"This damn war in Iraq is the cause of all this trouble"

[Coexist]

Transcript of Tucker Carlson getting an education last Friday - it was a beautiful thing!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8541694/
<snip>
TAMIMI: It is likely, of course. It is likely. We know it is likely. It is likely simply because of this war in Iraq. This damn war in Iraq is the cause of all this trouble.

CARLSON: The war in Iraq is the cause of the bombings yesterday?

TAMIMI: Is the cause of this tension, the cause of the polarization, the cause of the radicalization that is causing us all a lot of trouble.

<snip>
TAMIMI: People are commenting on TV, saying this, that had Britain not go to war, most probably, the attacks wouldn't have happened. Now, regarding the 11 September, 11 September is not the beginning of history. For 10 years before the 9/11 attacks, the United States of America was starving the Iraqi people, was bombing nations in Afghanistan, in Sudan, in Iraq. See, the tension has already been there.

CARLSON: What—what—what are you suggesting? That the United States brought about those attacks by its own behavior?

TAMIMI: What I'm suggesting is that, look for the real cause of this tension. The real cause of the tension isn't ideological. It's political.

Ideology is necessary, but ideology is used to justify the tactics.

CARLSON: There's nothing political about killing, indiscriminately killing civilians.

TAMIMI: I agree. But why are the Americans doing it in Iraq or doing it in...

[driver8]

1. Oh...and Mr. Bow Tie acts so surprised! Like this is new information.

What an effin' idiot that guy is. Every time I see him on tv I want to reach through the tv screen and strangle him. That stupid bow tie and that high pitched, whiny voice...

[indepat]

3. An effin' ideological true-believing hypocritical idiot at that IMHO

[WorseBeforeBetter]

2. "11 September is not the beginning of history."

What a great line.

[Coexist]

5. It is a great rebuttal to all the GOP spin, isn't it

because their main argument right now consists of insisting that Iraq is not the cause of the recent terrorism because September-eleventh-two-thousand-and-one occured before the war.

[Toots]

7. It may not be the beginning but I am starting to believe it is the end

Now the right wing will write history as they wish and we know how honest they are. Real History has met it's demise. You want to know historically how things went in the Reagan Administration read the Presidential papers. Ooops Presidential papers have been locked up indefinately against Congressional Law. You will not rtead about Reagans history from the true source. Bush* has had them scrubbed.....History after 9-11 is nothing but a joke.

[Matariki]

4. What—what—what are you suggesting?

That they don't just hate us for our freedom! (audible gasp)

[Coexist]

14. that was classic!

Carlson was shocked that he wasn't in the U.S. where people daren't speak such heresy in public.

[htuttle]

6. Pay close attention to Tucker's tactics

He attempts to set a landmine for the speaker here:

CARLSON: What—what—what are you suggesting? That the United States brought about those attacks by its own behavior?

The speaker knew enough to step directly into it, but it's VERY illuminating as to what CANNOT be said in the US.

Since well before 9/11, but ESPECIALLY in connection to 9/11, we are REQUIRED as part of the rules of 'the game' here in the US to imagine that the attack were entirely without motivation, other than raw, insane fanaticism -- which frankly isn't very helpful in understanding anything.

You see, it's American 'exceptionalism' at play here. Americans are NOT allowed to be held accountable for the actions of their government. "The US shall be held entirely blameless, forever, and anyone who thinks otherwise is dangerously insane," that is the unspoken rule of all domestic political discourse.

You cannot state anything about the REASONS for getting attacked in the American media without being immediately accused of 'excusing' the attacks.

The golden rule is: There shall be NO consequences from the actions of our government for Americans. Even if there are, they were due to something else. To suggest otherwise is to commit intellectual treason here in the US.

We are not allowed to imagine that the resistance in Iraq has motivations other than insane fanaticism. We are not allowed to imagine that any of our 'enemies' are guided by reason of any kind -- they must be thought of insane. To suggest otherwise is to step 'out of bounds' (and into 'Wayne Churchil Land', if you will).

This is NOT a new tendency. In fact, it goes all the way back to the founding of our nation and our interactions with the Native Americans. They supposedly attacked our settlements because they were 'savages', not because we had stolen their land.

That is why we are ultimately doomed. We appear to be intellectually incapable of connecting any of our actions to their consequences. It seems a bit like clinical insanity...

[Coexist]

8. Great post!

I remember in the early aftermath of 9/11, Peter Jennings was looking deeply into the question of "why would anyone want to do this to us?"

Fox was saying "let's bomb those SOBs". Fox ratings went way up, and the networks began their cheerleading routines, and those important questions remained unanswered for most average Americans.

Maybe now is the time to begin examining those questions again. Maybe after the disaster in Iraq, we can begin our due diligence (is that the correct analogy?)

[rock]

9. Yes, this is very similar to the error

that the Repukes like to make: conflating the government and the people that work for the government (the politicians). So a criticism of one is the criticism of the other. These are two easily discernable concepts ... except to morans.

[htuttle]

10. It's also why George W. Bush was able to do what he has done

He embodies this principle of American exceptionalism. He's absolutely saturated with it. That's why he takes ABSOLUTELY NO BLAME, EVER.

Somebody once called him our 'National Id' (in the psychological sense). Very, very apt.

[driver8]

15. "Our National Id"??? Oh, Lord help us...

I hate more than anything that this idiot refuses to take blame when things go wrong, but absolutely takes all the glory when things (as they seldom do) go right.

He is such a narcissistic piece of shit and I loathe him.

[Matariki]

11. Thank you for your post

That's what I meant in my previous post but was too lazy to say. Nor would I have said it as well.

I have come to the conclusion that our culture is truly and literally insane - and what you point out is among some of the reasons why it is so. What a strange disconnect. And you are right, this isn't new. I suspect it is a trait of the human animal, more or less, not just American.

[donco6]

12. Exactly right.

"You see, it's American 'exceptionalism' at play here. Americans are NOT allowed to be held accountable for the actions of their government. "The US shall be held entirely blameless, forever, and anyone who thinks otherwise is dangerously insane," that is the unspoken rule of all domestic political discourse."

[faithnotgreed]

13. you got that sooo right. and dont forget that actions of american people

dont have consequences either

global warming (25% world resources by 5% of the people) is just one example

another example of governments "trickle down" theory as well. the bloat, corruption, the outrageous hypocrisy the gross sense of entitlement and unending arrogance sets a fine example doesnt it. not only to americans but the entire world

why do they hate us?

[shadowknows69]

17. Clinical insanity on a national scale=rabid nationalism

Insanity is never good in any of its forms.

[Uncle Joe]

16. Does anyone know of someone whose home has been damaged

by construction blasting? Now picture a 500-2000lb bomb dropping from the sky on your neighbor's house, does it feel like liberation? One more point regarding following comments, I would be totally shocked if Tucker Carlson ever left the green zone, not that the green zone is totally safe.

CARLSON: That the American military has ever intentionally targeted civilians in Iraq.
TAMIMI: When you drop a bomb over a district in Baghdad or Basra or elsewhere or in Mosul, do you really pick and choose?
<snip>
CARLSON: Yes. Actually, I have been...
(CROSSTALK)
CARLSON: Actually, you know what? I've been to Baghdad. And I've seen the effect of precision bombing. And, you know, the truth is, it was very precise. It eliminated buildings and left the buildings around it standing. I've seen it with my own eyes.

[Coexist]

19. Yeah? So does a tornado you jerk Carlson

the psychological implications of witnessing a bombing next door will last a lifetime.

[rman]

18. In fact terrorism is political, by the definition of the US

http://www.cia.gov/terrorism/faqs.html

"How do you define terrorism?

The Intelligence Community is guided by the definition of terrorism contained in Title 22 of the US Code, Section 2656f(d):

—The term “terrorism” means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience."