CO-Sen: Ken Buck, foreign policy genius

Remember Sharron Angle's brilliant response when pressed for her position on Iraq and Afghanistan? "You know, the two wars that we are in right now are exactly what we are in."

That's hard to beat, but Ken Buck almost manages to.

BUCK: The first thing I think we need to do is to make sure that Afghanistan is not a safe haven for terrorists. And when I say safe haven, I’m not talking about that there isn’t a possibility of a terrorist in Afghanistan. I’m saying that when you look at other countries similarly situated — Somalia, Yemen, other countries — that Afghanistan is at least as safe as those countries.

One would almost think Buck really has no idea about what's happening in Yemen and Somalia, but that those were just place names he'd heard of in conjunction with Afghanistan so that's what he went with. For the record.

[T]he terrorist activity in Somalia and Yemen practically make them the antonym of “safe haven.” With “no effective government” in place, Somalia has long been an “attractive location for terrorists,” including al Qaeda members.

More than 1.5 million Somalians “have been displaced as a direct result of the terrorist activities.” Yemen is also “a major new battleground for al-Qaeda.” Beginning with the suicide bombing of the U.S.S. Cole, the burgeoning al-Qaeda franchise in Yemen has executed a series of terrorist attacks that put it “at the forefront of the next wave of jihad.

Memo to GOP Senate leadership: if this guy manages to make it to DC, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee might not be the best fit for him.