The world is entering a period of fantastic danger
This past week's "Two-Minute Warning"
I wrote the following words two days after the Hamas terror attack against Israeli civilians. I wanted to share them again because what I have been writing about for six months has come to pass.
The world is entering a period of fantastic danger. The cause of it is Iran, Russia and China. There is a new axis of instability that does not share the vision of freedom, plurality and prosperity that most Americans and our allies take for granted. They are trying to remake the world. What unifies them is a vision of a fading America, and the rising of a new age where the supremacy of the state, the party, the mullahs and oligarchs is supreme.
Iran has surrounded Israel with terror armies, and has repeatedly vowed to annihilate the Jewish state.
The American position must be simple and clear with regard to the promise of a 21st century Holocaust. Never.
Last night, there was a total and absolute failure of both American and Israeli deterrence as Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles at Israel. It must be re-established. Immediately.
This is hard to understand, but the lessons of history are clear: Israel must strike back to keep the peace. A failure to re-establish deterrence will invite more attacks, and in the end, a more dangerous war. Strength is the guarantor of peace. The simple truth is this: Israel must exist so that the Jews can be safe. The extermination of the Jews by Iran, which has promised to do it, is a threat that has jumped forward into a new zone where it must be confronted.
The situation is escalating now. The fire is spreading, and there has never ever been a moment of crisis in the world during which there have been so many unfit fools sitting in positions of political power in Washington, DC. Our tolerance for the legion of Marjorie Taylor Greenes stomping around Congress is going to be deadly. The age of silliness is at its end — like it or not.
This past week’s “Two-Minute Warning”
A far-right state senator from Arizona is facing backlash after he invited a prayer circle to the Arizona State Senate floor a day before the State Supreme Court rolled back women's rights to the 1800s. For this past week’s “Two-Minute Warning” on Scripps, I talk about why this act by Republican Anthony Kern was deliberate, and how Christian nationalism is infringing on America's separation of church and state:
"What unifies them is a vision of a fading America."
If America is "fading," it's due in no small part to Putin's hold on Trump's hold on the GOP's hold on the House's hold on Congress's hold on Biden’s attempts to prevent it.
“This is hard to understand, but the lessons of history are clear: Israel must strike back to keep the peace. A failure to re-establish deterrence will invite more attacks, and in the end, a more dangerous war.”
Sorry Steve, I respectfully disagree. To say “Israel must strike back to keep the peace is an oxymoron and counterproductive. Iran’s attack was an utter failure and we need to de-escalate.
If Israel attacks, it could start a regional war and the consequences will be devastating for the Middle East and for Europe and the US.
First off, Israel’s military is two-thirds a reserve army, navy and Air Force. They can’t afford a war of attrition against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and possibly Syria; it will destroy their economy which is the third largest after Turkey and Saudi Arabia in Western Asia with only 9 1/2 million people, compared to 85 million in Turkey and 35 million in Saudi Arabia. Their respective GDP’s are $2.4 trillion, $1.1 trillion and $600 billion (Israel).
Israel’s economy is mostly technology and service based; when half a million Israeli’s are called up for service, it will have a negative impact on their economy.
Additionally, if Israel responds then commodity prices will increase exponentially (especially oil and natural gas), at a time when most western economies are either in a recession, or on the cusp of a recession. If you think inflation is bad now in the US, it will only get worse.
Why is it your first impulse is to escalate the situation Steve? Israel attacked Iran first in Syria, killing seven high level Iranian officers. Forget the proxies, since Israel supports the MEK in Iran, which even America considers a terror organization and provokes Iran regularly by assassinating Iranian Nuclear experts and military and intelligence personnel.
I don’t disagree that Iran eventually should pay a price, but escalation right now will only make matters worse and help Netanyahu, and possibly even handing the presidency to Trump.
Netanyahu can’t be trusted. He screwed and disrespected Obama by addressing Congress without Obama’s knowledge, and telling them to oppose the JCPOA. How’d that work out for Israel? Iran now has enough enriched uranium to build several bombs, and could go nuclear at any time. The failure of the JCPOA also helped elect the most conservative Iranian government since the 1979 revolution.
Netanyahu also screwed the CIA and NSA after weaponizing Olympic Games, the virus known as Stuxnet after agreeing not to.
Bottom line, Netanyahu never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity; making matters worse.
Case in point: When Biden’s aides released to the media that Netanyahu was acting unreasonable and that the US supports a two-state solution, his response was to approve his right-wing government’s proposal to annex another 2,000 acres in the West Bank for more settlements. A true ally (sarcasm).
I support Israel but not with impunity, and it sounds like you believe that Israel should respond however it likes, which will and has always had bad outcomes for the US, while also straining our relations with our top European allies.
I know McCain is a hero of yours, but he was also a neo-con who never met a war he didn’t like. This isn’t the 20th century, and modern wars never achieve the desired outcome. Have we learned nothing from our overreaction to 9/11? Last I checked, our endless wars led to the rise of the Tea Party, and eventually Trump.
IMHO!