Rep. Sam Johnson: Let's Nuke Syria

David Corn, as many readers of this blog know, is a liberal who actually gets a modicum of face time with and the occasional ear of the American corporate press. In his role as liberal barker, Corn is more effective than, say, Mark Shields; and roughly on par with with an occasionally angry E.J. Dionne.

All too often, Corn plays into neoCon hands with his self-consciousness about being perceived as the "fringe left" which includes yours truly. That's okay with me, as the feeling is mutual. Corn's observations are usually lucid; his conclusions less so. Often, he's still slow on the uptake, a common affliction among the America's Royal Punditry. Still, when he's good, he's very good. Yesterday, he was very good.

A Bloodthirsty and Idiotic Republican

After the first American war against Iraq, the first President George Bush boasted, "We kicked butt." This was a rather unseemly way for him to express his regrets that poor Iraqi civilians had to be killed in the course of a supposedly unavoidable war. No, it showed a thrill-for-war more appropriate for adolescents in a locker room than an adult in the Oval Office. More recently, Marine Lt. Gen. John Mattis said, "Actually it's quite fun to fight [the Taliban rebels in Afghanistan], you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people." In response, Gen. Michael Hagee, the Marine commandant, issued a statement claiming that Mattis had merely "intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war." I can appreciate a commander standing by his troops. But this was the worst spin. No, Mattis had said the opposite: war is fun, a "hoot." Fortunately, not all military people share Mattis' perspective. "I was a little surprised," retired Vice Adm. Edward Martin told CNN. "I don't think any of us who have ever fought in wars liked to kill anybody." Well, he seems to have been wrong.

Now Mary Ann Akers of Roll Call newspaper is reporting that Republican Congressman Sam Johnson told a group of veterans he wants to get in on the bloodlust and nuke thousands of Syrians. While speaking at a veterans' event at a United Methodist church(!) in Allen, Texas, on February 19, Johnson said that he was recently chatting with the second President Bush on the White House porch and informed Bush that he believes those nonexistent WMDs are in Syria. Recounting his conversation with Bush, Johnson said he had told Bush,

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.

According to Roll Call's Akers, who was given access to a tape of the event, the "crowd roared with applause."

Johnson and his supporters are ignorant barbarians. First, as both David Kay and Charles Duelfer, the two chief WMD hunters, have each reported, Iraq had no WMD programs up and running in the years before the war. There were no WMDs to hide in Syria or anywhere else. Second, to joke--or half-joke--about a nuclear attack against any nation is an atrocious action for a legislator who has the Constitutional authority to vote for war. (And Johnson, a leading House GOPer, is a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, meaning he has a hand on the purse strings.) Pardon me for not having a sense of humor about nuclear war, but I can only imagine how the Arab press might cover these dumb-ass remarks.

There's more at the link.

At least we know what it takes to get "a roar of applause" from a United Methodist Church full o'vets... nuclear annihilation. Nice. Still another reminder that musician & songwriter extraordinaire Matt Johnson of The The nailed it when he wrote and sang:

If the real Jesus Christ was to stand up today
he'd be gunned down cold by the CIA.