Megyn Kelly’s brand of “straight news anchor” was on display again last night as, for the zillionth time, Fox exploited the dangers in the Middle East as a political tool against President Obama. In this case, Kelly suggested that President Obama's decision against "boots on the ground" in Iraq and Syria is setting up our troops to fail in their fight against ISIS.
Kelly was so busy focusing on a picture of an Obama-hating military, she never gave a thought to why President Obama might be so adamant about keeping American ground troops out of the fight. Well, other than quoting House Leader Nancy Pelosi as saying “been there, done that.”
For one thing, Iraq’s new prime minister has unequivocally stated he wants no foreign troops on Iraqi soil. In an AP interview published two days ago, Haider al-Abadi said, “We don’t want them. We won’t allow them. Full stop.” For another, it’s a politically sensitive situation and the U.S. does not want to be seen as targeting Sunnis.
But while Kelly occasionally throws in the administration’s thinking in her discussions about ISIS, she did not do so here.
Kelly’s guest, Fox military analyst and retired General Jack Keane, complained Obama had not bombed ISIS last week, on the night of his address to Americans. According to Keane (with apparent affirmation from Kelly), the delay means ISIS will be able to fortify its forces against air strikes. Even though Keane also claimed that Obama’s failure to strike Syria last year meant ISIS will not take him seriously now. If Kelly noticed the apparent contradiction, she did not question it. Compare that to how she pounced on a Muslim guest's apparently contradictory views on Yale's invitation to Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Instead, her voice dramatically grave, Kelly closed the segment by “just asking," “The question remains, then, whether the Commander in Chief is, in effect, setting our own troop up to fail.”
Watch the discussion below.
“Why doesn’t Fox ask the many all knowing military analysts, how many are working for the defense industry.”
EXCELLENT POINT. Mark my words: the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of them are probably NOT counting sheep in their sleep — they’re probably COUNTING GIANT $$$$ BAGS!
’Nuff said.
But for crying out loud, even he can’t possibly imagine that there might be some critical diplomatic or strategic reason for not going in immediately with guns blazing— like maybe the effort to enlist other countries? Hello? Or as you say, the pretty major need to not aggravate the political situation on the ground?
And it’s not just on Fox, but other channels, as well. It’s a piss-poor showing by our military leadership, if you ask me. The one exception in all these last months was Gen. Russel Honore of Hurricane Katrina fame, who doesn’t get asked about foreign military issues very often, more’s the pity. He was on MSNBC tonight and showed a subtlety of mind and an imagination about what might be going on that was an incredible breath of fresh air.
