Liz Cheney Hopes We Don't Have to "Roast a Few Marsh-Mullahs" in Iran
Liz Cheney used to be Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Now, that job was just made up, but it still sounds like it has something to do with diplomacy, which generally involves other countries. And representing America in a semi-formal way to foreigners. One of the job requirements would seem to be to not come off like a cretin. A certain amount of tact would be nice too, lest people think you're threatening to kill them, or may kill them out of careless ignorance, or just because you're generally John Bolton.
What you expect from a former United States Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary is finesse.
And that's just what Liz Cheney displayed last weekend, at the RedState Gathering in Atlanta.
(RedState, like I have to tell you, is the online publicity arm of Regnery Publishing and the Conservative Book Club. It's a no-holds-barred, grassroots, collaborative blog where Americans from all walks of life can get together and praise Regnery's authors and low, low book club prices.)
The RedState Gathering is a chance for RedState bloggers to pay their own way to Buckhead and rub shoulders with conservative icons like Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, whoever he may be, and Liz Cheney.
(To book Liz Cheney at your event contact LAI Inc. She's five grand. For ten grand, you can get her and a Blues Brothers tribute band called Blooze Brothers.)
Liz gave a twenty minute speech about the importance of torture and closed with a homey anecdote about her seven-year-old calling Howard Dean an asshole. Really. And she killed, too. Much better than Blooze Brothers.
But then came the tricky part. The question and answer portion.
(It's at 26:15, if you're in a hurry.)
Q: My question is concerning if the Israelis... no, not if, when the Israelis attack the Iranian nuclear sites, roasting a few marsh-mullahs on the way...
(delighted laughter and applause)
... what do you think Barack Obama will do?
A: Boy, I don't think I can speak for him.
(polite laughter)
You know, it's really concerning. And I think that the best way for us to insure that military action isn't needed is for us to be working hand-in-glove with the Israelis on this for the Iranians to understand that we are a completely unified front... so the notion... that we are trying to tell the Israelis to take force off the table is extremely damaging.
See what I mean about diplomacy? You have to give her credit. She took a hard question with a really hilarious religious slur and a death threat in it and she diffused it completely. While agreeing that Israel gets to bomb Iran.
You would have probably screwed up that answer by saying "marsh-mullahs" isn't how civilized people talk. Or "Don't gloat about killing." Or "I'm a mother and a citizen of a great democracy, currently at war. If I wanted to indulge racist power fantasies I'd read the wall of the men's room where you eat the turds."
I'm sure I'd have just stood there, slack-jawed.
Liz Cheney didn't do any of that. She played along. That's why she earns the big Blooze Brothers money.
--
Elsewhere in her remarks, Liz Cheney says:
The purpose of diplomacy is not to be liked.
I could stare at that sentence all day.
Jon Soltz: Why Musicians Are Right, Liz Cheney Is Wrong
By lobbying to keep Guantanamo Bay open, Liz Cheney's group is helping keep alive one of the greatest recruiting posters that al Qaeda ever had.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
I'm not sure why anyone gives a rat's ass what Liz Cheney has to say. She doesn't even merit the attention that Sarah Palin does, and that ain't much.
When you are related to a war criminal, by any association, you are a war criminal. When Adolph Hitler was at end of his rope and allies were knocking at his door, he just did not end himself; he also took Eva Braun with him.
Does Liz Chaney have any credibility?! Did her father speak with her about the dark side, or is he going to?! How dark can she get?! I am scaring myself here, I don't know about the rest of you.
Can we afford to put away all of our decencies and go back to the days of the Bush-Cheney era? I really hope NOT.
Liz, why can't you be more like your sister Mary?
(part 2)
I was told Iran, possibly has less than 1500 major military, industrial and civil structures and less than 1000 major universities, hospitals etc, so the plan must have been worse than 1991 Gulf war bombings, where after 1000s of sorties, Iraq was set back to decades earlier. The Iranian one must have been really “hurting others” in a horribly grand degree.
Human beings have achieved amazing achievements in science. Splitting atoms, computers, space technology, medical advancements are a few among so many. If we are capable of these impressive levels of progress why, still, so many, in the realm of politics and military think no better than baboons?
With half of the resources spent on the world military, ALL the major miseries of the entire population of the world can be totally eliminated. Isn’t time to stop those who think of “totally obliterating” an entire nation and replace them with “evolved” humans? Is such a thing possible?
Why not? It is doable only if we WANT it. We thought of flying ships, we built aeroplanes where 150 years ago everyone firmly believed of its impossibil
An old Eastern proverb says “Anyone who hurts (innocent) others is an animal”, implying “Anyone who never hurts others is an evolved human”.
The above simple logic is so profound. It can be the only rule for our behaviours.
On this logic, one can build a “Scale” for measuring the animality or civility of the human beings. On one end of this scale are persons like Khan, Hitler, Saddam, Brigadier Harris and many individuals who never card a bit about slaughtering the innocent people, (especially if they don’t belong to their own tribe) While on the other end are many decent, caring, selfless people like doctors who serve without expecting any rewards, or who are honest and have a deep sense of integrity and humanism..
On such an imaginary scale where lie the neo-conservative republicans? Or those who want to drop bombs on “others” because they are standing in their way of plundering or domination?
Bomb is a dreadful word, specially Nuclear, biological or chemical Bomb. If Hersh and others are right, Cheny had asked the Pentagon to prepare a plan to bomb Iran. Not a normal bombing, but to destroy everything (According the New Statesman, 15000 targets, Time’s number is 3200)
(end of part 1)
So how is it that you make the leap from "the military option is on the table" to "let's go bomb Iran"? That's quite a leap. So if someone suggests holding disaster preparedness drills somehow this is advocating a desire to have a disaster? It would seem to me the prudent thing is to be prepared for eventualities beyond our control, this includes natural disasters and actions by other state and non-state actors. We can't control what Iran does, so the prudent thing is to be prepared for any eventuality in what Iran (or Israel) might do. It is better to be prepared with contingency plans and not need them than to need them and not have them. Hope for the best, expect the worst. A lot of people seem to be confused about that. They seem to think "expect the worst" means "hoping for the worst."
And the question about what happens if Israel strikes is a very legitimate concern. If Israel decides they're going to strike there's is nothing we can do about it. So what's our contingency? I certainly hope there is a plan for that. That also certainly doesn't mean I'm hoping we have to use it. What would be even worse is to be confronted with that scenario and not have a plan for dealing with it. But apparently some people don't want us to be even considering what to do in such scenarios.
Israel cannot strike Iran without the permission of the US, how are they supposed to get there without crossing airspace controlled directly or indirectly by the US? If Israel attacks Iran it will hang around your neck as well, whether you like it or not.
If Israel chooses to engage in unilateral military action against Iran, we should cut off any financial, military or logistical support we may now be providing to Israel, and make it clear that we do not condone Israel's action. The idea that there needs to be a united front between the U.S. and Israel in dealing with Iran is preposterous. When Israel invites retaliatory strikes by Arab nations by engaging in unilateral military action, we are not responsible for the repercussions, and it's time we stopped letting the world think that we endorse every stupid thing Israel chooses to do.
Liz Cheney used to be Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.
We know was given to her because who is her daddy.
The rumors are that she is planning to run for office in the 2010, and that Rove is planning to manage her campaign. That's scary.
Rove will be indicted soon,her ideas as a national public officer are so retro
she will be despise by her own kind.
One day Liz Cheney will run into a perpared Journalist, who will have tapes and facts at the table, This journalist will point out what her father really did while serving in the whitehouse, points she is now willing to dispute and act as if the entire world has a short-term memory problems. Until that happen lizzy and her Dad will always go un-challenged.
an apple does not fall far from the tree - we all know the DNA source
If one can't figure out what the "...not to be liked." comment means (in...like
For all the ruckus and bs, her job was basically a sham created just for her by daddy I suppose. Then seeing she has the same mentality just makes this all the more horrifying.
I am trying to figure out if the insanity, riots and hysteria are just a game to the repugs or if it is their true intent to stir up hate and animosity amongst Americans - black vs white.
All in all, I am scared for this country. Many make light of the comments being made, but there are too many nut cases out there who believe every word they spew and consider it gospel.
God help us.
Plus, we have radio tak hacks like Steve Gill here in Nashville to help put the hate out:
www.gillre
He claims to be a big-time christian. He promotes hate and guns on his shows daily.
How do these people sleep? And he'll wake up tomorrow and go to church just smiling and shaking hands with his fellow brothers.
Oh gag me with a spoon
"For all the ruckus and bs, her job was basically a sham created just for her by daddy I suppose."
We call that nepotism. I'm pretty sure it's illegal.
In Washington it's called patronage-or it used to be. I don't know whether it's illegal but if it isn't it ought to be. David Brinkley's memoir "Washington Goes To War" has several anecdotes about patronage in Washington.
So lets ensure that the hardliners in Iran remain in power for at last the next generation.
Let's ensure the legitimate opposition in Iran is jailed and tortured because of unilateral acts by Israel or the USA.
Lets have many, many more of our soldiers and marines killed in Iraq because there will never be peace in that country without some cooperation with Iran.
Fortunately believe President Obama is more intelligent than that.
But it fairly obvious when you look at the message of Bolton and Cheney that they are engaged in a propaganda campaign to set up the attack on Iran.
Yet another war crime by these fools.
Smart.
I agree. U r Intelligent. Apparently "sm*rt? is a dirty word on this comments page?
It's odd. Liz and the others talk as though they are still in there former positions. As if, in their minds, it's 2003.
Shouldn't private citizens have something better to do? I think they are near to the mindset of the man who shot the women in the gym. In his case, he isolated himself from everybody. These people cling to each other and isolate as a group. There has got to be some study on this.
My husband and I observe this phenomenon and talk about it all the time. Being independent thinkers that we are, we know the price of not being a follower. However, this herd mentality is so strong that even our friends with whom we speak about it can't see themselves living any other way.
~ MASH MULLAH'S ! / She never said the Iran people ! r-u somehow DEFENDING THE MULLAHS ?
the clerics in IRAN RULE -POWER HUNGRY-AUTHORITY ! / MASS of [UNIFIED-VOICES] IN CLEAR
message to mullahs [fracture trust in govt.] / BASIJIS STREET ENFORCERS ,BEAT BACK ANY HOPE FOR IRANIAN JUSTICE OR [RESISTANCE] ?? SIMPLE THOUGH , Mullah -r -not puppies to be cuddled , they- r- a pit-bull with out lip stick !
ever think you only ever hear or read about the bad ones? I'm sure there are plenty of Mullahs who are reasonable people. There just would never be news stories about them.
yes, cause they say their is a facture w/ the clerics ! Ahmadinejah's ceremony
NO ONE SHOWED UP ? ! ONLY SURPEME LEADER & AHMADINEJAH & a kiss !!
sooooooooooo -R- U- saying then their are a few puppies to be cuddled . lol !
Is this how you always enter a room?
MARNIE2
Member Since August 2009
SORRY , but what is your point ???
Looks like someone knows how to toast the mullahs without toasting innocent Iranian citizens, but isn't sharing their secret. That or has no problem with toasting the innocent with the guilty, just collateral damage right? Any Iranian resistance would be foolish to rely on the USA. Recall how Bush 1 encouraged the Iraqi people to rise up against Saddam, to only allow Saddam to slaughter the group that dared to do so? My country isn't interested in allowing others self detirmination, only compliant puppet government that can only benefit multinational corporations. That group of Iraqi's Bush slaughtered by proxy, could now rule Iraq, allow the US to exit honorably. Because they aren't likely to be subservient to the US, the US is hiding behind treaties with Turkey.
YOUR POINTS ARE WELL TAKEN , IT IS TRUE [IF] & [WHEN] in time, the IRANIAN PEOPLE SO CHOOSE SO , it must come with in . [ their time] / in IRAN'S PAST
other have spoken out in opposition to ISLAMIC AUTHORITATIVE [ SHARIATI] ~
dreamed of Islam without Clerics. & GANJI - trademark quoted , every religion has had its dark moments w/ inquisition &narrow-mind prejudices IRAN'S ENIGHTENMENT ??
CROSSING THE RED LINES / ? OR BOW TO ISLAMIC AUTHORITATIVE ?
REMEMBER , FREEDOM ISN'T FREE !!! IT COMES from A VISION TO ACTION !
Do you speak like that in real life or do you only exist in some bizarre semi text world?
ARE YOU SAYING MY LANUAGE [TEXT] IS OPPROBROUS but I THINK YOUR
CALUMIATE ME ! lol !
I'd like to see how how this woman is going to moph three years from now when Obama has accomplished all the things she, her father, and Rush have said he can't accomplish. Then I'd like to see her 71/2 years from now after his administration has had the longest run of successes in presidential history.
Liz Cheney wants to give us eight more years of Bush-Cheney no matter how disastrous its been. Obama never would have invaded Iraq. He'd have listened to the inspectors when they said there were no wmds, put Saddam on notice and concentrated on Afghanistan. 4000 American lives, 20,000 American casualities, 1/4 million of Iraqi lives, and a trillion dollars would have been saved, but Liz Cheney wants us to believe that it would have been a mistake not to invade Iraq, that no one except Bush, her father, and herself can fathom why it was necessary.
Liz Cheney wants Obama to fail. She wants to get the world in a nuclea war where have the world is destroyed. Rush has started calling Obama Hitler. Beck now calls him a racist. Obama's success is driving these people mad. They can't handle it.
actually, it would have been Al Gore that would have made those decisions if all were right with the world. But, you are right. If all that stuff were to happen right now, Obama would use his head.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
