As a long-term strategy for defeating jihadists, Americans blaming George W. Bush ad infinitum is sure to be a winner -- for jihadists. It's right up there with American retreat from leadership in the world as high on their list of goals. And sure enough, former congressman Barney Frank heartily endorses both.
Frank was among the guests on last night's Real Time with Bill Maher, brimming with his usual persnickety bluster. At one point he tangled with conservative columnist S.E. Cupp on the subject of the abrupt US military withdrawal from Yemen.
This led to a pair of candid admissions from Frank --
FRANK: There's a broader question here. There are people who believe that America's role is to be the leader in the world and to preserve order and I think the time for us to say, you know what, we want to be very strong, we want to defend ourselves, we come to the aid of some allies, but we've been the leader for a while, it's been very nice, it's your turn, let's let somebody else be the leader.
MAHER: Exactly! Yes! ... They need to have this fight amongst themselves, the way the Christians and the Protestants did in the 16th century. ... It's gonna happen. Let them do it.
FRANK: There are Americans who believe that, and they say this, they criticize Obama -- what's Obama doing about that? Why is it Obama's responsibility to referee these fights with people who've hated each other for a long time. I'm sorry they do. We can't stop it. (applause)
CUPP: Do you think Obama has any responsibility, though ...
FRANK: In Yemen, no.CUPP: ... for creating chaos, in fact, in Libya where he sent troops in?
FRANK: ... Well, he has a little in Libya. More is for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney ...
MAHER: Right ...FRANK: That war in Iraq was the biggest ...
CUPP: Again, who got us pregnant. Let's stop arguing about who got us pregnant.
MAHER: Why?! It's relevant!CUPP: But what are you going to do about it now?!
FRANK: .... First, you say, oh isn't it Obama's fault. ...
CUPP: I didn't say that.
FRANK: Yeah, you said, isn't it Obama's responsibility in Libya.
CUPP: I asked you if he has some responsibility for sending forces into Libya and then leaving ...FRANK: In other words, you got us pregnant in Libya. So you're different about your pregnancy testing.
CUPP: No! I'm pointing out that you only want to blame Bush!
FRANK: Yes I do! Because the war in Iraq, the stupidest thing the American government ever did, the most costly and the most damaging, is a major reason why things began to deteriorate.CUPP: I'm glad we settled that. So what do you want to do about it?
FRANK: Leave them alone. Leave them to their own.
CUPP: We'll talk in five years about how great that strategy is once we've left everywhere.
To recap: Frank wants the United States to be "very strong" -- providing we rarely resort to actually deploying that strength. He's more comfortable with Russia, China or, who knows, perhaps even a nuclear-armed Iran assuming global leadership while America continues its well-deserved decline. Considering their laudable track records, only an unrepentant neo-con would fear for a future dominated by any of them.
Cupp tried to rise above partisan bickering over US foreign policy in the Middle East by repeatedly asking the question -- what are we going to do about militant Islam now? Nothing, Frank answers -- "leave them to their own." He gets it backward -- it is they who won't leave us to our own, and hardly a week passes without violent and graphic evidence of this somewhere in the world.
It remains a mystery why Frank when he was still in Congress, hard at work mandating that banks provide mortgages to people who couldn't afford them, also voted in favor of the Iraq Liberation Act. So did well over three-quarters of his colleagues in the House, with President Clinton signing the bill into law in October 1998 -- two years before Bush was elected. Frank somehow managed to overlook that the legislation wasn't more aptly titled the Liberate Iraqis by Leaving Them Alone Act.
