We've described Morning Joe as a liberal echo chamber, where nary a dissenting voice from the leftist talking points of the day is heard.
But things were different today. Yesterday, we noted a hawkish Joe Scarborough calling for an aggressive response against Iran for the drone attack that killed three US soldiers and killed dozens of others in Jordan.
Joe was back at it today. He took on a cautious Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Morning Joe regular, who warned about the consequences of creating a direct conflict with Iran.
And then there was Jen Palmieri, Obama's former Communications Director and another Morning Joe regular. She gave away the game, putting things in bald political terms.
Scarborough asked, "What's the administration's problem with going in and taking out some of their oil infrastructure?"
Responded Palmieri: "Higher gas prices."
Scarborough: "I don't care. Dead Americans."
Palmieri: "Anytime you're doing anything that's going to mess with oil markets, higher gas prices are -- can be an existential threat to a presidency."
Translation: Who cares about defending US military members, or our national security? That's all worth sacrificing—in the name of re-electing Joe Biden!
And whatever your position is on the merits, Scarborough scored some solid debating points against Haass.
When Haass said, "we gotta play chess here [with Iran]," Scarborough countered, "they've already kicked our chessboard over."
And when Haass said, "There's nothing new about the attack that happened the other day," Scarborough riposted: "And that's the problem. There's nothing new with Iran attacking and killing Americans."
Touché! 🤺
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
1/30/24
6:09 am ETWILLIE GEIST: What are the options on the table to retaliate here for the president?
. . .
RICHARD HAASS: At the high end is going after Iran itself, as certain people are calling for it. I understand the argument, but that is, that would be a major potential escalation.
And it's not just that the United States already has its hands full in the Middle East. We also have our hands full around the world. And we've got to ask ourselves, if the entire strategic logic of the last decade or so has been to dial down American involvement in the Middle East, to free us up, initially, to deal with China and North Korea --
JOE SCARBOROUGH: But, but, but Richard, when they're killing Americans, when they continue to target Americans, when it's always funded by Iran. We're not, we're not waiting for Iran to declare war against us. They already have.
And this has been our pose since 1979. No, we're not going to go into Iran. We're not going to do this, but we'll do that . . . We all keep trying to do deals with Iran. When are we going to make Iran understand that attacking United States soldiers and killing them is just not worth it for them?
HAASS: Look, Joe, there's things we could do against Iran. We could go after ships. We could go after Iranian soldiers.
SCARBOROUGH: Why don't we?
HAASS: Because again, the question is, we gotta play chess here. We gotta think several steps ahead. Do we think --
SCARBOROUGH: They've already kicked our chessboard over.
HAASS: I don't think so.
SCARBOROUGH: They're killing Americans.
HAASS: There's nothing new about the attack that happened the other day.
SCARBOROUGH: And that's the problem. There's nothing new with Iran attacking and killing Americans.
. . .I'm just wondering, what is -- what would the Biden administration's problem be with going in and taking out some of their oil infrastructure? And just sending the message, you know, keep going, it gets a lot worse?
JENNIFER PALMIERI: Higher gas prices?
SCARBOROUGH: I don't care. Dead Americans?
PALMIERI: I think that -- I mean, I think, well, Richard has laid out some of the possible consequences.
But anytime you're doing anything that's going to mess with oil markets, higher gas prices are -- can be an existential threat to a presidency.
