WELCOME TO CRAZYLAND!!
Joe Klein had recently stated on ABC's This Week that using nukes against Iran must be kept "on the table".
Now progressive blogger Mike Stark has made him take those words back on the Jim Bohannon radio show.
First the pundwit's call for the Nuclear Option:
Klein: And, by the way, we're very much well liked among the young, educated Iranians. But this is not Iraq we're dealing with here. This is an ancient country, a very strong country, and a very proud country. And so, yeah, by all means, we should talk to them, but, on the other hand, we should not take any option, including the use of nuclea-....tactical nuclear weapons off the table.
Stephanopoulos: Keep that on the table?
Klein: It's absolutely stupid not to.
Stephanopoulos: That's insane.
Klein: Well I don't think we should ever use tac-...I think that...
Stephanopoulos: Well, then why should they be on the table?
Klein: Why?
Stephanopoulos: Why do we want that specter of crossing that line?
Klein: Because we don't know what the options on the other side...what their options are on the table...
...I think that when you're dealing in a negotiation you can't take stuff off the table before it starts.
This of course started an uproar. Now Klein has back-pedaled when Mike Stark called in:
Jim Bohannon: Right now let's talk to Mike in Albany, NY. Good evening Mike.
Mike Stark: You know, if you were to ask a random sample of americans who the Secretary of State was, I'd bet that less than 25% of the people could tell you.
Jim: I think that's optimistic.
Mike: Exactly. So while I'd agree that Americans aren't stupid because by definition we are of average intelligence, I don't think they are politically very astute. Thirty second commercials work for a reason... I guess my question is: Aren't we stupid?
[Stark: his new book is called, "Politics Lost: How American Democracy Was Trivialized By People Who Think You're Stupid"]
Jim: well you know, honestly, in fact, Mike anticipated where I was going with this. I think he makes a real point that to a certain extent, the people that think we are stupid have a case to be made.
Joe Klein: Well part of the case is this. We've come through this remarkable period - unprecedented period of peace and prosperity, of affluence. And during that time, politics really wasn't that important. You know, it wasn't a central event in people's lives and we have lost the habits of citizenship. There's no question about that. But I do believe that now, after 9/11, given the various events that are going on in the country and the world right now... I may be a romantic - in fact ya gotta be a romantic (Jim and Joe laughing) to be doing this for 37 years. I mean cynicism just won't cut it after a while.
...
Jim: OK, Mike, anything else you want to add?
Mike: Yeah. I did want to make one suggestion and that is that the media and pundocracy may have a lot to do with what I see as American stupidity. Now no disrespect intended, but one noted pundit last weekend suggested that, you know, it might be OK to nuke Iran. And I'm wondering, I have to ask about this... Have you thought through the consequences of that Mr. Klein?
Joe: what makes you think that I would be in favor of nuking Iran?
Mike: Just what you said last weekend that...
Joe: (interrupting) Did you watch...
Mike: (continuing) it should be an option.
Joe: Oh... Oh... OK. I said that it should be an option. And I do believe that it should be an option. But let me tell you what I actually believe about this. First of all, it should be an option and I think it doesn't do us any harm for the Iranians, if they are going to go around saying crazy things, to think that we might act crazily as well.
Mike: So it's not really an option...
Joe: No, but let me say this. It's not really an option because I don't believe that the Bush administration, given the disastrous foreign policy of the last five years, has the credibility or the wherewithall to act unilaterally attack Iraq (sic). And as a matter of principle, throughout my entire career, my entire career I've believed that we can only use force when we do it in concert with out allies as we did in the first Gulf War, as we did in Kosove when it was NATO. So for you to say that I am in favor of nuking Iran, you sound like one of those left wing bloggers who are so routinely innaccurate in everything they write about.
Mike: I am a left wing blogger...
Jim: Well, fair enough.
http://www.callingallwingnuts.com/...
Am I crazy or wasn't Klein saying we need to reserve tactical nukes as an option, then he blames the caller for appearing as a "left-wing blogger" for saying he said "it might be OK for the US to attack Iran".
Then Klein back-pedals all the way to "it is not really an option". THEN WHY SAY IT WAS AN OPTION AND TRY TO SHY AWAY FROM IT? Because Klein wants us to appear "crazy" enough to the Iranians to scare them into negotiating.
Sheesh!
Thank you Mike Stark, for calling him on his own stupidity.
"It's the Stupidity, Stupid!"
And it's Progressive Bloggers, NOT Left-Wing Bloggers, NOT Liberal Bloggers.
The media and pundits HATE to use the word "Progressive"--and so they never do.
Is that Mr. Klein riding his "option"?
Does his double-talk drive you crazy or is it just me? Did he take back the option or not? Crazyland Entrance directly below:
Update [2006-4-23 19:3:58 by Sherlock Google]: Mike Stark posts too down below. Kudos to Mike! Mike notes that Digby has more on how this is Crazyland.
Suppose your local police department suddenly threw out all the rules and started acting "crazy" on the theory that the criminals would get scared and stay home. Would that actually make your town safer or more dangerous?
This is such a deeply immature view that I honestly don't know these influential middle aged men are even allowed to drive much less be taken seriously on foreign policy. The United States is a superpower. We do not need to "act crazy." Indeed, acting crazy is the last thing a superpower should ever do. It makes others miscalculate because they think we are unpredictable and dumb.
Digby
