So many Trump strongman bromances with competing agendas
by digby
I had to turn off Hewitt because his voice triggers me but I’m sorry I missed this:
MSNBC's Ali Velshi cuts off Hugh Hewitt: "Hugh, just stop, for heaven's sake!" pic.twitter.com/DtHheSyVJC— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) May 16, 2019
MSNBC host Ali Velshi tussled with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt Thursday afternoon over escalating tensions between the Trump administration and Iran.
“I believe the most important aspect of this confrontation is that the nature of the Iranian regime has not changed since 1979,” Hewitt said. “It’s not about John Bolton. It’s not about Mike Pompeo. It’s not about President Trump. It’s about the fact that we have a theocracy run by a dictator,” Hewitt said.
As Hewitt continued to make his case about the threat from Iran, Velshi interjected.
“I could say all of this stuff about the Saudis, right? The Saudis are bombing the Yemenis. The Saudis have forces — they had them in Syria, the had them in Iraq. What changed? … And the Saudis are run by a dictator too.”
“I don’t think you can say that they act like the Iranian regime,” Hewitt said. The Iranian regime exports chaos, they are a terrorist organization. And they announced last year —.”
“Hugh, just stop, Hugh, for heaven’s sake. The Saudis don’t export terror? The Saudis don’t have expansionist tendencies? I’m not defending — don’t put me in a position to defend the Iranians because I’m not interested at all. But you’re inventing this situation that Iran is some kind of danger…”
The Saudi point is an important one. Trump is pushing the idea that he’s a dove on this Iran stuff, but it looks like more schoolyard nonsense like his beautiful relationship with Kim Jong Un. He probably thinks he can sit down with the Ayatollahs and chat about real estate prices and everything will be hunky dory. But he’s got some serious pressure from his other bffs MBS and Bibi to contend with. Of course, there’s also Iran’s ally Vlad.
So many bromances, so many conflicts.
Trump can easily be steamrolled on this one. All it would take is Fox News to press it as something the base wants.
Update
Tom Cotton on CNN just now about a dozen times: “Multiple, credible, serious threats…”
He also kept saying that he hoped they didn’t provoke an incident. Gulf of Tonkin anyone? They wouldn’t even have to tell Trump they did it …
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