Jon Stewart of course led off last night's show with coverage of Moammar Gaddafi's death. But he also showed how off the rocker the Republican Party has become, where just about nobody can even dare give Obama any credit at all for setting in motion the events that led to Gaddafi's capture and death.
Of course, the administration reacted to today's victory with relief and amazement, the Libyan people with gratitude and jubilation, but for one group, the death of Gaddafi, the dictator and major sponsor of international terrorism, would require more reflection, time to process and figure out how this good news could actually be... bad?
10/20/2011:
ANDREA TANTAROS: It's too soon to tell, as far as what this means for Libya. ... I think, again, we don't know what these rebels are going to do in Libya after they take over. There's a lot of questions.
JOHN BOLTON: If it turns out to be a radical Islamicist regime, or one that harbors international terrorists, we will actually have taken a step backwards. ... If we had acted swiftly and decisively at the beginning of this thing, we might have shattered Gaddafi's government near the beginning of the conflict.
Yeah, are we really sure about getting rid of Gaddafi? I mean, who knows? The next guy who comes in could be crazy! And sponsor terrorism! ... Oh, if only we had created this terrible, uncertain power vacuum/terrorism magnet more quickly.
Is there no one? Is there no Republican that can be gracious and statesmanlike in this situation? We removed a dictator in six months, losing no American soldiers, spending like a billion dollars rather than a trillion dollars, and engendering what appears to be good will to people who now have a prideful story of their own independence to tell. (Not to mention oil, they have oil!)
Anybody want to give credit?
10/20/2011:
SEN. MARCO RUBIO, R-FL: Let's give credit where credit is due, it's the French and the British that led on this fight.
SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY, R-IA: Not the United States so much, but France and England.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, R-AZ: I especially appreciate the leadership of the British and the French in this.
What the fuck is wrong with you people?? Honestly, what? What is wrong with you? Is it that... are you that small, are you that....? "Oh, you know what else, we really got to give credit to the Chinese, I mean, without the invention of gunpowder, I don't know."
Video and full transcript below the fold.
But I'm going to go right to the big news.
10/20/2011:
FOX BUSINESS WOMAN: Former Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi is dead.
NEWS MAN: Gaddafi was captured in Sirte, his hometown
RICHARD ENGEL: He was on the hood of a car, they had to prop him up, he seemed very groggy, according to one of the rebels involved in that situation.
ABC NEWS: He pleaded, "Don't shoot, don't shoot", but they shot him.
(nervous audience laughter)
You know why they shot him after he said, "Don't shoot me"? They're rebels. "Hey man, don't tell us what to do!"
Of course, with this sort of event, there's always the question of proof.
CHRISTINE ROMANS (10/20/2011): There's a photograph that has been published from the news agency AFP. We want to warn you about that, it's quite graphic.
(Jon mock vomits) How am I going to explain those shoes to my children? They shot him, and then apparently dropped a house on him. All right. So where did they finally catch Gaddafi? It's been months, a safehouse, a secret palace, a Bond villain-like bunker?
KYRA PHILLIPS (10/20/2011): Reports also that maybe he was in a hole, sort of like Saddam Hussein when he was found in a spider hole.
Really? A hole? Sounds like it's time for another one of my periodic segments where I give advice to dictators.
As long as it's just the tip. Anyway, hey dictators, what's up? Oh, is that new wallpaper in the rape room? Anyhow, hey listen, at some point the people that you've kept under your thumb for however many years are going to turn around and try to hunt you down. And at that point, you may find yourself with the urge to hide in a hole. But... unless you're the roadrunner and can do this:
I would resist hidey-holing. 'Cause at some point, the angry guys with the guns? They're checking the holes. You're welcome.
Now, when any figure.... Words to live by. They always go into the hidey-hole, and people always find 'em and kill 'em.
When any figure of some note dies, there are always, along with that person's accomplishments, inexplicable eccentricities and contradictions that complicate and fill out their life stories. But with dictators, these extremes tend to be somewhat amplified.
GRETCHEN CARLSON (10/20/2011): He is linked with notorious attacks against Americans.
BRIAN KILMEADE (4/11/2011): Gaddafi gives out watches with his face on them as gifts.
See? The first part of that sentence puts him in league with bin Laden. The second part, with Mickey Mouse.
KEN BLACKWELL (10/20/2011): ... a dictator that has repressed his own people ...
SHEPARD SMITH (2/23/2011): ... a hypochondriac, who refuses to climb more than 35 steps at once ...
I consider myself a pretty good hypochondriac. What disease is triggered on the 36th step? And why do I feel like I'm coming down with it?
But the thing about Gaddafi is that his fucked up weirdness stood out even among the fucked up and weird.
BRET BAIER (8/25/2011): Reports from Tripoli say rebels have found a photo album inside Moammar Gaddafi's compound filled with images of Condoleezza Rice.
JONATHAN MANN (8/20/2011): He was the strangest head of state I've ever met.
"Oh, I have pictures of Condoleezza Rice, I'm a naughty dictator. Oh, I'm naughty! I'm so naughty!"
Oh, you know what? That reminds me, I was playing Fruit Ninja earlier, you ever play Fruit Ninja? And I got a crazy high score. Somebody show this high score to Hillary Clinton. Would you do that for me? Thank you. (hands iPhone off screen)
HILLARY CLINTON (looks at iPhone): Wow. Huh.
Yeah! Fruit Motherfuckin' Ninja!
Actually, that was not Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seeing my Fruit Ninja score. That was her reaction to the news Gaddafi had been captured. Of course, in Libya, the news was met with no less astonishment, but understandably, less restraint. The celebratory shooting of the guns, the chanting of the victory slogans, and of course, is that gentlemen throwing a baby in the air?
"The dictator is dead! Finally the law aaginst throwing babides has been repealed! Wheeeeee! Wheeeeee!"
I never thought I'd say this, take that baby from that man, and give him an AK-47.
Of course, the administration reacted to today's victory with relief and amazement, the Libyan people with gratitude and jubilation, but for one group, the death of Gaddafi, the dictator and major sponsor of international terrorism, would require more reflection, time to process and figure out how this good news could actually be... bad?
10/20/2011:
ANDREA TANTAROS: It's too soon to tell, as far as what this means for Libya. ... I think, again, we don't know what these rebels are going to do in Libya after they take over. There's a lot of questions.
JOHN BOLTON: If it turns out to be a radical Islamicist regime, or one that harbors international terrorists, we will actually have taken a step backwards.
Yeah, are we really sure about getting rid of Gaddafi? I mean, who knows? The next guy who comes in could be crazy! And sponsor terrorism! I mean, hehe hehe hehe, heeeee.
So Fox News and John Bolton, very concerned that we don't know what's going to be there to replace Moammar Gaddafi. Oh, and there's one other thing that bothers Bolton.
JOHN BOLTON (10/20/2011): If we had acted swiftly and decisively at the beginning of this thing, we might have shattered Gaddafi's government near the beginning of the conflict.
Oh, if only we had created this terrible, uncertain power vacuum/terrorism magnet more quickly.
Is there no one? Is there no Republican that can be gracious and statesmanlike in this situation? We removed a dictator in six months, losing no American soldiers, spending like a billion dollars rather than a trillion dollars, and engendering what appears to be good will to people who now have a prideful story of their own independence to tell. (Not to mention oil, they have oil!)
Anybody want to give credit?
10/20/2011:
SEN. MARCO RUBIO, R-FL: Let's give credit where credit is due, it's the French and the British that led on this fight.
SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY, R-IA: Not the United States so much, but France and England.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, R-AZ: I especially appreciate the leadership of the British and the French in this.
What the fuck is wrong with you people?? Honestly, what? What is wrong with you? Is it that... are you that small, are you that....? "Oh, you know what else, we really got to give credit to the Chinese, I mean, without the invention of gunpowder, I don't know."
You know, it just.... How bad was it? Keep your eyes on Steve Doocy when Gretchen throws to commercial on Fox & Friends.
ANDREA TANTAROS: This administration said we're going to lead from behind. We talked about, is that a good strategy before? I don't know at this point. I mean, we let the Europeans....
STEVE DOOCY: Does it look like... it kind of looks like it worked.
ANDREA TANTAROS: It kind of looks like it worked.
....
GRETCHEN CARLSON: More Fox & Friends just around the corner.
Unless I'm mistaken here, Steve Doocy actually tried to console that woman as they left the segment. "Hey kid, look on the bright side. Obama's policies can't be vindicated every day." By the way, I'm no expert on body language, but I'm not sure she appreciated this.
"What the fuck?? Aaaaaahhhh!!! Get me to the Silkwood shower!!!"
We'll be right back.
the story of the Tea Party Nation leader who called on American businesses to stop hiring people simply to hurt Obama's re-election chances.
after he sent two boxes of them over there, which they found absolutely useless. LOL.