Given the many embarrassments the Iranian regime has suffered over the last week it is hard to see the strike that took out Qasem Soleimani as anything but a win for the United States, but that didn't stop MSNBC Live from declaring Russia to be the big winner, because of course it is.
During the segment, host Stephanie Ruhle asked political scientist and Washington Post columnist WSQAQ to comment how certain countries have or have not benefited from the decision to take out Soleimani. After talking about Britain and Israel, Ruhle asked about Russia.
Despite the fact that Vladimir Putin's friends in Tehran have been humiliated both by the United States and themselves in the aftermath of the shoot down of Ukrainian Flight 752, Klaas confidently declared that, "Well, Russia is going to win from this and I think that's a pretty clear one. Both Putin and Russia's interests are aligned here which is they want the U.S. out of the Middle East or want the U.S. to have a reduced role in the Middle East."
There's no indication that this will lead to the U.S. having a reduced role in the Middle East, if anything it gives confidence to our Gulf allies that we are a partner they can trust to defend against Iranian aggression. Still, Klaas hyperbolically claimed that this could accelerate a Russian takeover of the Middle East: "now that accelerates Russia’s play in the Middle East now with the Soleimani attack, because they can basically claim the U.S. is erratic in the way it behaves in the region."
He concluded his thoughts on Russia by continuing the media's newest tradition of grossly oversimplifying the situation in Iraq, "so news that Iraq is continuing to ask the U.S. troops to leave or at least has passed a resolution calling on U.S. Troops to leave, that's very much music to Vladimir Putin's ears." Because there is nothing MSNBC won't try to spin as a Russian victory.
That resolution was non-binding and boycotted by non-Iraqi Sunnis and Kurds and today Secretary of State Mike Pompeo essentially declared their will be no talking about withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq as long as Adel Abdul-Mahdi remains prime minister, because he resigned in late November, but has yet to actually leave office.
Here is a transcript for the January 10 show:
MSNBC
MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle
9:25 AM ET
STEPHANIE RUHLE: Russia.
BRIAN KLAAS: Well, Russia is going to win from this and I think that's a pretty clear one. Both Putin and Russia's interests are aligned here which is they want the U.S. out of the Middle East or want the U.S. to have a reduced role in the Middle East. What you've seen the last several months, as Trump has done things like abandoned Kurdish allies in the region, Russia took over U.S. military bases now that accelerates Russia’s play in the Middle East now with the Soleimani attack, because they can basically claim the U.S. is erratic in the way it behaves in the region, that will be an easier sell with Iran, they have a strong relationship with Iran, and overall, they want to have the U.S. pushed out, so news that Iraq is continuing to ask the U.S. troops to leave or at least has passed a resolution calling on U.S. Troops to leave, that's very much music to Vladimir Putin's ears.
