Sigh. (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)
:
The State Department “absolutely and fundamentally” disagrees with Gov. Rick Perry’s statement in last night’s debate that Turkey is ruled “by what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists.” [...]
“When you have a country that is being ruled by what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists," Perry said, "when you start seeing that type of activity against their own citizens, then yes, not only is it time for us to have a conversation about whether or not they belong to be in NATO, but it's time for the United States, when we look at their foreign aid, to go to zero with it." [...]
In a scathing statement, Turkey’s ambassador to the United States expressed his disappointment and concern over Perry’s comments, calling them “misplaced” and “ill-advised.” The ambassador also said Turkey receives no significant foreign aid from the U.S.
I can just imagine the State Department conversations. First they have to explain to the Turkish ambassador that Rick Perry is really, really stupid, and was probably mistaking their country for some other place. That leads to a whole conversation in which the ambassador wonders aloud at how someone so stupid can even be considered to be a potential leader of a country the size and strength of the United States, and the State Department guy just has to shrug, and say yeah, that's the system all right. But aren't you worried that if this jackass actually got elected, he'd go around bombing the wrong countries just because all those furriners looked the same and he couldn't keep track of them, the ambassador would ask? Dude, you saw our last president, the State Department guy says: Been there, done that. We spent most of the last decade hiding The Button from everyone in the White House, and we finally just swapped it out for a suitcase with a Jolly Rancher taped to the inside. George Bush would sleep with it at night. Consider yourself lucky your country has a name that these people can at least halfway pronounce, because that's half the battle right there.
Where was I? Ah, yes. The egregious foreign policy stupidity of the Republican Party causing, in the heat of trying to pander to a conservative base that cannot stand the thought of going through yet another decade without nuking someone, diplomatic incidents with allied countries who wonder what the hell these people are all going on about. I take it this is supposed to prove to us that Republicans are tough on foreign policy—so tough that they are even willing to take on imaginary enemies if need be, in order to prove their toughness. Good show. I wonder if Mitt Romney will feel the need to top this one.
