Fox News cohost Lisa Boothe argued that a North Korean attack on Guam would be “kind of like” the ICBM missile tests that country has been launching.
On Outnumbered today, the lone expert out of five people opining about the North Korea crisis was cohost Marie Harf, a former State Department spokeswoman and a former adviser to Secretary of State John Kerry.
Not surprisingly, Harf was critical of Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric toward North Korea, especially his “fire and fury” threat.
HARF: I think right now we’re trapped in this cycle of escalatory rhetoric. I don’t know where it ends.
[…]
North Korea’s propaganda, domestically, depends on having an external enemy to hold up as the evil empire - as their enemies, basically, and President Trump, because of his language, is giving them an external enemy that they can use which can be very dangerous.
Boothe interrupted disrespectfully. “Oh, spare me. No offense, Marie, I am so sick and tired of the criticism over the ‘fire and fury’ comment.”
We can chalk up Boothe as another Fox News pundit sounding off on this deadly serious subject without a single related credential on her resumé.
When Harf had a chance to speak again, she asked Boothe, “If this rhetoric that President Trump has now escalated results in missiles being fired at Guam, [as North Korea has threatened] are you OK with that outcome?”
Snowflake Boothe didn’t seem to have a ready answer. So she resorted to the Fox News Conservative Default position: smearing a Democrat: “So just like turning a blind eye and the strategic patience of President Obama … that’s what led us to the current juncture.”
“Answer my question,” Harf pressed. “If this rhetoric leads to North Korea attacking Guam, are you OK with that?”
Boothe replied, “Kind of like the ICBMs that they’ve been launching our way?” As if there’s no big difference between missile tests and an overt act of war on an island with a strategic U.S. military base.
Predictably, nobody else challenged Boothe’s ridiculous answer. But her fellow fake expert, Joe Concha [probably still angling for that contributor contract], showed a little Trump love. After knocking the previous three presidents, Concha announced, “Rhetoric isn’t going to suddenly encourage Kim Jong-un to start launching missiles. He has gone ahead with this program regardless of how presidents have spoken.” He also went the extra mile by complaining about “media bias” against Trump.
Then Fox Business host Trish Regan demanded, “Democrats should back off on this one because we should be a united front.”
Memo to Regan: A united front begins at home or, in this case, on the Fox News set.
Watch how Fox, even as the country faces potential catastrophe, puts politics above information and professionalism below, from the August 10, 2017 Outnumbered.
“Elections have consequences, and this is a very serious one. I again hope that the millions of Dems who refused to vote last November are paying attention. Had they actually shown up, this scenario would not now be unfolding.”
How right you are Kevin — and in my honest opinion, I definitely believe the “Bernie-or-bust” voters who refused to bite the bullet by not voting last November or by THROWING THEIR VOTES AWAY by voting for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein should be paying VERY CLOSE ATTENTION as well! Because mark my words: if (heaven forbid!) this scenario results in war, THE DRAFT WILL BE INSTANTLY REINSTATED — and the groups of voters we mentioned (or their military aged loved ones) will be the first ones on the front lines — I GUARANTEE IT!
Of course, this confrontation will result in a horrifying amount of death and destruction, but it does not appear that the Right Wing cares much about that – Hannity’s smug faux-concern from last night notwithstanding. The reality is that the Right thinks Trump can somehow get a “win” here if he can devastate North Korea quickly, and even if North Korea bombs the heck out of the region, that’s far away from us anyway, right?
So how does this play out, given that the Pence White House has no idea how to handle an international conflict and Donald Trump only knows how to beat his chest? Most likely, as Dana Perino has stated, the North Koreans will carry out their promise to attack Guam, and we’ll hear about launches on Tuesday morning. Trump will then demand an overwhelming response so that he won’t appear to be wimpy. The North Koreans, seeing our launches, will then retaliate with everything they have, since they’ll have nothing to lose. Which spells disaster for multiple countries in the area, and may even include launches to distant targets. All of this will happen on a single day, and while the bodies are being counted, Trump will undoubtedly Tweet about his big victory.
I would be happy to learn of another alternative, but we simply don’t have anything else in the offing. This group does not understand diplomacy or channels – they only understand how to look butch for their base.
Elections have consequences, and this is a very serious one. I again hope that the millions of Dems who refused to vote last November are paying attention. Had they actually shown up, this scenario would not now be unfolding.
