As you must be aware by now, ten US sailors were detained by Iran for straying into Iranian waters. In a matter of hours the situation was put to bed right after the SOTU and our people were being returned.
Before any real news was reported outside of that, Republicans began a furious meltdown, going as far as wanting to start a war with Iran, immediately.
But last night, while the process was being worked out and the sailors were still being held by Iran, Rep. Louie Gohmert appeared on Dana Loesch's television and delivered a predictably Gohmertian response to the situation by declaring that the United States should put our armed forces on high alert and inform Iran that we will begin destroying its naval fleet if the sailors are not immediately released."
Even though Rep. Louie Gohmert is an extreme example of insanity, he's still a U.S. politician pushing us into war.
Last night on MSNBC, former John McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt, was outraged by the Iranians and attacked President Obama over their capture. He wanted Obama to address it during the speech, but Chris Matthews pointed out that Schmidt was relishing this new incident because it strengthens the GOP in their quest for the presidency.
As Digby wrote yesterday:
These right wingers are sounding more and more like gangsters every day and I wonder what they're teaching their children. Considering their reaction to events like this I have to assume they're saying their kids have a right to do anything they want and if for some reason they break any rules they have no obligation to say their sorry and should probably hit whomever it is who's calling them to account for it. And to think they used to be called "the grown-ups."
Grown-ups, they are not. The rest of the Republican conservarazzi joined in and displayed pure arrogance at the Iranian nuclear deal as well as how the administration was handling foreign affairs.
Rupert Murdoch tweeted this:
O speech proclaims great virtue of Iran nuclear deal.
Tomorrow's headlines: "Iran grabs ten US sailors"!
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) January 13, 2016
Media Matters captured these tortured souls.
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Well that I was think the most, sort of the element in that speech that showed you how disconnected he was. As he was speaking, the United States was having at the best, being thumbed at by the Iranians, at worst being treated with contempt. The same way they treated Obama with contempt since he signed the Iran deal with the illegal ballistic missile tests, to which we have responded with nothing. The seizing of a couple of Iranian Americans, the sentencing of The Washington Post journalist. Their -- the live fire of rockets by the Revolutionary Guards in the Persian Gulf within 1500 yards of American warships. They are completely unmolested, unrestrained. Clearly what the Iran deal has done is to restrain the United States and to self-deter Obama. And that is something he simply won't recognize.
KELLY: We're about to give these people $150 billion. [Fox News, The Kelly File, 1/12/16]
Morning Joe added this:
John McCain weighed in:
"Ten American sailors have been taken into custody in Iran," he said in a statement. "But President Obama completely omitted this latest example of Iran's provocative behavior so as not to interfere with his delusional talking points about his dangerous nuclear deal with Iran
So did Mitch McConnell:
"I was very concerned that he's missing where the challenge of the world is with security -- he sits and talks positively about Iran when they just took 10 of our Navy sailors," he said after the speech.
As you can imagine, many candidates getting ready for the latest GOP presidential debate Thursday night had a lot to say as well
GOP front-runner Donald Trump, speaking at a campaign rally in Cedar Falls, Iowa, said the incident highlighted that the U.S. "isn't the same country."
"It's just an indication of where the hell we're going," Trump said. "I mean, hopefully, they get released and fast. But it seems to be an indication of where we're going."
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson tweeted: "While POTUS is preparing to talk about his so called "accomplishments", 10 of our American sailors are being held by #Iran."
And former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush tweeted: "If our sailors aren't coming home yet, they need to be now. No more bargaining. Obama's humiliatingly weak Iran policy is exposed again."
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also joined in the Obama-bashing. "This is the latest manifestation of the weakness of Barack Obama, that every bad actor ... views Obama as a laughingstock," he said.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum demanded the sailors' immediate return.
"WH says our sailors are being given courtesies? This is feckless. WH is endangering our troops. Demand their return NOW!" he tweeted.
As usual, they all made themselves look like petty, petulant children.
