Add this gem to the list of examples of what the far-right means when it talks about “supporting the troops.”
President Bush has repeatedly argued that the United States needs to “eliminate terrorist threats abroad, so we do not have to face them here at home.”
Last night on Hannity and Colmes, right-wing pundit Dick Morris also claimed that we need to keep U.S. troops in Iraq so that terrorists don’t come to the United States. But he argued that we need to put “Americans right within their [terrorists’] arms’ reach” so that they have the opportunity to “kill Americans” there. He added that therefore, “they don’t have to come to Wall Street to kill Americans. They don’t have to knock down the Trade Center. They can do it around the corner, and convenience is a big factor when you’re a terrorist.”
There was no indication that he was kidding.
It’s hard to overstate how offensive this is. On the one hand, Morris seems to believe U.S. troops should exist as human bait in Iraq, making them targets for terrorists’ “convenience.” And on the other hand, Morris is just foolish enough to believe that intentionally keeping American troops in harm’s way will somehow make terrorists disinterested in attacking the U.S. directly. It’s the kind of analysis one can only find on Fox News.
What’s more, it amazes me that, with the war in its fifth year, the right is still embracing the “flypaper” strategy. It disappeared for a while — I think some conservatives realized it’s a morally bankrupt argument — but if Morris is any indication, it’s back.
With war-related talking points, everything old becomes new again.