranium).
He is clearly a jazz aficionado and means “thumping out” like playing a bass line.
Van Jones is an Obamabot. There are multiple reports, not just from Russia, that it was the rebels who used those chemical weapons last week. Just the idea that they might have should give every thinking American pause before we jump into what could become a war with Russia.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/26/320593/us-bankster-have-syria-in-sights/
A repeat of Iraq with questionable intelligence. Fool me once!!!!!
“We should absolutely intervene to stop the genocide of more than 100,000 people.”
And the rebels have killed none of these people? These folks who eat hearts are innocent victims? The war is horrible, but to pretend it is not a war with two sides is the most disingenuous nonsense I’ve heard in a while.
“We should absolutely intervene to stop Al-Qaeda and Islamic extremism from jihadizing yet another conflict.”
Too bad they are our allies. Too bad we sent them all those weapons from Libya. But now we complain about “jihadizing” the conflict? The hypocrisy is so thick you could cut off its head with a knife (and then eat its liver).
“This president has now said there is a red line.”
Sorry, I’m not going to see the country go to war so Obama can say “I told you so.” FFS, if Obama negotiated with Assad the way he does with the GOP, he’d have started by giving Assad norther Israel and the USS Abraham Lincoln.
“send a clear message to Assad that this type behavior is not acceptable.”
Except no one can prove – using evidence that is not YouTube videos and the “common sense” of the Ketchup Prince John Kerry – that the Syrian government carried out the attack.
“Listen, people have a nostalgia for 1953 when the U.S. could just sort of thump out dictators like in Iran.”
Van Jones is a huge supporter of Pinochet and Suharto? Who’d have guessed. And here we were told he was practically Chairman Mao.
I take it that the ghost of William F. Buckley is still running ‘Crossfire.’
But why isn’t it on Faux News?
I’ve read in multiple sources now that it may have been the rebels that used sarin gas last week.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2320223/UN-accuses-Syrian-rebels-carrying-sarin-gas-attacks-blamed-Assads-troops.html
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/26/320593/us-bankster-have-syria-in-sights/
There is enough doubt about the “ambiguous” phone call that the administration is using as “proof” that a debate before Congress should be imperative.
Poor S.E. Cupp reminds me of those publicity shots on Mickey Rooney’s autobiography I.E.,: An autobiography (1965) sans the cigarette. The rule is, put on a pair of black rimmed glasses and voila your an intellectual, who must be taken seriously. Truly pathetic!
Syria has kept peace on the Golan Heights, done some nice torture upon those hapless bodies we extraordinarily rendered to the Damacus airport, and helped us fight Saddam in 1991. Get rid of Assad and you invite disaster. If we install “moderates”, the extremists who did all the fighting will turn against us; they believe their blood, spilt in rebellion, earned their keep in Syrian government. I think just such a turnabout happened and is happening in Libya today.
It was, after all, the remnants of the militants who killed our ambassador in Benghazi. They turned our guns on us because they saw us as the occupiers who kept them outside the power structure despite their monumental efforts to oust Gaddafi.
I don’t think Obama should strike Syria as their civil war should not involve us. If the U.S. attacks it could stir up problems in the middle east which could lead to more problems.
Thоѕе idiots in Washington аrе аlwауѕ planning a wаr ѕоmе place, but whаt dоеѕ thаt ѕау аbоut thеir stooges in White Hall, butt boys еvеn gоt mоrе ѕеlf respect.
Syria a perfect littlе war, ѕо wаѕ Serbia in 1914, nоw hоw did thаt оnе turn out?
Hum, lets see, Wе Win!!!
Al Qaeda takes over, whу уоu ask, bесаuѕе thеу gоt thе bеѕt fighter оn thе ground, ѕресiаllу trained bу blowing uр Americans, аnd a fеw token Brits, in whаt wаѕ thаt place, оh уеѕ Iraq.
Find аnу Weapons оf Mass Destruction? NAH
Dо wе gеt tо shoot Assad, hе mау bе down, but nоt out.
Weapons оf Mass Destruction, Rеаl Thiѕ Time, аnd Uglier, Smaller Tоо , аlѕо Harder tо Contain.
Al Quaeda аnd Assad’s Poison , аnd Nerve Gas, Bad JUJU in anybodies book.
Sо whу аrе wе еvеn contemplating this?
Shit!!! isn’t еvеn a good еnоugh nаmе fоr it.
Bесаuѕе a fools nеvеr knоwѕ whеn tо quit.
Buy уоur GAS Mast, Filters, аnd CBW suites now, bеfоrе thе run.
US, аnd UK, уоu can’t make thiѕ stuff up.
I’d laugh but it Hurts, аnd It Rеаllу Will, When, Nоt If, Thоѕе CBW Wаr Heads Gеt Lose, аnd Trust Me, Thеу Will.
Thаt unfоrtunаtеlу iѕ nоt thе funny part, соmе tо think оf it, thеrе iѕ nоthing funny аbоut it, еxсерt thе Utter Stupidity оf it.
Well Im a lot confused by this act of the US taking the lead in this.This is 100% a tailored made fit for the UN.And I do believe FAIR is correct in raking the press(and this white house)over the coals.Where is the hard evidence that tie’s this into a nice neat bow.?The white house should explain how killing 1000 plus civilians helped Assad .It was always a lose /lose for him.No strategic value at all.And massive blowback.The Russians and British being pragmatic ,are asking this.IF he did it -Obama should thoerize WHY he did it.The other side doing it makes sense.Do you realize we still don’t know the political affiliation of those who were killed.Were they anti, or pro Assad people?And why does assad have chems in the first place?Russians to blame for this?So many questions and damn few answers.
Request denied. Van Jones can shove it.
-jcr
many washed brains here
If they kill assad we could end up with a worse dictator than is already in there, then what? Let them kill each other off, We are the world police. That is the UN’s job! let them deal with it!
It’ѕ great thаt expression оf opposition tо thе wаr iѕ ѕо widespread, but I аm nоt confident a Congressional “no” will stop thiѕ war. It ѕееmѕ likе ѕоmеоnе wаntѕ thiѕ wаr соmе hеll оr high water, аnd I’m afraid thеу will hаvе it.
Syria’s elites at some point told the US/UK and other concerned elites what they could do with their imperialist policies. That did not sit well in the “West.” Ergo, the demonization and destabilization of this once “client-state” began. it’s old hat.
The American War Party is at it again. Not surprisingly, the Democrat and Republican “wings” of the AWP agree on intervention and support for a faction friendly to US/UK elites.
We’ve heard this all before.
I am opposed to Empire. I am opposed to taxpayer money wasted to benefit a handful of industries, from finance to oil to munitions for whom more is never enough.