QOTD: An ignoramus
by digby
The man who commands the most powerful military on earth:
The Kurds are fighting for their land, just so you understand, and somebody wrote a very, very powerful article today. They didn’t help us in the Second World War, they didn’t help us with Normandy as an example, they mentioned names of different battles. But they’re there to help us with their land and that’s a different thing. In addition to that we—we have spent tremendous amounts of money on helping the Kurds in terms of ammunition, in terms of weapons, in terms of money, in terms of pay, with all of that being said, we like the Kurds.
God help this planet.
Trump appears to have gotten his “Kurds didn’t help us at Normandy” line from a Kurt Schlichter column. https://t.co/jAbsP9VCQt pic.twitter.com/6HknvoZ0gl— Will Sommer (@willsommer) October 9, 2019
That would be this stable genius:
An article authored by Christian Vanderbrouk at The Bulwark last month examined talks in conservative circles about a “national divorce” or civil war, and it highlighted Schlichter’s book series. In those writings, Schlichter details a fictional account of a civil war that is eerily akin to the Turner Diaries, a fictional novel about a race war that was authored by a neo-Nazi and serves as a foundational text for America’s white nationalist movement. Vanderbrouk wrote, “Schlichter’s books and The Turner Diaries share the same paranoia that progressive governments, aided by white collaborators, are empowering blacks to enable them to rape white women and ultimately exterminate the white race.”
Schlichter has also trafficked in conspiracy theories, pushing claims that explosive devices mailed to prominent Democrats and news organizations targeted for scorn by President Trump were an elaborate hoax. He once referred to the then-teenage survivors of the Parkland school shooting as “lying ventriloquist dummies.” In 2015, he insisted during a CNN appearance that a “large number” of Muslims supported radical jihad, but floundered when asked to cite the sources for his claim.
Schlichter is not without critics from within conservative media. Last year Alex Griswold, a reporter at Free Beacon, called out Schlichter for applauding right-wing men who violently attacked a group of protesters demonstrating in Olympia, Washington. When called out, Schlichter doubled-down on his applause for the group of men.
The article Trump cited today was Schlicter’s grotesque Townhall column. He’s a mainstream Republican.
Trump’s great national security strategy in a nutshell:
On Wednesday, when asked by reporters whether he felt the Syria retreat and treatment of the Kurds sent a poor message to other US allies, Trump said, “Alliances are very easy.”
I need a drink.
By the way, the Kurds didn’t have a country in WWII. They still don’t have one today. I’m not sure what Schicter is talking about and Trump is mindlessly parroting, but it’s idiotic.