“Straight news anchor” Megyn Kelly just about lost it last night when retired General Wesley Clark, refused to cave to her dictates about using the term “Islamic terrorism.”
Clark tried to explain to Kelly that there is a “real threat from extremist interpretations of Islam” but that there are other forces creating turmoil and instability in the Middle East right now.
Kelly could not have seemed less interested. She interrupted Clark to ask again why the administration doesn’t use the term “Islamic militants.”
“It’s not just radical Islam,” Clark tried again. He went on to say that "radical Islam" was used as an excuse to fight in Afghanistan.
But that was so not-the-Obama-administration ago! Kelly interrupted to point the finger back where she wanted it. “We cannot be controlled by fear right now in facing this enemy!” Kelly declared. As if saying the magic words represented a courageous, terror-fighting strategy.
Clark said, “of course” we should not be controlled by fear. But, he added, “You’re not going to deal effectively with this threat unless you understand what the source of it is. It’s not just the zealousness of radical Islam. It’s fed and fueled by the geo-strategic ambitions of powers in the region.”
Kelly said, “Mm-hmm,” as if to signal she cared. But she again interrupted Clark to make it more about Obama and his supposed failures, as alleged the night before by retired General Jack Keane.
“Let’s just go through it quickly,” Kelly said. She started barking “questions” at Clark about Obama’s policies.
Unfortunately, like so many other Democratic guests on Fox, Clark reacted as though he were partaking in a substantive interview rather than being used as a pawn in Fox News’ anti-Obama propaganda.
For example, Clark tried to answer Kelly’s “question” as to whether Obama should have left troops in Iraq after our withdrawal date. “It was Iran behind the scenes with the Malaki regime which, no matter what the United States had done with the negotiations, Iran was going to find a way to wedge us out of Iraq,” Clark said.
Kelly snapped, “Why make it easy for them?” And then she "asked" again, “Why won’t the administration refer to it as ‘radical Islam?’ Are they wrong not to?”
Clark said she’d have to ask someone from the administration.
Instead of accepting Clark's position, Kelly start shouting.
KELLY: I’m asking you! …Are they being too politically correct? Because it irritates people when they see that! … Yes, it is about religion! … Don’t tell me this has nothing to do with Islam. It does!
So let’s compare Kelly’s churlishness here to her blatant admiration for Obama-vilifying Keane the night before (the second video below).
Keane accused the administration of being “paralyzed by the fear of adverse consequences in the Middle East” and suggested that President Obama is to blame for the increase of radical Islam in the last five years. Kelly asked for nothing like proof nor did she point out that other forces might be responsible – such as the Bush administration’s unnecessary invasion of Iraq in the first place. None other than Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul has said we should blame Bush, not Obama for ISIS.
Instead Kelly sent several overt signals to her viewers to validate Keane’s anti-Obama views:
KELLY: You went through in your testimony either the number of missed opportunities or just general reticence to get involved when we could have made a real difference in stifling this growing cancer.
You talk about Iran, you talked about, obviously, Iraq and ISIS and told a very interesting anecdote because you helped a lot in Iraq. You were the man who designed the surge strategy. I know you’re very humble about this but you did it, that won that! That won that conflict! And you talked about how in 2008, you were made privy to communications from the enemy! From Al Qaeda! In Iraq, about where they stood then, before President Obama decided to pull all the troops out. And tell us what you told the lawmakers today.
“Straight news anchor?” I don’t think so!
Compare and contrast Kelly’s querulousness with Clark, from last night, with her fawning over Keane the night before, below.
The Serbia war operation was worse than a mistake. But Clark is correct about ISIS in Syria. The West created it through their proxies Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Moreover, Syria is a secular state. Bashar Assad is a secular Alawite married to a Sunni. He speaks four languages fluently and is a medical doctor. That’s why the West wants to vilify him and get rid of him – they’re jealous of his intelligence and decency.
Well, for a wingnut chickenhawk like Meg, it does . . .
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