He's a never-Trumper, but that doesn't change the fact that that Bloody Bill Kristol still really loves the idea of dropping bombs on brown people's heads. This Tuesday, during a segment on MSNBC's Velshi & Ruhle, the Weekly Standard editor was none too happy when one of his fellow panel members reminded him of that fact during a discussion about the protests in Iran this week:
With the Iranian anti-government demonstrations intensifying recently (at least 20 people have now died after six days of protests) MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle convened a panel this morning to discuss the topic. Kristol, a notable #NeverTrump conservative, stated his view that one doesn’t have to like the president to hope that he uses sanctions to deter the Iranian government from using force against the protesters.
“I’m heartened by the fact that people from the Obama Administration are getting together with people who are critics of the nuclear deal,” Kristol said. “To say, let’s put aside the past disputes and help the Iranian people. This is a huge moment and we shouldn’t be distracted by disliking Trump or disliking Obama or liking Obama. Let’s help the Iranian people against their repressive regime.”
National Iranian American Council president Trita Parsi jumped into the conversation. Parsi believes that the uncertainty Trump has created in the region, specifically regarding the Iran Nuclear Deal, accounts for a major reason why investments haven’t come into Iran, and the economy has suffered. Parsi went on to state that the Iranian people had been “tremendously patient” with President Hassan Rouhani, but that patience has now worn thin.
“And the root cause is because investments have not come in because of the uncertainty as to whether the nuclear deal will survive or not,” Parsi added.
Kristol responded by claiming that one can be upset with the “very minimal sanctions” Trump has placed on the Iranian government and hold the view that POTUS’s policies “are not fundamentally effective,” while simultaneously “be[ing] more respectful of the Iranian people’s desire for freedom.”
Parsi took a shot at the conservative pundit.
“With all due respect, Bill, you have been arguing to bomb Iran for a long time,” Parsi exclaimed. “So I don’t know if you’re really respecting the Iranian people. You’ve been advocating killing Iranians.”
Kristol answered back that it wasn’t about him while wondering aloud if Parsi stood with the Iranian people against the regime. When Parsi said he did, Kristol yelled that they were both in agreement.
Ruhle eventually interjected.
“Bill Kristol is not advocating to kill anyone,” she said. “Let’s make that very clear.”
Not today Stephanie, but shame on you for giving him a pass for what's been coming out of his mouth for years.
