During a rather typically narrow corporate media discussion of the crisis in Gaza, ABC This Week pundit Cokie Roberts (7/13/14) weighed in to say the real problem in the region was the absence of fear of the United States:
It’s, you know, a real absence, though, of American leadership in the region, because I think that you’ve got these rockets going into Gaza from Syria and Iran. And, you know, we just haven’t made a strong enough presence in that region to have people be afraid of this country.
And so I think there’s a sense that, you know, they can get away with anything they want to get away with.
Roberts is repeating Israel’s claims that rockets launched from Gaza toward Israel were smuggled into the occupied territory by Syria and Iran—assertions whose validity is often accepted by US media without much scrutiny (FAIR Blog, 3/11/14).
Nonetheless, her point is that the threat of US military force would stop allowing people to “get away with anything they want to get away with.”
Let’s look at recent history in the region. The United States led a disastrous and bloody war in Iraq. Nearby, the US is winding down a long war in Afghanistan. The US led a military campaign to remove Muammar Gadhafi from power in Libya—resulting in a violent and chaotic state. US drones attack Yemen and Pakistan.
What precisely would Roberts want the United States to do in order to instill more fear among weaker nations? The United States is the most prominent backer—financial and otherwise—of Israel, which is unleashing a massive military campaign that has killed close to 200 people in Gaza, most of them civilians. During Israel’s last full-scale assault on Gaza, in December 2008/January 2009, Israel killed some 1,391 people, 344 of them minors.
Would more bombing of Gaza teach someone a lesson about what they can “get away” with? Should the US pick a different country to threaten in order to send that message?
For the record, the ABC roundtable had two right-wingers—ABC fixture Bill Kristol and GOP strategist Ana Navarro—paired with former Obama aide David Plouffe and Roberts. So I guess she might count as one of the liberals.
“Fear”
And loathing of “liberals” with post Vietnam Syndrome
I have never trusted Cokie Roberts–pure, unabashed careerist. Her obliging attitude towards the ruling party has brought her far in the corporate media.
Roberts is naive if she believes the US elites have an interest in discouraging terrorism. There’s muted support for the coup in Thailand, for the dictatorship in Sisi’s Egypt and even ISIS in Iraq (under the Kissinger-esque tag of “credibility”). This holds true for Hamas as well. They share and mirror Likud’s extremism and give the US carte blanche to pour in weapons and screw up the peace process.
United States: More People Should Fear numbskulls like Cokie Roberts warmongering on mass media.
Obvious Cokie Roberts has no place on NPR for many years.
A warmonger corporate newsmedia personality.
Gawwwwed, how sick and tired I am of those who equate fear with respect. I would much rather that people around the globe listen and follow the U.S. out of respect for our principles and our actions. But, I suppose, since that ship has sailed, fear is all we have left.
Hey, Cokie!
Remember “Shock And Awe” when the Iraqis were supposed to poop their pants in the face of our near god-like capacity for inflicting apocalyptic violence and their realization that there is no hope of resistance to it? How’s THAT workin’ out for ya?
And now you counsel that the U.S. should teach other peoples of the world to fear it? Is that not the literal definition of… wait, wait, don’t tell me…
….”Terrorism”?
My reply to Cokie Roberts: When is the United States going to stop thinking and acting like “(we) can get away with anything (we) want to get away with?”
From the opening statement in 1945 of Robert H. Jackson, Chief Counsel of the United States, at the Nuremburg Trials (and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1941-1954):
“We must never forget that the record on which we judge these defendants today is the record on which history will judge us tomorrow. To pass these defendants a poisoned chalice is to put it to our own lips as well.”
Cokie Roberts wants more terrorism. How many little children would she consider appropriate.= for violent dismemberment? The U.S. has credibility only among psychopaths and fools. The U.S. media are a disgrace.
Cokie has lost her mind. Is her “solution” to the Middle East a scarier United States? That our role in the world is the new Iron Man or Captain America on the block? What world is she living in?
And you, Peter Hart, you should know better than to let your friendship with her and the far right tint to the rest of the panel, with the one exception of Plouffe, I guess — and even he’s more centrist than liberal — how in the world do you count Cokie Roberts as a liberal? Has the word lost all of its meaning?
Cokie Roberts should change her name to Cuckoo Roberts. What actions would Cuckoo Roberts suggest America take in Palestine? Drop a nuke on the Palestinians (originally Canaanites thousands of years ago and the original inhabitants of Palestine but called Canaan then). People just don’t read the Bible anymore.
She’s not John McCain’s secret other wife, is she? She’s sounding much like him, and she isn’t really THAT old, either.
She hasn’t made any real contribution to journalism for years, if ever, so I ‘m not sure why she continues to appear on national talk shows. She contributes nothing original and rubberstamps any military force the US chooses to use abroad. Oh, sorry, I guess I just answered my own question.
I was quite surprised by the article’s headline, and wondered when Ms. Roberts had become fearful of the US, and also why she would encourage her fellow Americans to share that fear. Fortunately, as I read the article, those questions were answered.
“The US led a military campaign to remove Muammar Gadhafi from power in Libya–resulting in a violent and chaotic state.” Bad U.S. bad! Let’s make amends by supporting Assad or ISIS.. both, maybe? Neither take crap from anyone so Either would add to regional stability dontcha think!
LOL… Great post Peter. Yeah ol’ Cokie cracks me up. Easily the stupidest comment I’ve heard from her yet, lol. She must be angling to get a job with Faux News or something.