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(h/t Heather)

Why on earth would anyone ask Bill Kristol's opinion on foreign policy when his percentage of being correct on any issue is somewhere well below the Mendoza line?

But on Fox News, having a grasp of facts is not a hiring qualification, though it appears that bloodlust is. Because in discussing North Korea's recent missile tests, the consensus among all the pundits is that it's time to go bomb North Korea. You know, Obama has had all of five months in office to show that his sissy diplomacy tactics could work and as per Mara Liasson, clearly, they've failed.

But it's "Brother Kristol" (when did Fox News hosts start sounding like Communist Party Leaders?) who so righteously earned his spot on the Worst Person list on Countdown by saying that it's probably not a bad idea to launch an attack or two (or a dozen) against North Korea:

You know, it might be worth doing some targeted air strikes to show the North Koreans, instead of always talking about ‘gee, there could be consequences’ to show that they can’t simply keep going down this path.

Funnily enough, this was the same advice he gave for Iraq. Problem was he didn't have any ideas about what we do after those air strikes. And we're still there in Iraq, losing lives left and right six years later. Then after Brit Hume, Juan Williams and Liasson weigh in with their eagerness to sacrifice other people's children, William the Bloody ups the ante, by raising the spectre of North Korea encouraging a nuclear Iran --NIE and signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty be damned--that leads to some ooga-booga scary Middle Eastern nuclear domino theory:

We have some huge priority in—correctly put a huge priority in trying to stop Iran from going to nuclear...going nuclear. If we look back-- if the Iranians look around and see that Pakistan went nuclear, no consequences. If North Korea is going nuclear, has gone nuclear, no real consequences, except a lot of talk of how it's not acceptable. Well, now we’re saying, ‘Gee, Iran is not acceptable too.’ North Korea is awfully important to Iran for a couple of reasons -- proliferation issues, they could actually help directly or indirectly the Iranian program, bu more importantly, the example. I do think the Obama administration to the degree that they really do not want four years from now looking at a world where Iran is nuclear and Egypt and Saudi Arabia is going nuclear and the entire non-proliferation regime has collapsed. They need to be, from their own point of view, in actually dealing with Iran, much tougher on North Korea, I think, than our previous policies have been.

Seriously, are we not paying dearly for your utter wrongness enough now? If you're so gung-ho for yet another war, Wiliam the Bloody, suit the hell up or shut the hell up.

Transcripts below the fold (h/t David)

WALLACE: First of all, and let me start with you, Bill Kristol, and this is always guesswork, what do we think is going on in North Korea, with nuclear test and the series of missile tests. Is this one more taste of them trying to create an international crisis, blackmail the world and get some payment out of it or does this indicate that they’re really determined to become a nuclear power?

KRISTOL: Well, they’re certainly determined to become a nuclear power. There appears to be succession struggle going on. It looks like the current dear leader isn't going to last very long, and you might… just might be involved somehow with that. Bob Gates said it would be considered a grave threat if they did more of this, and we would take it very seriously. But they, of course, have already proliferated. The Syrian plant that the Israelis hit in September of 2007 was a North Korean-constructed plant. So I think we have a real proliferation problem here. I do think…I do think Gates was signalling over the weekend that we're going to make a bit of a change to policy. He has to think about putting missile defense funds back in the budget. Strengthening the Proliferation Security Initiative which started a few years ago which they would have the right to search ships going into North Korea. And I don't rule out possibility of us deciding, and I think it might be the wise thing to decide, to knock out a few…they’re apparently rolling a long term missile to a base to test…a long range missile… to test another one. You know, it might be worth doing some targeted airstrikes to show the North Koreans, instead of always talking about ‘gee, there could be consequences’ to show that they can’t simply keep going down this path.

WALLACE: What is interesting…it was interesting, Juan, that in his speech, Secretary Gates said, ‘you know, we do this thing where they create a crisis, and we pay for it.’ He said, ‘I don't want to keep buying the same horse over and over again.’ So, at least he seemed to be signalling we're not going to have six-party talks and pay off the North Koreans.

WILLIAMS: No, and I think it's time for that. And I think picking up on what Bill was saying suddenly you have Defense Secretary Gates in a meeting with the top Chinese defense leader yesterday, Saturday. saying, you know what the Chinese now view this as a threat. And of course, China is the biggest patron of North Korea, contributing oil as well as food to keep them afloat. And so, if you have China now willing to participate…not only China, but also then Japan, which is threatened, willing to take action and South Korea willing to intercept ships that might be bringing the material to the north, I think you have a whole different ball of wax. But the key here this is now a crisis that requires immediate action. And it saddens me to say that President Obama’s willingness to say, you know what, I come with open hand to deal with you, Kim Jung Il. You know, he has responded with anger, launching these long-range missiles, now these short term missiles. Doesn't seem to me that you can do anything but take aggressive action against them because he’s a threat to world security.

HUME: Which raises the question of whether to continue trying to pursue diplomacy with China as a partner will work. I’m convinced, a growing conventional wisdom in Washington is that didn't work, that it amounted, as some critics to call it, to outsourcing American diplomacy and we ought to deal with the North directly. And so the Bush administration tried both. And it all failed. However, it is inescapable fact that China has real leverage with North Korea. If China were to decide to step on all this and say knock it off, that would have a powerful effect. And then the question then arises, well, does the United States and its weakened economic condition-- with China buying our debt and so on-- have any real leverage with China? I think the answer to that may well be yes. China needs the United States as a trading partner as much as we need China, and maybe more so. We are the great market for Chinese products. China cannot afford to see the U.S. economy go down and they cannot afford any kind of breach in our trading relationship. I think we may have more leverage than we realize with China. And if we can exercise that, that might have a powerful effect…

WALLACE: Would you consider Brother Kristol’s idea of taking out a missile on the launch pad?

HUME: I would. But I can't imagine this administration deciding to do anything like that any time soon. Which is why I'm talking about diplomatic options, because I can't imagine them going in any other direction right now.

LIASSON: Look, they can't take out a missile, unless South Korea is on board, because South Korea is going to have to bear the brunt of the consequences and blow back from that. And that is what has been so difficult about this issue. China wants stability more than they want a non-nuclear North Korea. They don't want whole bunch of North Koreans flooding over the border if that state collapses. But I do think that Gates’ remarks this week were really significant because it did suggest that the late Bush administration and early Obama administration approach has now failed. And we're going to have to look at something else, whether it's missile defense, you know, more aggressive interventions of ships coming out of North Korea, and maybe this is going to end up having nuclear-armed neighbors in that region. I mean, that might be been we're headed: to a nuclear-armed South Korea and Japan. I don’t know…he didn't talk about that. But I’m saying if it's going to be a fait accompli that North Korea is going to be nuclear, they don't want anything from us, they want to be nuclear power. They’re not just holding out for some goodie that we haven't thought up yet to give to them, we're going to have to go in a different direction.

HUME: I was going to say that, in effect, North Korea—I mean, South Korea living under the American nuclear umbrella is …really is a nuclear power in that sense. It would be different matter, it seems to me though, if Japan were to decide to amend its constitution and take steps in that direction, because I think that would really—that would really put some pressure on the Chinese.

KRISTOL: I mean, the other country [garbled] mentioned is Iran. We have some huge priority in—correctly put a huge priority in trying to stop Iran from going to nuclear...going nuclear. If we look back-- if the Iranians look around and see that Pakistan went nuclear, no consequences. If North Korea is going nuclear, has gone nuclear, no real consequences, except a lot of talk of how it's not acceptable. Well, now we’re saying, ‘Gee, Iran is not acceptable too.’ North Korea is awfully important to Iran for a couple of reasons -- proliferation issues, they could actually help directly or indirectly the Iranian program, bu more importantly, the example. I do think the Obama administration to the degree that they really do not want four years from now looking at a world where Iran is nuclear and Egypt and Saudi Arabia is going nuclear and the entire non-proliferation regime has collapsed. They need to be, from their own point of view, actually dealing with Iran, much tougher on North Korea, I think, than our previous policies have been.

WILLIAMS: One quick statement here. I do think that the Obama administration has the spine to act – they may not add more troops, but they are willing to act against North Korea.



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65 comments

cooperative with the US on the issue of illegal settlements. If only Iran and North Korea could be that nice.

Heheheh.

Oh oh, you better watch out. Uncle Joe will call you a racist pig. Don't you know that it's not allowed to criticize Israel?

Maybe we could drop William Kristol on North Korea...sort of like when Slim Pickens rode the bomb in Dr. Strangelove.

Of course, dropping Kristol on some poor, unsuspecting country would start a war for certain.

They wouldn't even know he's tbere -- he's too tall.
*

that doesn't even make sense...

Funny, i always think of Kristol as a little ventriloquist's dummy.

Kristol , , Rush , Cheney , Bush , Rove and other republican war hawks ran when it was their turn to serve ,,, yet they love to create wars to send our soldiers into battle to be killed..

I wouldn't wish that on our worst enemy!
That's like...like...biological warfare or or somethin, and surely defies the Geneva Conventions.

Hopefully Kristol is the last of his kind. FOX news is a scourge to the nation.

Drop a couple of bombs on people, and they fold instantly, right Bill? That happens everywhere, right? And it would certainly work on us, right?

God, what a fucknut. It was pointed out pretty soon after Iraq that the whole world was noticing the equation nuclear weapons=U.S. starts war, no nuclear weapons=U.S. doesn't start war. I didn't think that even William the Bloody would look at that and say "Yeah, that's fucked up - we should start a war with a country that DOES have nuclear weapons! Keep everyone on their toes!"

Liasson:

Look, they can't take out a missile, unless South Korea is on board, because South Korea is going to have to bear the brunt of the consequences and blow back from that. And that is what has been so difficult about this issue.

Yeah, those damn not-wanting-to-get-blown-up South Koreans are ruining everything!

the neocons seem to have no concept of how to create policy other then amending their same old tire points.

Bomb Iraq Iran North Korea.

$

M.I.C.

Bloody Bill needs to take both hands out of his pants and get a life.
*

when you get your pasty white arse down to a recruiting office to commit to a branch of the service that will more than likely see combat, and get yourself signed up by whatever means, we'll look into that for you.

has a better idea. Ignore them.

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/48154,features,...

"This must now stop. Negotiations with the North Korean regime have never yielded anything of significance for Seoul or the West. The latest provocation must not be rewarded. The North Korean aim is to evoke more attention, more offers of concessions, more gifts. They must receive nothing at all..."

Good point. No more gifts. North Korea needs talking down from the limb they are out on. Kim doesn't know who to trust.

He always says these things with that shit eating grin on his face. Does he have any relatives in the military? I'm guessing he doesn't.

These guys constantly moan about the devastating "liberal" redistribution of wealth, but they casually lobby for the redistribution of body parts.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I am so sick and tired of this chicken-hawk yellow elephant neo-con scum spewing their war mongering when they're too cowardly to participate in the consequences themselves!

This brought to you by the guy who thought McCain made the right move when he chose Palin as his running mate. Kristol had been hoping he would choose her long before he actually did. So how did that work out for McCain? Naw, I don't think we should listen to Bill when it comes to what is best for the country.

"There's almost no history of conflict between the Sunnis and Shia in Iraq" has to be number one. After that, I dunno; it's a matter of taste. Personally, I go for "Barack Obama will not win a single primary against Hillary Clinton," since, as a domestic proclamation, it shows a diversity of butt-headedness.

This brought to you by the guy who thought McCain made the right move when he chose Palin as his running mate.

Kristol was hoping for another PNAC* puppet in the White House.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_...

No matter how crazy Kim Jong Il seems to be, he IS AWARE that if he sent one missle that threatened another nation, the entire nation of North Korea would be one big fireball within an hour.
SO what's the real attraction? Do they have OIL or something?

here's a real world solution to the fnc pundits:

put all their asses on a chartered flight to n korea
and let them spew their hate directly to kim jong il,
i am sure he will be very receptive.

bill crystalnose is a fucking coward like the rest
of the fnc. maybe we could have a naked butt pyramid
with kristol, coultergist and malkin. we know the
sissy kristol will be on the bottom as receiver.

they did this before.

PNAC crowd is still trying to push for power. They wrote their "big paper" when Clinton was in office, acted on it with GW and are now getting the world ready for their next paper.

Brit Hume, POS, what happened to him? Was I a naive kid or has he always been this bat shit crazy?

Then he must have had a massive infusion of GOP koolaid.

But listening to him lately I gotta wonder. Did it start with the whole inbedding with the Iraq 1 war? Isn't that what gave Wolff his big start?

Brit just sits there and spews the GOP/Fox line. God, he creeps me out. Oh well at least Geraldo has kept his credibilty, that intrepid little investigative reporter.....

He used to be the White House correspondent for ABC I think. I was aboard USS Independence during Gulf war 1 and I saw a number of media types. I'm not aware if I saw Hume or not. Mostly, I just wanted them to get the hell out of the way and leave me alone to do my job. At some point he drank the whole neocon potion and like my dad, became an unabashed ditto head. I think that was during the Clinton years though because, for some reason, the cons just couldn't stomach Bill Clinton and they still work themselves into a lather over him and Hillary.

Bill Kristol - 2nd generation rightwing welfare queen and armchair worrior and 1st rate chickenshit!

Kristol and the rest of these people are fronts for the powers that be who pull the strings to make their mouths move.

What is really going on in Afghanistan/Pakistan and by proximity Iran. Watch China and Kazakhstan

Tomgram: Pepe Escobar, Pipelineistan Goes Af-Pak here

We are not leaving Iraq or Afghanistan anytime soon. The 'wars' are being increasingly privatized and there is precious little comment.

Obama Has 250,000 'Contractors' Deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and is Increasing the Use of Mercenaries

Jeremy Scahill, Rebel Reports via AlterNet

here

Makes me wonder how many of Bill Kristol's offspring are serving.

A party that cowers to a radio entertainer and allowed obl to change our country should never be in charge of national security.

Weak.

The republicans are toast. They just won't admit it. They are rotten at the source. They don't believe in democracy. They do believe in Rush Limbaugh. They do believe in O'Liely. Who is the MSM kidding now? America has to get over it - no more republican party as the official opposition - they are dishonourable.

Yeah, it's gone so well with the last two, why not another. I'm all in favor, so long as he is the first guy sent to fight.

Bill Kristol is from the LEFT not the RIGHT.

You want to know what we are still dying and killing in Iraq? Because Obama is controlled by the same Foreign Policy Establishment called the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the people who also happen to own the New York Federal Reserve. (Oh you thought the Fed's was not political?)

Neoconservatism by Irving Kristol (Bill's father), the founder--

Professor Kristol discussed his book Neo-Conservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea, Selected Essays 1949-1995, published by The Free Press. He talked at length about the development of his personal philosophy which began with Marxism in the 1940s. His outlook became more conservative over the years and the term "neo-conservative" was coined as a criticism of Kristol's work in the 1980s. He has since adopted the term as apt and descriptive of his thought. His son, William Kristol, formerly an aid to Vice President Quayle, publishes a new conservative magazine, The Weekly Standard.

http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=67045-1

Stupid is as stupid does.

I am a classical liberal and a member of the original Democratic Party, as founded by Thomas Jefferson.

Liberalism is not collectivism, it's just the progressives (i.e. fascists, literally) thought dumb Americans would be more hip to promote "liberalism" not realizing it's fascism.

I mean, they didn't even change the name -- The Third Way. It's the same name as Mussolini's economic program and the White House Chief of Staff is an official supporter via the Hyde Park Declaration on Aug 1, 2000.

PROOF: http://www.ontheissues.org/IL/Rahm_Emanuel_Pr...

Read the counter-argument at the Guardian (it actually proves my point) -

Why Tony is not a guitar-wielding facist dictator (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2003/jul/01/labour.comment

and if you think the "Third Way" is good, realize it is from the Fabian Society of London, founded in the late 19th century by British Imperialists. http://www.fabians.org.uk/

Fabian refers to the Roman soldier Fabius, who delayed battle into the right time to strike. Their website says they plan a gradual transition to socialism over time, rather than a revolutionary one.

These guys are evil and if the Democrats knew the truth, you'd be outraged! Economic Integration (GATT, NAFTA, SPP) is the Fabian Society's agenda. Don't believe their lies!

I'm gonna go kiss Rush's ass and apologize.

I'm gonna go buy me a whole shitload of Jonah Goldberg's book, 'cause he's right!

I'm gonna go join me a real fascist party.

And then I'm gonna laugh when the Anu'naki kick the Bilderberger's asses.

Let's just get rid of the republicani fascists first. We can deal with any other fascists after that.

You knew Thomas Jefferson?

Makes about as much sense as the definitions your selling.

Liberalism as referred to in this country means "socialism or the common good," basically doing what benefits the most people while allowing the maximum amount of personal freedom. Socialism and fascism are mutually exclusive. The term neoconservative along with neoliberal are used interchangeably.

Fascism is an authoritarian form of government based on bigotry, which takes its marching orders from the corporate and business elites.

Hmmm? Sounds like Kristol and the GOP to me.

"Bill Kristol is from the LEFT not the RIGHT"

that is pure lunacy.

... thinks China will just SIT THERE and do nothing while we wage war off their coast?

Why is it that these idiots don't understand the geo- and socio- politics here?

Why on earth would anyone ask Bill Kristol's opinion on foreign policy when his percentage of being correct on any issue is somewhere well below the Mendoza line?

I'm from a cricket-playing country so the Wiki link on "Mendoza Line" was appreciated, but I have to ask whether it's an appropriate metaphor. Surely even batting below .200 implies SOME ability to connect with the ball. Kristol's prognosticatory powers are positively cihcysp.

To employ a cricketing metaphor, the batsmen at the bottom of the order are known as rabbits, but occasionally a player valued for their bowling skills will be so dire with the bat they will be designated a ferret, because ferrets are sent in after the rabbits.

Sadly, while Kristol does resemble a ferret, he doesn't appear to have compensatory skills in other areas.

He resembles a lap dummy. It's the things he says and the faces he makes.

I would say he resembles a jackass. An elephant sized jackass.

I won't even watch a clip on crooks and liars of faux snews. You know before it starts that it is a lie and you cannot bother yourself listening to a bunch of paid liars. Bill kristol the man who has been wrong about everything he has ever said? Well fuck him chenny, bush, and all the faux liars.

It is always a painful experience to watch selfishly motivated lying and deception being broadcast throughout the nation. I still want everyone to know who the producers of FOX news are. The actors come and go and take their cut, but the producers control the narrative. The producers control their network agendas.

The producers have been complicit in the mess BushCo created. If the pruducers loose their bid for mind control over public opinion, they stand to loose a fortune. On the other hand, if they continue on the path they are on they may loose everything.

The "conservatives" of the United States have always hated diplomacy. Its one of the reason they tried to dismantle "Foggy Bottom" during the 1970s through their constant purges. Because of their hatred of diplomacy, they miss the basis for Kim Jong-il's "temper tantrum": Face.

Even though Kim is the "Dear Leader", his hold on power, like most dictators, is tenuous at best. As President Obama has offered to sit down with Kim Jong-il as "equals", Kim has to "show" his nation (and his generals) that he can still be the thorn in the United State's side, even though he wishes to sit down with President Obama. This is called "saving face". Its an age old game and I have a feeling that President Obama fully understands this.

I also think that China doesn't mind North Korea being an "issue" as it turns everyone's eyes away from other issues in regard to China. China can be seen as the game changer, the one who offers North Korea a way to "save face" while really doing nothing.

The conservatives need to leave foreign policy to the grown ups.

NONE of them understand the Koreans: they are a group unto themselves. After 12 years here, I know I'll never understand them, and I rub elbows with them every day. Up is down, right is wrong, pride covers all.

I never watch Fox clips: I can read about it. I just wanted to say 'doughboy' is a total fucking dick. He's all for war war war sitting behind that desk, looking overfed.

Those war profiteering checks from KBR and Blackwater buy lots of steaks and lobster.

Gotta find a new war. Billy and Rush want desert now. And they sure can pack it away.

PS

I don't want to hear the voices, or the message. I don't want to see their faces. I don't want even one bit of their poisin to mar my soul.

I know it's all lies and crap.

Bloody is the kinda guy that gets a boner and plays with himself under the table while blathering about the death and destruction of human beings.

Really.

Why this A hole is given any credibility or legitimacy is beyond me , he hasn't got it right on one damned thing and like the rest of his neocon pals is just a pathological liar , but alas the lunatics have a voice , Faux "news" . Truly Rupert Murdoch and Fox are a public menace , portraying them selves as loving their country and being patriots when in reality they are traitors and saboteurs . Bush , Cheney and the neocons could not have gotten away with what they did with out Murdoch and Fox , now we are in a hole so deep that we can't see daylight and these scum bags are still doing their thing , hoping Obama ( and the country ) fails .Need to declare a jihad on Fox , they need to be put out of business . Only in America !

Considering how much Kristol loves to rattle a saber -- agitating for war with someone or other practically whenever he gets the opportunity -- it sometimes makes me wonder if Kristol might not have financial ties to the defense industry. After all, if the United States doesn't have anybody to fight with, the defense industry doesn't make money. They don't put forth all that effort and investment into developing weapons technology simply out of academic curiosity -- they do it in order to make a profit, which they don't do unless the United States has some incentive to utilize the technology. Eisenhower (of all people) warned the country of the danger presented by the Military Industrial Complex, and it's no secret that the defense industry took a serious blow when the Cold War fell into its current state of cease-fire.

Kristol is dangerous, he is a well known neocon, as the post says, that helped lie us into Iraq. He is an ideologue who plays the political game too well, feels entitled, and gets promoted to spread his hateful ideas by Rupert Murdoch on the anti-American yellow journalism outfit Faux News. War is a very serious subject, only mature adults and true hawks, people who have seen war, are qualified to speak about it. Chickenhawks need to STFU. In a just world people who promote illegal wars like this scumbag would be serving time in prison.

tanks in Alice Springs and Kristol would be packaging toy soldiers in an Asian sweatshop.

I suggest he get his little cap gun, and high-tail his ass over to North Korea now. We'll have the military catch up with him later ... MUCH later.

Even if we dropped tactical nukes on North Korea, they would still overrun Seoul within 24 hours--the city is that close to the border, but geography is not one of Bill's strong suits. (BTW did I grab you with the subject line?) :)

Bill needs to ask himself, Does he want to pay higher taxes?

Does Bill have any family he can send in to battle?

How about Bill's Christian right American Doctor killer pals?

Talk about chumming around with terrorists?

Bill Kristol needs to shut up. Or maybe he should be Gitmo'd. Either one. I've had enough of his wars.

65 comments

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