Last night, Jon Stewart blasted Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and other right-wing pundits on Fox News for lamenting diplomacy actually working with avoiding a war with Syria.
Though Lindsey Graham isn't alone in feeling that this successful use of diplomacy to achieve our goal is the worst defeat in American history.
9/15/2013:
DANIELLE PLETKA: I just don't see how this is a good outcome for anybody.
SEN. JOHN McCAIN, R-AZ: I think it's a loser.
JOHN LeBOUTILLIER: It ends up being a hand-off to Vladimir Putin.
PAUL GIGOT: I have never seen a fiasco like this from a U.S. president.
What am I missing? We might contain a dictator's chemical weapons stockpile without having to kill innocent civilians in the process, or invading a country and creating more.... There's only two explanations for how this fella there, the Wall Street Journal's Paul Gigot, has never seen a fiasco like this from a U.S. president.
A) He's only 6 months old. He's one of them, whaddaya call it there then, them Benjamin Button-type dudes. "I've never seen anything like this, cuz I'm a baby!"
Or B) — and he worked for Reagan, never seen a fiasco like this — Iran-Contra — or B) Paul Gigot doesn't understand what the word "fiasco" means.
"What?? A threesome with hot girls right now? But I'm supposed to go collect my lottery winnings. What a fiasco!"
(audience laughter and applause)
That's the only other.... Are those girls stock footage?
Listen to me. The only thing....
(audience laughter at graphic)
It's... only had to change one letter.
The only thing that they like less than that we're not bombing now, is that we might not bomb.
HEATHER NAUERT (9/15/2013): It appears that the threat of force has been taken off the table.
MICHAEL GERSON (9/15/2013): I think that it does take the use of American force pretty much off the table.
DAVID BROOKS (9/13/2013): I think the armed response really is off the table.
(Jon facepalms) It's not off the table. The armed response is never off the table. Who believes the armed response is off the table? This is America!! Have you seen the table?
(audience laughter and applause)
But look, those are the people who actually wanted to bomb Syria, and were somewhat disappointed. You can see why they're upset. What I don't understand is why some of the people who didn't want to bomb Syria are now also upset we're not bombing Syria.
FOX BUSINESS ANALYST (9/12/2013): Right now, Obama is, well, fortunately not fighting in Syria, cuz we don't want to do that, but Obama is giving up a very big leadership role.
BARRY McCAFFREY (9/15/2013): The good news is we're talking to the Russians instead of bombing the Syrians, but some of the rhetoric's been almost laughable.
JOHN BOLTON (9/3/2013): I would vote against an authorization to use force here.
JOHN BOLTON (9/15/2013): This is what happens when the President puts himself in a situation he has not thought through, when he flip-flops, when he dithers, he moves back and forth, he shows weakness and indecisiveness.
(Jon makes fun of Bolton's mustache) "You'd never catch George W. Bush dithering!"
"You'd never catch George W. Bush dithering his way into non-confrontation!"
You know, these guys preferred Bush's.... International diplomacy is like a gloryhole — you just stick it in and you worry about the consequences later! (audience groaner) Sorry, I was raised at a New Jersey rest area.
Do the hawks have any other complaints about our possible peaceful resolution on the issue of chemical weapons?
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, R-SC (9/14/2013): The mixed message and the debacle called Syria can't be repeated when it comes to Iran.
Don't you dare try to not bomb Iran, Obama! Gotta give Lindsey Graham credit for that one there. At least he said his point without raising the sounds of like a 19th century Southern belle.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, R-SC (9/14/2013): And I really worry about what's going to happen in Iran now. The Ayatollahs in Iran would be dancing, and the only reason they're not dancing is 'cause they don't believe in dancing.
(audience laughter and applause)
"And I say to you, good sir, you can't trust a gentleman who doesn't enjoy takin' to the floor for a stately quadrille." We'll be right back.
Video below the fold.
Jon then looked at some more instances of the new
Pope being awesome.
Meanwhile, Stephen looked at how the economy's only really gotten better
for the top 1%, and how Fox News pundits are still trying to
attack and shame those who are on food stamps.
He then looked at some of the
stupid racist reactions to the new Miss America being an Indian-American.
Stephen talked with military expert
Andrew Bacevich, and Jon talked with
Robert Reich, which went long. Here's the unedited interview in two parts.
Part 1
Part 2