Blessed are the warmongers — redux

Just to follow up for a moment on yesterday’s item on Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) and his desire to launch a nuclear attack against Syria, there were a few things to add to the subject.

First, I was anxious to see how much play this received in the mainstream media, if any, today. The news was broken in the “Heard on the Hill” column on the front page of yesterday’s Roll Call, which is widely read by political reporters and staffers in Washington. Surely the fact that a sitting member of Congress, who bills himself as something of an expert on military issues, is actively supporting an unprovoked nuclear war with Syria would pique the interest of a reporter or two?

Apparently not. There were literally zero news items in today’s papers, not even in Texas. The only other news outlet to report on this was CNN’s Inside Politics (thanks for mentioning me on the air, Abbi).

Matt Yglesias noted yesterday that “the House G.O.P. is full of crazy people who don’t know what they’re talking about and are busy advocating that our government kill millions of innocent people,” but nevertheless concluded that “a properly functioning liberal movement would succeed in making a bigger deal out of this.” I obviously agree and will keep an eye on whether the media catches up on this story.

Second, I wanted to flesh out the unsatisfactory response from Johnson’s office.

Johnson’s chief of staff, Cody Lusk, told Roll Call, after it had obtained a copy of the tape of Johnson’s remarks, that the congressman “was just speaking to a crowd of veterans.”

The implication is that Johnson didn’t really mean it; this was some kind of attempt at humor from one veteran to a group of veterans, where irresponsible “macho” talk is expected. I’m afraid that’s not much of a response. Indeed, according to Johnson, the well-received speech in that Texas church was the second time he expressed his desire to launch a nuclear attack — the first was at the White House to the president of the United States.

Speaking at a veterans’ celebration at Suncreek United Methodist Church in Allen, Texas, on Feb. 19, Johnson told the crowd that he explained his theory to President Bush and Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) on the porch of the White House one night.

Johnson said he told the president that night, “Syria is the problem. Syria is where those weapons of mass destruction are, in my view. You know, I can fly an F-15, put two nukes on ’em and I’ll make one pass. We won’t have to worry about Syria anymore.” (emphasis added)

Simply “speaking to a crowd of veterans”? I don’t think so.

Maybe some enterprising White House reporter can ask Scott McClellan if this conversation occurred, and what the president thinks of Johnson’s idea.