|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
[Want even more content from FPM? Sign up for FPM+ to unlock exclusive series, virtual town-halls with our authors, and more—now for just $3.99/month. Click here to sign up.]
Another Trump election, another shameful display of so-called Republican moral preening about Donald Trump being “unfit” for office, a “threat to democracy,” and an “abuser of our allies.” This time it’s William S. Cohen in the Wall Street Journal, an erstwhile Congressman, Senator, and Secretary of Defense between 1973 and 2001.
His tissue of Democrat campaign clichés and smears accompanies a preposterous panegyric to Kamala Harris’s make-believe foreign policy prowess, despite nearly four years of Biden’s and her abject failures abroad. Once again, a Potemkin conservative is carrying water for a party that has moved dangerously leftward as it continues the progressives’ long march to dismantle our Constitution, and with it our unalienable rights and political freedom.
Cohen’s second sentence makes clear his foreign-policy ideology: “Vice President Kamala Harris is an internationalist who believes in the rule of law and in a rules-based system that strives for global order and stability.” In other words, a proselyte of the “rules-based international order” that privileges “diplomatic engagement,” multinational institutions, and international law over a realist policy predicated on conflicting global national interests.
As such, Cohen extols Harris’s “commitment to help Ukraine defend its freedom and independence from Vladimir Putin’s criminal onslaught,” a New World Order project par excellence. That is, she supports a foreign policy that privileges the globalist elite technocrats and their interests over our national sovereignty, and our own citizens’ security and interests. Worse yet, Cohen can’t tell us what specific strategy Harris has for resolving this bloody and expensive war.
As for Harris’s loyalty to the “rule of law,” how does that square with Joe Biden’s usurping Congress’s Article One power to make the laws, and instead giving it to unelected and unaccountable federal agency clerks? Or his failure to fulfill his obligation “to take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed”?
He certainly didn’t do that with his border policies, nor is there any evidence that Harris has disagreed with Biden and her party’s aim to create an open border and, to paraphrase Brecht’s sardonic advice, “dissolve” the American “people” and welcome in “another.” Or how about Biden’s blowing off the Supreme Court ruling that his forgiveness of $400 billion in student loans was unconstitutional? Did Harris stand up for the “rule of law” then?
But Cohen’s theme is foreign policy and the “rules-based international order” that even as we speak is failing––in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific––to provide “global stability.” Nato, of course, is a major part of that order, and hence globalist make-believe “citizens of the world” who despise national sovereignty and are “a steady patriot of the world alone, the friend of every country but his own,” as British PM George Canning said. Harris, Cohen assures us, “believes in securing alliances with nations that share America’s ideals and interests as we deal with competitors or adversaries.”
Really? How has that worked out for the past year as Israel, one of our allies that “shares our ideals and interests,” has been bullied and threatened, and had materiel intermittently embargoed by Biden’s foreign policy team––all of which Cohen calls “unqualified support”–– even as Israel battles for its life against a genocidal gang of savage murderers and their patrons in Iran, which, by the way, is with impunity currently supplying Russia materiel for its assault on Ukraine.
A more dangerous blunder is the Biden-Harris foreign policy allowing––and subsidizing with billions of dollars––the Mullahs to grow closer and closer to producing nuclear weapons to use against Israel, and for leverage against the “Great Satan,” their name for the leader of the infidels’ “rules-based international order.” Meanwhile, Israel is the only Western power that is actively defending that order, while the E.U. buys Russian and Iranian oil, and Biden sends even more billions to Iran and its genocidal proxies.
Does Cohen know whether or not Vice President Harris supports these appeasing policies? Or the shameful skedaddle from Afghanistan that cost billions of dollars in weapons, and 13 U.S. soldiers murdered by an ISIS terrorist? Then there’s Ukraine, which Cohen talks a lot about the importance of defending, while he excoriates Trump for wondering, as do many American taxpayers, just how and when this expensive intervention will end. But for Cohen, Trump’s “approach is rooted in isolationism, xenophobia and white nationalism under the banner of ‘America first,’ with fascist historical overtones.” Lining up three shop-worn, question-begging epithets bespeaks cheap propaganda, not a coherent argument.
Trump’s legitimate question, however, about how it all ends may be answered sooner than we think. As the Wall Street Journal’s Walter Russel Mead recently pointed out, “Despite draconian sanctions, a hobbled economy, a corrupt state, and poorly trained officers and troops, Mr. Putin’s forces are driving Ukraine’s army back step by step while Russian air attacks cripple Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.”
Now all the Nato Nations’ earlier bravado and bluster, or Cohen’s pat on the head for Harris’ “commitment to help Ukraine defend its freedom and independence” from Putin, are being exposed as Falstaffian valor or wishful thinking. The Nato Nations, Mead reports, now want “an off-ramp from Mr. Putin. A compromise peace in which Ukraine surrenders territory to Russia but gains NATO and European Union membership would, they hope in Washington and Berlin, be acceptable to Kyiv and bring a not-too-humiliating end to a costly and dangerous war.”
But as Mead continues, “Mr. Putin, unfortunately, isn’t in the business of offering easy off-ramps.” And, one could add, the Nato Nations do not have the political will or adequate troops and materiel to compel Putin’s compliance. Predicating Harris’ foreign policy chops on lip-service to the “rule-based international order’s” continued shaky support for Ukraine, without a viable strategy for ending the conflict, is as feckless as the Biden-Harris administration’s abandonment of Afghanistan and despicable treatment of Israel.
Having no empirical evidence to support his claim of Harris’s superior fitness to be Commander-in-Chief, then, Cohen has only ad hominem slurs comprising stale insults and lies about Trump. One of the stalest of these is Trump’s alleged dismissal of Nato: “Mr. Trump has called into question the value of NATO, promising not to defend any NATO member that fails to pay its ‘dues’ by spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense. He has hinted that he might pull the U.S. out of NATO and let European members fend for themselves.”
Once again, Trump Derangement Syndrome prevents commentators from recognizing Trump’s trademark hyperbole and tactical bluster that signal his seriousness to our enemies and allies. Does Cohen really believe that any president can “pull the U.S. out NATO” without significant pushback from the other two branches of government? And did Cohen miss the success of Trump’s earlier tough talk in concentrating the Nato Nations’ minds, many of whom have increased their defense spending? Even Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s Secretary General, credited Trump for “showing leadership on defense spending.”
Like many Never-Trumpers who make a fetish out of Nato, Cohen writes as though American complaints about freeloading Nato Nations are some novel bad manners? Nato was in its infancy when General Eisenhower stressed the limits of the treaty. As Farah Stockman of the New York Times wrote recently, “Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, NATO’s first supreme allied commander Europe [sic], felt strongly that his mission was to get Europeans ‘back on their military feet’ — not for American troops to become the permanent bodyguard for Brussels and Berlin. ‘If in 10 years, all American troops stationed in Europe for national defense purposes have not been returned to the United States,”’ he wrote of NATO in 1951, ‘then this whole project will have failed.’”
Twenty years later, Montana Democratic Senator Mike Mansfield wrote a column calling for the “Europeanization” of Nato in order to reduce the costs of American troops stationed in Europe. And more recently, even European heart-throb and uber-globalist Barack Obama in 2016 complained about Nato “free riders.”
Thanks to Trump’s prodding, extra defense spending increased by billions of dollars. But without Trump’s pressure, Nato Nations are still lagging, with only 10 of 32 meeting the 2% of GDP requirement. And all those except the U.S. and the United Kingdom are Eastern European nations. Shamefully, Germany, the 4th largest economy in the world, at 2.1% barely scrapes by the low-bar 2% requirement. Does Cohen think it’s just a coincidence that during Trump’s first term, not only did some Nato Nations increased defense spending, but Iran lowered its aggression profile, Russia didn’t invade Ukraine, and our troops were in Afghanistan keeping things calm until we could execute an orderly withdrawal predicated on strength rather than a political stunt?
This argument for Kamala Harris’ foreign policy record––which means her boss Joe Biden’s record of appeasement, Potemkin diplomacy, “new world order” happy talk, and the erosion of our deterrent power––is facially preposterous. It reminds us that the Republican political elite’s hatred of Donald Trump for eight years has been predicated on the snobbery of credentialed insiders who dismiss and attack someone who ignores and mocks their political guild’s protocols, received wisdom, and class-bound “norms.”
As such, for eight years they have “objectively,” in Orwell’s sense, been fifth columnists, giving aid and comfort to a party that has degenerated into leftist inspired assaults on the Constitution and our freedoms. As Aristotle said about tyranny, no truly free citizen should endure such policies no matter how many political guildsmen shill for the Dems.
This should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention. The never Trumpers despise Trump every bit as much as the dems if not more. Trump exposed them all as being weak and feckless and willing to take democrat deep pocket donors money to lose an election (e.g.,Romney/Ryan.)
And I’m convinced that the GOP establishment covertly worked with the DNC in 2016 and 2020 to defeat Trump.
And 2022 to ruin popular candidates chances such as Kari Lake.
It may seem trivial but on social media those across the country are discussing a lack of Trump/Vance roadside signs and a plethora of Harris signs. The Republican Party isn’t active. In placing Trump signs my area ( a blue state county that usually votes 50/50). I was upset that I only saw Harris signs. Then finally someone made hand made Trump signs and placed them on the road side. The Republican Party is a failure.
And I’m an independent.
Don’t worry, I have it on good word that people are more than pissed off about it. At this point, every concocted lie the dems have tried to spread about Trump has blew up in their faces and instead has made him more popular.
People are pretty sick & tired of the left’s bullsh*t and have had enough. But you won’t hear about it from the democrat controlled MSM and that includes Fox, a RINO establishment network pretending to be conservative (I’ll bet half of them have already quietly voted for Kamala Harris!)
Add the Bush and Cheney family to the hateful mix. I did not know Cohen was still alive.
If the Establishment retakes control of the republican party, it’s over for the party. Maga might as well become the Third Party.
Perhaps but then who will vote for them? There aren’t enough checked pants country club republicans in America for them to be a viable political party. It’s time for the repukes and the dims to go the way of the Whig party.
Perhaps academia, the MSM and the Hollyweird bobble-heads will miss them but I seriously doubt if the rest of America will. No one misses garbage and maggots.
Certainly there are more globalist establishment types than those citizens who are truly for the people. They are on the payroll and subsidized by every interest that seeks favor. They hate Trump precisely because he is an outsider who can’t be corrupted with direct bribery.
Also it seems to me that their apparent intelligence is clouded by the emotion of hatred for Mr. Trump along with a freaky runaway vengeful streak. Horrible.
Reading in FPM I see the commie Brits have had the gall to send operatives to influence our sacred election. Typical commie tactics, starting with their invasion of our State Dept in the 1930-40-50’s.
Exactly right. The establishment is corrupt decadent and incompetent.
The convergence of lust for power, megalomania and shameless greed tends to cloud a person’s judgement and morally bankrupt them. It’s a condition that with few exceptions, all politicians suffer from.
To a greater or lesser degree, most all politicians are sociopaths with psychopathic tendencies. Proof? Almost all politicians have no moral qualms about lying. Some even go so far as to lavishly embellish lying (e.g., Obama, Biden, et al.)
All those American globalist basically are American imperialist. They used WWII American military success as a card blanche to create The American empire. Which the founders detested. . Just like Rome those people were able to turn The American Republic into global American Empire. While enriching themselves and their cronies. And NATO is their army to enforce their global ambitions. They hate Trump with passion because he rejects American Imperialism. And wants to restore The American Republic.
I ask this question very respectfully.
Where did America create this empire?
In God’s heart at the beginning of our country
So all the world could see what freedom can bring.
Prosperity. Love. Possible.
America has been sold out to the “One World” mob. RINOs are as much to blame as the scum that enacted the betrayal. Then came Trump who started stepping on all the tulips, flushing out the deep state traitors.
Let’s dispense with the equivocation and call it like it is: Trump is not interested in involving America in endless foreign wars. Wars that the ruling class elites and those who serve them, politicians, and their arms industry patrons all profit from via government largess (e.g., defense contracts, military air, foreign aid, etc..)
What Cohen won’t admit, but likely knows, is that Trump’s supporters see the “rules based international order” itself as the problem, not something worth respecting.
Right. Trump didn’t pay his dues by sucking up to the establishment and kissing their ass for umpteen decades and that chaps their ass and sticks in their craw.
“The nerve of that guy to run for president (and win!) without groveling at our feet, kissing our ass and seeking our permission to run for president. Who in the hell does that ungrateful bastard think he is, George Washington? Oh hell no! We can’t have that!
We’ll show that ungrateful bastard that in America, politics is played by establishment rules. You wanna run for an elected office you go thru us. Screw what the Constitution says.
So Rino William Cohen – who endorsed Hillary in 2016 and Biden in 2020
and who is now excoriating Trump – believes that Kamala’s all out support
for the war in Ukraine is praise worthy. Does that Globalist Communist
scum realize that if Kamala became President, she wouldn’t hesitate to
send American troops there to die?
And Cohen’s rants against Trump – “Trump wants isolationism – xenophobia –
White nationalism under a banner of America First” – is the same raced-based
Communist claptrap that Kamala spits out every chance she gets. And why
our southern border is thrown wide open to unvetted criminals, terrorists and
parasites.
All in service to – as Mr. Thornton says – globalist elite Technocrats and their
interests versus American sovereignty and our citizens security and interests.
Besides, a Communist tyranny-takeover is much easier done in a destroyed
U.S.A.
TRUMP OR TYRANNY! 2024
I second everything you said!! Screw Cohen and his fellow globalist acolytes. Trump! Trump! Trump! Trump! Trump! Trump!
A-Mess-NBC the Lying Peacock News is Comparing Trump Rallies to Nazi Germany and Hitler
Russia is no threat to the US. A threat to eastern and central Europe, most definitely. The US does not need to be in NATO anymore unlike its European members. Europe has taken full advantage of the US taxpayer and has not been paying for its own defense ever since the creation of Nato. The US needs to pull out of Nato and divert its energy and military resources towards the real threat to the US strategic interests, China.
My friend, here’s the unmitigated truth: They will take the threat that China poses seriously when they figure out a way to profit from a way with China. What they need and are looking for is a patsy nation to get into an entanglement with China. That will open the door for them to pour arms into said country.
The problem is that given past history, southeast Asian countries are no longer foolish and naive enough to fall for the US/CIA’s bullsh*t wars.
We can do both. A functioning America won wars on two world fronts before and given functionality can certainly do it again if necessary.
Trump started zero wars and was reducing American interference in others.
Biden/Harris started one and is heavily embroiled in another, plus they handed over weapons to the Taliban.
Indirectly Biden started the current middle east war. Trump didn’t give Iran or Hamas any money and limited their oil revenue to humanitarian amounts. Then came Biden/Harris and gave Iran billions and Hamas hundreds of millions that they used to start the latest war.
And that has been a thorn in their gelatinous rumps every since November 2016. Perhaps this time around, Trump will replace that thorn with a steel-toe boot.
There’s a lot of asses in Washington DC that need to be kicked. Trump would be wise to get busy on day one putting boot to asses.
I am embarrassed to say that I voted for this loser, and his loser protege Susan Collins. NATO, much like the IMF, UN, WHO, CIA, FBI, etc., all need to be seriously scaled back or dismantled. My own preference for the international organizations is that they disappear and get replaced with nothing.
I stopped reading the WSJ very early in my foray into conservatism, post 9-11. Too squishy and wishy washy.
As for Mr Cohen, how more irrelevant could he be. He is a professional milquetoast, more concerned with the deep state niceties of global governance.
Not exactly cutting edge. But I’m positive he gets to go to all the right parties at the current Democrat run White House, and the Bush II WH.
Just another Nit-Wit who thinks he is a big time thinker and their Thinking Cap short curcits
It’s bewildering to me why this clown’s opinion even matters He’s a pissant nobody giving his 2 cents worth of opinion like we’re suppose to care. Uh-huh. Right. Hey girlie man, go sh*t in your hat!!