If there’s one thing that animates the discussion of Obama’s war plan against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), it is the idea that the group could attack the United States. There is no evidence of such danger right now–a point that is certainly covered by the press (e.g., Washington Post, 9/13/14)–but the array of voices in the media saying otherwise can seem to overwhelm any reasonable discussions.
After the release of another gruesome beheading video, CBS‘s Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer (9/14/14) had this exchange with White House chief of staff Denis McDonough:
SCHIEFFER: Seeing this video yesterday leads me to believe that if we ever had any doubt about these people posing a threat to the United States, these videos would remove that. Are they a threat to our national security?
MCDONOUGH: There’s no question that they are a threat to our national security. What we have said is that we are not aware of any credible threats to the homeland right now.
Aside from asking a guest to answer a question you’ve already removed “any doubt” about in your own mind, it is strange to consider these execution videos evidence that the group poses a threat to the United States. They have executed people they have taken hostage in violent, war-torn countries. This is criminal behavior, to be sure, but the idea that they constitute a danger to “national security” doesn’t add up. McDonough doesn’t exactly clarify matters either, since he appears to be arguing that a group can pose such a threat without having intelligence about any particular threat.
But for Schieffer, the point is that there should be more of a sense of panic–which he made clear later on in the show during an interview with a Republican lawmaker:
SCHIEFFER: You know, your colleague, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, showed extreme frustration this morning. Here is just a bit of what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: There’s no way in hell you can form an army on the ground to go into Syria to destroy ISIL without a substantial American component. This president needs to rise to the occasion before we all get killed back here at home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHIEFFER: So, should there be more of sense of urgency about meeting this threat? We haven’t had any airstrikes in it seems like a week. And there have been three of these beheadings.
Clearly Schieffer was not playing a clip from a different Sunday show as an example of irresponsible fear-mongering. Instead, Graham’s nonsensical claim that failing to “destroy ISIL” could result in us “all get[ting] killed here back home” was presented as evidence that there should be “more sense of urgency about meeting this threat.”
As for “we haven’t had any airstrikes in it seems like a week”–actually, the CBS Evening News (9/11/14) had reported on airstrikes against ISIS three days earlier, in a broadcast that Schieffer himself appeared in. The Associated Press (9/13/14) reported more attacks on ISIS the following day–two days before Face the Nation. No airstrikes in a week or a day–what’s the difference when you’re trying to generate a sense of urgency?
And then Schieffer explained in his commentary where he’s coming from: “What kind of people kill the innocent, in the hope of impressing their enemies? These kind of people, barbarians, psychopaths. And who are they trying to impress? The video’s title page leaves no doubt. It says, ‘A Message to the Allies of America.'”
He goes on to explain what should be done:
There are still those who say all this has nothing to do with America, that ISIS does not really pose a threat to us. Sadly, ISIS does not seem to see it that way. And these videos make it clear. Yes, America is wary of war, but when fires break out, we fight them before they spread, not when it is convenient. We have no choice now.
Whatever it takes and, as the president said, however long it takes, this evil must be eradicated. These forces must be destroyed.
When the host of a discussion show says, “We have no choice now,” that doesn’t bode well for the show having a discussion that presents a full range of choices.
“What kind of people kill the innocent, in the hope of impressing their enemies?”
The US?
Israel?
Not on the networks, bubula.
What despicable terrorist in 1991 buried 12,000 Iraqi soldiers alive?
Oooopps.those were no terrorists..those were members of the US army.
” ” What kind of people kill the innocent, in the hope of impressing their enemies? These kind of people, barbarians, psychopaths. And who are they trying to impress?” ”
Who ARE you trying to Impress Mr SCHIEFFER? Perhaps one should look in the mirror? Because The Mirror is looking back at you.
We all get killed? I’m willing to give up my life if it means the end of Bob Schieffer, Lindsey Graham, etc.
SCHIEFFER’S a shill for the US Government and has no idea what he’s saying! I’m so afraid of towel heads driving broken down Toyota’s wielding AK’s! Oy vey!
If we put troops on the ground we’ll be doing exactly what ISIS wants us to do – go to war in the middle east so we will be even more hated by folks in that region. The more hated we are, they more successful they will be. The be-headings are designed to taunt us into war. Let’s be smarter than that!
“Aside from asking a guest to answer a question you’ve already removed “any doubt” about in your own mind, it is strange to consider these execution videos evidence that the group poses a threat to the United States. They have executed people they have taken hostage in violent, war-torn countries. This is criminal behavior, to be sure, but the idea that they constitute a danger to “national security” doesn’t add up.”
Yes and the same decapitation murder videos, supremely gratuitous in their intended function, seem to crop up whenever the US govt wants to horrify, frighten and anger its people into a pro-war mood. They appeared just when Bush needed a “surge” at a time when support for the Iraq war had dropped off almost into single digits. Before that they seem to have first appeared in the caucasus republics being supported by the CIA in war against Russia, seemingly to bait the Russian people into a similar reckless pro war mood. Remember that the US and its proxies have carried out some fairly hideous and utterly criminal “false flag” events and recently (the alleged Syrian sarin gas attack, actually carried out by hirelings of the Turks with US foreknowledge is one such example)
How come there’s no camera footage, drone, smart bomb, jet, satellite or otherwise of all this ISIS, ISIL, IS activity. Or our military responses? The bombing we’ve been doing in Iraq for a month? We don’t hesitate to show drones killing newlyweds, you’d think when they have a so-called legitimate enemy they’d be flooding the newswires with images…
Ever since the Gulf War in 1991, the US War PR machine has been really good about providing this kind of evidence and documentation of both the threat and the response.
So where is it now?
Also why can’t we settle on and agree to stick to one acronym for these guys? ISIS, ISIL, IS?
Why is the description, both from our war-mongers and these guys themselves so adamantly violent in their nature, like nothing we’ve ever seen since 9/11 and the New American Century…
…and yet they do these cheesy slick beheading videos that cutaway without showing the entire gruesome event. It reminds me of a movie trailer for a 60s blood-and-gore b-movie. It’s like they’re following the film ratings guidelines for what PG-13?
That seems contradictory for a group who on the other hand verbally insinuate they are not only our worst bloody nightmare, but damn proud of it. If that were true, why would they cutaway like that?
Unless maybe there’s more going on here than meets the eyes?
Any serious, out-of-the-box, non-parroting thoughts?
Hi Peter
I agree with you about the warmongering
there has been an ongoing genocide in Syria over the past three years, which claimed more than 192.000 lives so the ISIS inflated risk was invented to give a facelift for our administration, to cover up our indifference towards the atrocities taking place every day in Syria, on the hands of Assad’s and Hezbollah forces and militias,including the infamous chemical weapons that was once called a ” red line” , We wanted to create a new demon , so we do what we want to do , that gives the impression that lives and human rights are of no value to US administration, but some particular events are used to justify a response that is out of proportion to the risk. not only ignoring the suffering of the people, but potentially inflicting more suffering and destruction on civilians while ignoring the main reason their suffering, and allowing Assad, Hezbollah, and Maliki militias to continue committing their atrocities at the same time .
What a spectacular role !
How much propaganda and brainwashing does American peoples put up with? This government is so arrogant…Always talking about democracy.The government doesn’t even have that word in it’s vocabulary.Business comes first, let’s Kill,Drill,Spill and loot other nations.This is what you do best.
As an older, and hopefully wiser, working class man who was foolish enough to enlist in the Marine Corps and go off to the imperial war in Vietnam, I have an idea for future wars, including this one that may or not be happening against ISIS, ISIL, or whatever they call themselves at this hour. A national vote, ALL those 18 to 80 who vote FOR war get a uniform, weapon, basic training and then off to the front lines to fight the war they voted for. Those of us who vote against the war, we get to stay at home and get on with life. Your job would NOT exempt you from going to the war you voted for either. I’d be willing to bet there would be fewer wars for the US to fight in. Just my 2 cents worth.
Any serious, out-of-the-box, non-parroting thoughts? – Marcus
Hard to say, but I do think you have a valid point; they are not afraid of showing/watching people die, that is just part of the culture where life is not highly valued (not judging, just saying) and from the folks who have been there, be-headings in public are not uncommon. So that would raise a red flag.
——————–
@Charley. I say Lets do it, and lets make sure that the politicians who so chicken-hawkish are the real leaders – that is, Gun in hand, a backpack full of ammo, and a large flag attached to them.
As an “older, but not sure about the wiser part” Veteran of the same war (U.S. Navy, submarines), and also in the original “Iranian hostage Crisis” with a Father, Brother, Daughter, and two Nieces who have Vet Experience in Korea/Vietnam, Gulf War I, Gulf war II, and the Iraqi war (The two nieces actually were there when they pulled down the statue in Fallujah, and confirmed what FAIR noted, there was not a bunch of people standing around waiting to see it fall, unless you count the U.S. Military) I shudder to think of the direction this country and the military have taken. I see more in connection with the SS and the Fascists of Italy then country we supposedly fought for, to maintain freedoms. And looking back, it is now easy to see how we were duped by the Politico’s and the Corporations.
One thing that Micheal Parenti noted: When the tide of the war shifted in Vietnam and became unpopular, it had more to do with the fact the Corporate Lords and Masters suddenly realized they had pretty much sent all the working class people over there, and there was not going to be any for them to exploit here meaning they would have to do the work themselves, rather than any real political or moral shifts on the “Captains of Industry”.
We are supposed to have the ‘Eagles of Commerce’ and we are paying out the nose for them; but so far all I have seen of late is the “Cockroaches of Commerce”. If we rid ourselves of the folks like the Cock Brothers and the Wal-ton’s (6 of the wealthiest people, on the list of the top 10 Wealthiest) maybe we can go back to be a “nation of the people, for the people, and by the people”, not ‘Of the corporations, for the wealthy, by the politicians.”
The worst terrorist in the world is Lindsay Graham. We should elect him President.