O’Reilly And Krauthammer Play War Games With Iran

It speaks volumes about Fox News and its leading show, The O’Reilly Factor, that it discussed a potential military conflict with Iran with political pundit Charles Krauthammer rather than a military expert on Monday night (1/2/12). I’ve got a lot of respect for Krauthammer who, admittedly, has a lot of foreign policy cred. But neither he nor Bill O’Reilly have ever served in the military. And they were each cheerleaders for the Iraq war. So I got more than a little queasy watching these two argue that the U.S. should up its bellicosity with Iran because even if it does lead to war, we win.

O’Reilly said, “It would be to America’s advantage if (Iran) did try to close the Straits of Hormuz because then the U.S.A. would be justified, as would NATO, in taking out their entire Navy and Air Force, which they could do, we could do, in a week.”

O’Reilly’s voice rose with disturbing enthusiasm as he added, “We could obliterate every plane they have, every ship they have!”

Krauthammer said, “And that could even expand and extend to attacking other facilities, the missile facilities or even the nuclear facilities.”

According to these two, this kind of likely retaliation is why Iran will not close the Straits of Hormuz and why Obama should therefore draw a harder line.

Krauthammer and O’Reilly may be right that Iran is bluffing. But playing a game of brinksmanship has its own risks and is the kind of thing that could inadvertently lead to war.

One gets the distinct impression that while each claims that’s not likely to ensue, they won’t mind a bit if it should happen to come to pass.

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Showing 18 reactions

Robert Urban commented 2012-01-05 22:11:42 -0500 · Flag

I heard an ex Bush Military adviser (can’t remember who) let it slip that Bush administrations invasion of Iraq was intended to be a staging ground for a war on Iran but it got so muddled up in 2004 and 2005 that the plan fell thru.

Thx4 Fish commented 2012-01-05 18:33:14 -0500 · Flag

Some people say we chose an invasion of Iraq in the first place to see how we might do later on in a fight against Iran. Iran is much, much bigger, stronger, and well-armed than little ol’ Iraq was. Bill probably doesn’t want to hear what the military thinks of his desire to mix it up with Iran, and his analysis that their complete military destruction would be over in a week. Like that’s the important part. Bill doesn’t give a fig for the troops he’d send into another meat grinder occupation, because all he’s ever had to do is tell the troops ‘thank you.’

el84 commented 2012-01-05 10:53:50 -0500 · Flag

They want to go to war so their buddies in the military-industrial Halliburton complex can reap more massive profits off of dead Americans and dead foreign “enemies”. It’s all about the money. Kill infidels for dollars is the Fox Christian Nation motto.

Richard Santalone commented 2012-01-05 06:59:44 -0500 · Flag

From jumpinjezebel’s comment:

“Two old war hawks have empty nest syndrome.”

Actually, a more appropriate term for O’Lielly and Kraphammer would be two old PFCs:

P — PRIVILEGED
F — FASCIST
C — CHICKENHAWKS

John Martin commented 2012-01-05 00:51:31 -0500 · Flag

Bildo continues to dazzle with pre enlightonment medieval reasoning.

NotSoFast commented 2012-01-04 23:34:12 -0500 · Flag

Bush had 8 years to do something about Iran. He squandered 8 years, doing nothing to bring about peace between Arabs and Israelis. Attacking Iran might sound good to a shallow intoxicated mind like Bill’s, but it would only make things worse.

jumpinjezebel commented 2012-01-04 23:28:00 -0500 · Flag

Two old war hawks have empty nest syndrome.

NotSoFast commented 2012-01-04 20:39:28 -0500 · Flag

Real patriots don’t try to commit our troops to attack a country we are at war with.

Average American Patriot commented 2012-01-04 19:53:38 -0500 · Flag

Here is a question for Billdo the Theologian.

God chose to put all of our oil and strategic interests under the control of crazed mooselins. Tide* goes in, Billdo’s stains still on.

Answer THAT, Billdo.

Now, in all seriousness, Billdo and Charlie Frankenstein were telling us how Chimpocracy would spray like wild fire across the M.E.

It only took some 4500+ American lives, along with a few thousands maimed, and some 800 BILLION of tax payer’s money.

Yes, Biilldo. This is about the perfect timing to launch another wasteful war, just as the troops are coming back from Iraq.

MORONS!

Dustin Culbertson commented 2012-01-04 19:46:58 -0500 · Flag

when you send a person to war you are sending them to kill not just a fellow human being but your sending them to kill someones son or daughter someones husband or wife someones brother or sister someones farther or mother your not just killing a person but your breaking apart someones family so to speak of war like its some sort of game is truely sick and disturbing

Robert Urban commented 2012-01-04 19:20:09 -0500 · Flag

Round up all these warmongers and use em as human shields. I bet they won’t be so anxious to start conflicts anymore.

Robert Urban commented 2012-01-04 19:18:09 -0500 · Flag

“We could do it in a week.” Wasn’t it these two idiots that also said Iraq could be sewn up in a couple of years? It’s nice to send OTHER people to war but don’t ask ME to serve. Jackasses, the both of em.

Aria Prescott commented 2012-01-04 19:02:24 -0500 · Flag

Bill wants war so bad, how about he spend that week on the front lines against ground troops? That way, everyone wins- he gets fatal gunshot victims by the dozen, all the falafel he can eat in his downtime and America gets a week where we get to have nothing short of the molten core of this freakin’ planet keeping him at bay.

Tell me that isn’t the perfect deal.

truman commented 2012-01-04 18:42:09 -0500 · Flag

Corporal Bildo and PFC Kraphammer. Two proud members of the Faux Chickenhawk Brigade. The Brigade’s motto is: We love wars that other people fight.

patrick tolle commented 2012-01-04 18:19:32 -0500 · Flag

Nothing new in two people who know they’ll never have to bear arms being enthusiastic about sending other people’s kids off to die or be maimed. Plus I expect that neither of them needs worry about the effect on the price of oil and gasoline such actions would have.

Kent Brockman commented 2012-01-04 17:22:38 -0500 · Flag

Amerika winning a war in the Gulf would give Obama a lock on 2012. It’s like Fux Nuze would have to call it a “win lose” event.

Killer O’Reilly would say

We stopped the Devil in the ME with our Devil in the WH. Oh dear…

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OâReilly And Krauthammer Play War Games With Iran