You really have to watch Brian Schweitzer in action to get just how much of a blowhard he is. By the end of his appearance on today's Morning Joe, even Mika Brzezinski seemed mortified by the antics of her fellow Democrat. And Bill Kristol's expression of utter disdain for the former Montana governor was worth the price of admission alone.
In the course of his appearance, Schweitzer--defending President Obama's deal for the release of US soldier Bowe Bergdahl--declined to call the five senior Taliban members released either terrorists or war criminals. Even the Daily Beast, in the person of reporter Eli Lake, has called the five "some of the worst of the worst," and "considered [by the Pentagon] to be a high risk to launch attacks against the United States and its allies if they were liberated." When talk turned to domestic politics, Schweitzer dabbled in some anti-Ted Cruz birtherism, repeatedly alluding to the Texas senator's birth in Canada. View Schweitzer's clown act on the video after the jump.
Schweitzer has been showing some leg regarding a possible 2016 run. Hillary might well welcome his entry into the race. The buffoonish Brian could only make Clinton look more presidential by contrast.
BILL KRISTOL: How many troops are there now? If you get them back when the last troop leaves, like in Vietnam, that's one thing. There are 32,000 Americans in Afghanistan. Why did he have to go back now?
BRIAN SCHWEITZER: Let me ask you this question. When these guys, these same five guys were fighting the Russians we called them the freedom fighters. When we invaded Afghanistan to chase Al Qaeda out and we did that in six months, we now call them terrorists. They're enemy combatants; they are enemy combatants in Afghanistan. That's who they are.
KRISTOL: The U.N. calls two of them war criminals. They have thousands of deaths on their hands from Afghanistan.
SCHWEITZER: At the end of a war, the U.N. calls many people war criminals. That's war.
. . .
SCHWEITZER: Here's the good news about Ted Cruz. The good news about Ted Cruz. Ted Cruz was born in Canada like my wife Nancy.
SCARBOROUGH [mocking Schweitzer's big wind-up]: He's like now here's the good news.
SCHWEITZER; My wife Nancy Schweitzer can run for President of the United States because she also was born in Canada. So if Ted Cruz can run, so can Nancy. Run, Nancy, run.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: What are you talking about? Former Governor Brian Schweitzer, thank you so much. I don't know what to say.
SCHWEITZER: It's true. He was born in Canada.
BRZEZINSKI: I guess I thank you too.
