The recent seizure by Iran of two small, American naval vessels was an unfortunate incident made more unfortunate by the conflicting explanations we thus far have been given. However, excepting that, the incident was handled correctly and successfully.
If the boats were in Iranian waters, and there has been nothing to date to counter that claim, Iran was within its rights to intercept them. Imagine our Coast Guard intercepting armed, Iranian Navy boats off the coast of Florida. However, our boats having been intercepted, diplomacy prevailed. The Iranians exercised their right to defend their borders, and we got our people back promptly and without mistreatment. That is a tribute not only to the diplomacy of the moment but to all the hard work, previously, to establish the diplomatic channels that were used. One can hope that the resolution of this incident will further improve those channels.
An unfortunate incident happened, as they do, was resolved peacefully, and that was that – unless you’re a Republican running for office. They are in a hard place. They fell all over themselves screaming about the weakness that allowed Iran, part of the axis of evil or the evil axle or whatever, to hold our people hostage. Except they didn’t. Our people are out, and all without anyone getting carpet bombed. However, Republicans don’t dare back down, now. They’ve chummed the waters, and the sharks are hungry. Who among Republicans is man enough or woman enough to say to the base, “Oh well, it all worked out and for the better.” Apparently none of them. So, all they can do is rant that the Iranians would not have grabbed our boats to begin with if a real man (a white man?) were running the country.
The next question, then, is who among them thinks he is man enough or woman enough to put the fear of Jesus into the Ayatollah and the Majlis? Apparently all of them. But how would that work? Would Ted Cruz paint his face black and send in the Buffs? Would Donald Trump sue them? Would Marco Rubio repeat one of his canned responses to whatever topic was closest – probably the balance of trade? Would Jeb! even manage to rouse himself? If you want to run the world like Vito Corleone ran the mafia, you have to be willing to kill a horse or two along the way.
In the real world, though, it’s not horses that would die. It is people, and probably a lot of them. Generally, I try to avoid calling people idiots, though I admit to not having sufficient self-control all that often. Here, though, it is to make two points from one. What makes the Republicans idiots, here, is not only that they essentially called for war over nothing but that they have run campaigns and generally have created an atmosphere that has left them no alternative but to call for war over nothing, maybe even pre-emptive wars over potential nothings.
* Here’s an updated example, as if one were needed: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/louie-gohmert-wanted-start-bombing-iran-over-captured-sailors?utm_medium=email&utm_source=botb&utm_campaign=rightwingwatch
I hope Democrats are keeping video of all the Republican rending of garments and pounding of chests and that they use it liberally (so to speak) in the general election. Republicans think they have a winning issue in foreign policy. Instead, they don’t even have a way to gracefully accept a peaceful victory. They have only war and death.
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