Smart Bombed

BooMan analyzes good ol' Sen. Mitch McConnell's reaction to the idea of "smart power": the notion that America can project power through cultural, social, and diplomatic means (and not just military ones.) As BooMan points out:

I was watching Minority Leader Mitch McConnell answer questions from the audience yesterday during his appearance at the National Press Club. [I'm hoping to get a transcript, but you can watch the video at CSPAN] And someone in the audience submitted a question (at minute 53:15, if you're watching the video) that asked McConnell 'what is your understanding of the foreign policy concept of Smart Power?'

McConnell took a moment to collect his thoughts, and then responded:

"I'm not sure I know what that means. [It's] probably in the eye of the beholder. Um...I'm not sure I know exactly what that means. I assume it probably means...um...be careful when you..um...decide to attack, and I think most everybody would agree with that."

That was the sum total of Mitch McConnell's response.

Now, it's obvious that McConnell wasn't familiar with the term 'smart power', and he was therefore quite hamstrung in his ability to answer the question. We've all been there. Your options are to admit that you don't know the answer to the question or to engage in some bullshit. McConnell chose both options.

When you first seek to engage in some bullshit, you have to engage your imagination. In this case, McConnell had to think about what the likely source of the term 'Smart Power' might be and what they probably meant by it. We all know that attacking Iraq wasn't a 'smart' thing to do. And that seems to be about as far as McConnell's imagination could go.

It's almost a cliche, almost cartoonish. McConnell is so single-mindedly belligerent that he can't fathom America using anything other than military power for any reason.

Honestly, let's think about this. Arguably, as Senate majority leader, Mitch is the most powerful Republican out there. And yet, to Republicans, America will always be a military empire where might makes right. It's so ingrained into the Republican hawk mindset that literally, McConnell cannot even make the obvious connection about what "smart power" is, despite having been in Washington for decades, his wife being Labor Secretary and both of them being well-connected in D.C. circles.

That's the mindset of the GOP, period. Diplomacy isn't even an option, other than as something to use to cover for more military action. That's how Bush used it for eight years.

No wonder Condi Rice was considered a joke, and a former general was Bush's other Secretary of State, Colin Powell's only job was to sell the Iraq War.

It's truly an incomprehensible concept to these folks.