Tucker Carlson had the chutzpah to insinuate to Dennis Kucinich that meeting with the Syrian leadership was unAmerican and cavorting with the enemy. Nevermind that Congressman Kucinich was checking up on the over 1.5 million Iraqi refugees that our war-based-on-a-lie has placed firmly in the Syrian front yard. One point five million. No other country has taken in more Iraqi refugees, refugees from the direct result of our invasion, than Syria.
Be sure to catch the incredulity of the Syrian interviewer when she asks (at about 7:09)
Q: “So does George Bush actually not see himself as having failed in Iraq? Does he think he has done something right?”
A: [Obviously straining at choosing just the right words] “I would expect that… he probably believes… that he is doing the right thing.”
Kudos, Mr. Kucinich, for reining in your desire to yell, “Well duh! The Preznit’s a borderline dominionist neocon, what do you expect?” The congressman gives a nice slap to Halliburton in this one, too.
One Trackback To “Take this interview and, well, Tucker Carlson.“
Tucker, Fristed
How long will he be allowed to live?
I’m beginning to like Kucinich more and more.
By visiting Syria, he’s doing opposite what the Neo-cons want which is to fire first with weapons or tough rhetoric and negotiate on their own terms later.
But he’s going in the right direction to start a dialogue going between the Middle East. Something that hasn’t happened since day 1 of the Bush administration.
Congratulations, Dennis! You’re a man with alot of courage, hutzpah, and honesty. You also have alot of class as demonstrated in your interview.
Tucker, STFU…
statesmanship and diplomacy, wow what a concept. we will not see it again until after 2008, unless certain repubes win.
Tucker would run away and get his buddy and go back and kick Syria’s ASS!
Dennis Kucinich is the Man.
And his wife is hot.
That is all.
What honesty, what a LEADER. When I hear Kucinich, I hear hope. I feel like Kucinich represents what we can become.
But if we admit we were wrong, that’s like bad… or something.
In order for the world to continue to take us seriously, we can’t admit fault! Otherwise they won’t support our next war like they did in Iraq!
Oh wait, they don’t and they didn’t.
NM
Wouldn’t it be great if Kucinich could do a similar, thoughtful, informed interview on US television? Maybe even without sputtering interuptions “but…but… what about America’s Honor!?”
nice to have a voice of reason for once.
I spent the last 3 hours listening to him on Ed Schultz.
Not that I needed convincing, but he is what this country needs.
He’s entirely right about nearly everything he says here–and it’s a major positive for America for people like him to tell the Arab world that there are a great many of us who disagree with the President’s actions. But does he need to kiss Assad’s ass as much as he did? I mean, the guy’s a bloody tyrant who runs one of the nastiest police states in the world. Couldn’t he show appreciation for Syria’s role in adopting Iraq’s refugees while voicing some solidarity with the dissidents and democrats fighting for basic rights in Syria and Lebanon?
Kucinich tells it like it is. He’s a got the right vision for finding the path to peace. He might need to tone down his rhetoric just a tad to make it more palatable: “it was based on a lie” may seem like a bitter pill for some, no matter the truth of it. I really like that he has the ability to clearly define the need for multi-lateral dialogue and a return to positive relations with and support for a strongly functional U.N.
Most importantly, as the interviewer recognized, he’s a man with a kind and compassionate heart and he has a sense of the deep hurt and injustice the so many innocent Iraqis have had to endure.
But THIS is okay:
Old enemies kiss in triangle of death
The town of Yusufiyah was among the most dangerous places in Iraq as Sunni fighters clashed regularly with coalition troops. But new tactics have changed the dynamics. Car bombings are down, the capture of insurgents is up. And Col. Michael Kershaw now greets his former enemies with kisses and shares meals.
Is this what Dominists like Tucker Carlson’s into?
http://www.msservalan.com/images/Img0233.jpg
I myself am, what guys here would call, a rightwingnut — although a European one. I do not like Mr. Kucinich Leftist economics, nor anyone’s for that matter, but this was a deed of a good man.
I saw this vid @ LGF & HotAir, the radical anti-Islamsites. They slaughtered Kucinich most unfairly. It was clear to me, that this guy was sincere and ashamed of a bad foreign policy. Mr. Kucinich was not unAmerican here, he was trying to make up.
If people try to slander and smear this guy for being humane, he must consider the insults put upon him as a trophy. His ’strength through peace’ mantra is a bit cheesy, but at least he’s no neocon warmonger aching for next battle installments against Iran, Syria and the rest of the Evil world.
I love the US. Hopefully guys like Kucinich and Ron Paul can put some sense into your foreign policy makers.
Peace
The Kuciniches also just finished with a three-hour radio show with Ed Schultz. Both of them were brilliant and well-spoken. Elizabeth Kucinich could likely be a great candidate herself if she had been born in the US (though she has such a pleasant voice that really benefits from the accent, so I’ll take that as compensation for her only being his closest advisor, which is quite appealing in and of itself).
Jimmy @ 16:
Wow. speaking of honest….
Tucker Carlson is a putz, and a lot of worse things than that. I’m looking forward to the day when this country will get reasonable again and those pundits will be out of business.
The syrian TV program was brilliant in choosing an attractive young woman that looks like his wife to interview him.
Kucinich has my support and spoke the truth. He didnt help his cause however. He did the right thing by attacking the root causes and errors involved in the war, but failed to address those 30% of the americans that have personally and emotionally invested themselves in the very thing he was attacking. By not making the distinction by speaking directly to them in some way, his attacks will be personalized and be seen as attacks on them. By not doing so, he made enemies - generational enemies. This interview will likely be their means of identifying kucinich from now through history - Bill Clinton = blow job, Ted Kennedy = drunk, Kucinich = collaborator etc.
My admiration for Kucinich has reached new heights. He has real courage to go on Syrian TV and tell the truth bluntly. That’s one thing Americans hate, is when one of our own is critical of us when they are over seas. THANK YOU DENNIS.
His trip is only simbolic however, we all know his view of the region is not going to be implemented by Bush Co.
It would have been more interesting for Kuchinch to try to explain
to the Syrian that Bush thinks he was appointed by Jesus…..
So, OF COURSE he thinks he’s infallible.
Funny, the Republic’s love to rail about Religious Fanatics..
Kind of the textbook definition of that disease is you think the Almighty
chose YOU of all people to execute his will….
Jimmy @ 16:
‘Strength Through Peace’ is essentially a martial arts mantra. It may be cheesy, but it is a universal truth. Even Sun Tzu addresses the philosophy of victory through peace.
Manliness doesn’t come from slaughtering families with bombs and automatic machine gun fire. It comes from the daily trials and tribulations of life lived with honor and integrity.
It only appears cheesy for those that think that they have something to prove with false bravado.
At the very least, he conveyed to Syrians–and thus to other countries in that area–that most of us Americans are good people. We’re as imprisoned by bad government as a lot of others around the globe.
I had forgotten what a non-adversarial interview looks like. I didn’t realize that i had become so accustomed to interviewers being openly hostile to their guests.
Jimmy @ 16:
Kucinich’s economics speak against the current fascist system in the US. Europe historically confuses fascism with capitalism. Kucinich does not.
Ron Paul has nothing usefull to say really. He would simply cause harm from the inside out rather than Bush’s method from the outside in. They are two sides of the same coin really. Both would destroy the US.
If you are looking for the spine of the Democratic Party, look no further. If the left blogosphere doesn’t start supporting this candidate, they will become part of the problem. Wake up Markos! Wake up Duncan! Wake up Christy! Wake up Jane! Wake up Digby! Wake up Glenn! Wake up Armando!
WAKE UP FROM YOUR SLEEP!!!!!!!
anon @ 20:
Syria is well known in the mid-east for having beautiful women. Shannon Elizabeth is Syrian.
One of the keys to peace is bridging the divide between our cultures. It always amazes me how all the news programs bring American “experts” and journalists to discuss Mid-East issues, without ever having someone from the Mid-East as a guest. Satelite technology is nothing futuristic. This is the 21 century, we are all connected, the news shows should frequently have journalists and others from Syria, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, etc.
Spare me the Neo-Leftist Bushitlerburton talking points; I keep a copy in the bathroom in case of emergency. Kucinich is a bonafide moron. And anybody that agrees with anything conjured between his two living neurons must share something in common with him. If he is so interested in Constitutional integrity then I suggest he take a look at the section covering the definition of treason and turn himself in immediately He is a treasonous fool and should be given the full sentence for his treason. And throw in a violation of the Logan Act for good measure to spare the rest of us of his ‘ideas’.
Any animal in nature, political party or human society that is too stupid to recognize a threat to its well-being or fails to react in defense against it does not deserve to continue to exist.
Harm to foreign policy ?? I don’t care what Cuba, Syria, Iran, China, Russia, Zimbavwe, Libya, France, Algeria, Sudan, Egypt, Pakistan, South Africa, The Congo, Tanzania, Haiti, Venezuela, Columbia, Mexico, Canada or any of the other ungrateful European countries our anscestors couldn’t stand to be in think about us. All I care about is that they are scared sh*&less of us. Now that’s foreign policy. I mean why don’t these people mess with China? Because they know that the Chinese won’t sit and whine like women or children with booboo’s on their kness. They will stomp them into a mudhole and not care one iota what the world thinks.
To paraphrase Machiavelli, when given the choice between being loved or feared I choose fear; it is far safer. And keep in mind that when the US started thumping the big stick against the biggest and baddest the Arab world had then it wasn’t long before Libya gave up nukes, Syria left Lebanon and now the North Koreans are softening.
And I can give you 444 reasons we should be wiping Iran off the map. Is there a statute of limitation on an act of war ? Or how should we respond to a nation that has considered itself at war with us for 27 years ?
OT, but the repigs are at it again!
http://rawstory.com//news/2007....._0912.html
Nirav @ 12:
You see, it’s called diplomacy. It’s a very simple process…
Step 1) Find common ground. Praise your diplomatic partner’s strong points and build a relationship on the aspects you share.
Step 2) Soberly discuss the areas of the relationship that precipitate the need for diplomacy in the first place.
Jesus people, if everyone got along (read: stopped stomping on each other to make a buck) in the first place we wouldn’t need diplomacy. If we’d use real diplomacy (backed up by, but not based on our strength as a nation), which involves COMPROMISE, we could avoid 90% of the bloodshed that happens. If we only fought wars to stop aggression, instead of wars OF aggression, we’d be able to actually EFFECTIVELY USE the strategy of overwhelming and sudden force (”Shock and Awe”) that our military is designed to apply.
None of this will happen if we don’t elect diplomats. The presidents primary role in this country should be as the face of foreign policy. The primary diplomat.
Seeing as how this country seems riddled with bloodlust (look at our entertainment) tinged with anti-world-involvement paranoia (ignoring the fact the “one world government” of wealth-and-blood based influence already exists, with or without our vote), our hopes are dim.
There are two paths we can follow as citizens of this country: the broad and easy path of the shambling oil-zombies, bound for certain destruction, or the straight and narrow path of contrition, reduction of our international footprint, and reconcilliation with our “enemies”.
George Bush is the antichrist.
Vote Kucinich!
IOpian @ 29:
What are YOU smoking?
There’s a difference between being feared and being spurned.
Che’s Lounge @ 27:
Bingo.
IOpian @ 29:
Great, go buy a rifle and do it yourself. History will vindicate you.
IOpian @ 29:
The world destroys countries that are hated - the US is becoming hated.
You seem to think the US is in control of its future - it isnt. You need to study sovereign wealth funds …
http://www.economist.com/print.....p;fsrc=RSS
… they own you son. You do understand they are teaching school children chinese in chicago schools dont you? Life under the decider, shutup go to work and - he told you this after 9/11 - spend money.
Iopian = mind limited
IOpian @ 29:
when has that sort of thinking ever worked for a nation in the long term?
hadenuf @ 34:
Bingo, Bango, Bongo and Irving of The Mosquitoes?
Hmmph!
Looks to me like Kuchinich is heading, nay, running do