The Simpletons of Terror
Tucker Carlson & George Pataki display a shallow depth of thought
On the May 24th, 2007 airing of MSNBC’s The Situation with Tucker Carlson, Tucker Carlson hosted a discussion about Bob Shrum’s memoir on John Edwards with guests former Gov. George Pataki and Democratic strategist Stephanie Cutter.
See MSNBC Video: Beginning of the end for Edwards?
Former Gov. George Pataki & MSNBC host Tucker Carlson display a shallow depth of thought in their interchange on John Edwards’ rejection of the “global war on terror”. Not only are they misguided on the matter, but they actually seem to believe what they are saying.
Taken from the MSNBC video link of the show:
Pataki: But I don’t care what he (John Edwards) said in 1998 in private, what I care about is what he said last week that we’re not really engaged in a clash of civilization…
Carlson: Right.
Pataki: …against Islamic fanatics - We are, and that’s to me what disqualifies him as President.
Carlson: Well I absolutely agree with that.
Did former Sen. John Edwards really say that our country is not engaged in a clash of civilizations against Islamic fanatics?
Of course not.
When candidates were asked by Brian Williams at the first Democratic presidential debate, “Do you believe there is such a thing as a global war on terror?”, Edwards refrained from raising his hand in the affirmative.
Edwards explanation of his stance is quoted in Mike Allen’s piece for TIME, entitled: Edwards Rejects the “War on Terror”:
And now, in his first interview to explain his turnabout, Edwards tells TIME that he will no longer use what he views as “a Bush-created political phrase.”
“This political language has created a frame that is not accurate and that Bush and his gang have used to justify anything they want to do,” Edwards said in a phone interview from Everett, Wash. “It’s been used to justify a whole series of things that are not justifiable, ranging from the war in Iraq, to torture, to violation of the civil liberties of Americans, to illegal spying on Americans. Anyone who speaks out against these things is treated as unpatriotic. I also think it suggests that there’s a fixed enemy that we can defeat with just a military campaign. I just don’t think that’s true.”
Edwards clearly views the notion of a “war on terror” in a much more expansive light than the narrow, indoctrinated perspectives of Tucker Carlson and former Gov. George Pataki. Terror is a strategy, not an enemy. While protecting our country is rightfully the administration’s charge, Edwards rejects the “war on terror” as a battle cry and excuse for our government to do the unjustifiable.
Former Gov. George Pataki’s characterization of former Sen. John Edwards’ stance on terrorism is false, libeling, and deplorable.
Further along in the MSNBC video:
Carlson: How about his contention yesterday—he gave a speech to the council on foreign relations—saying that the war on terror is a bumper sticker. That there isn’t a war on terror, that there aren’t all these lunitics trying to kill us. What does that mean?
Cutter: Oh I think he believes that there are lunitics trying to kill us, but he also believes that over the course of the last six years this administration has reduced it to a bumper sticker slogan, not done anything about it, and that’s the problem. This has been a White House that has campaigned since day one and not governed. That’s the point that Sen. Edwards is trying to get across.
Pataki: I don’t think that’s the point at all. I think the point he was trying to make is lets look at domestic issues and forget for the moment the fact that thousands of people died on September 11th, and I think that’s wrong.
Did former Sen. John Edwards really make that point that we should look at domestic issues and forget about September 11th?
Of course not.
Based on such a faulty premise, it is remarkable that Carlson and Pataki were able to sweep up (seemingly intelligent) Stephanine Cutter into a conversation on how there has not been a terrorist attack in this country since 911.
While it is easy to disagree with Tucker Carlson and former Gov. George Pataki, they appear to honestly believe what they are saying. If we are to take them at their word, both Carlson and Pataki show a shallow depth of thought on what a rejection of the global war on terror really means.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1616724,00.html
>Update: Add former Gov. Mitt Romney to the Simpletons list as well.
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