This is really too easy: President Obama is willing to negotiate with Iran, but not with the House of Representatives. Commentators have been all over it, and I don’t really have much to add. Except to note that not only has Obama refused to negotiate with the House, he has also had his spokesman describe Republicans as suicide bombers. The irony is rich: those who are concerned about $17 trillion in debt “have bombs strapped to their chests,” while the world’s biggest sponsor of actual suicide bombers–you know, the ones who blow people up, as opposed to disagreeing with Democrats–are newly-discovered moderates.
Except for the fact that the stated goal of OBL and the 9/11 attackers was to damage the US economy to the point where it could no longer interfere in the Middle East. Republicans in the last decade have done more for that goal than AQ's leadership, and now the House GOP is in fact about to do billions in damage to our economy with a shutdown and trillions with a debt ceiling default if their political demands are not met.
That is the very definition of economic terrorism, and yes, House Republicans are economic terrorists. Period. What's more, yes, Iran is more moderate than the American Taliban is right now. The analogy is 100% fitting.
Perhaps it's because the House Republicans aren't negotiating - they're presenting a list of non-negotiable demands and expecting Neville Chamberlain to give them the Sudetenland. The Iranians are willing to discuss making some concessions, so there's a basis for negotiations there.
ReplyDeleteAh, Republicans - never happy unless they're destroying something.