A CNN panel was visibly disgusted Tuesday evening when news broke out of the Pentagon that President Trump had requested to have a military parade in Washington, DC similar to the Bastille Day parade he witnessed while in Paris, France. The panel was outraged as they tossed around denouncements and comparisons to brutal despots like those in North Korea and Russia.
“But, what are we really talking about here? There has not been a military parade typically by the U.S. military in many years. The last one really after Desert Storm in the 1990s,” wondered Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr during her report.
Starr was very concerned about the cost, the possible damage to local infrastructure, and how the world would view the parade:
So it's going to be a difficult proposition. And it may be very controversial. The veterans have long wanted some kind of welcome home parade. This may be seen as something unduly militaristic overseas, may be seen as an expression of celebrating years of America's wars abroad … It is something, I don't know that anybody can predict how nations overseas, especially in the Middle East and Asia, might react to it all.
CNN’s hyperbole-prone legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin then unloaded on Trump by vehemently declaring that “we're getting more North Korean every day in this country. You know, yesterday the President says people who don't cheer are un-American and treasonous. And today, we're going to start having big parades with tanks and missiles.” He also argued that if the parade was something you wanted, then what you really were looking for was a dictatorship, saying: "And, you know, people have to decide whether they want to have that kind of country."
“But the idea in peacetime, simply having tanks roll through the streets of Washington that’s—to use a phrase the President likes to use – in my experience that’s un-American,” Toobin spat. Someone may need to remind him that America has been in a state of constant war since 2002 and has troops in numerous war zones around the globe.
After Toobin was done claiming Washington, DC was becoming Pyongyang, the rest of the panel piled on in agreement. “And one of the reasons we don't tend to have those military parades in America, is just the sense that being the power that we are, we don't need to show off our military might like countries like North Korea or Russia might need to,” opined political reporter Rebecca Berg.
Political commentator David Swerdlick chimed in and mocked Trump by comparing his desire to show off America’s military might to an insecure man going through a mid-life crisis. “If you’re the President and you think what nation needs is a military parade, to me that’s like what Jeffery said, that's like North Korea, that's like a middle-aged guy who goes out and gets an earring and ponytail,” he quipped. “That's trying to prove something that just simply doesn't need to be.” The only thing missing was a comparison of the tanks to flashy sports cars.
Coming off as completely oblivious to the “analysis” that just occurred, White House reporter Kaitlan Collins bemoaned how predictable the criticism from anti-Trump forces would be:
Democrats and critics will automatically draw conclusions this is like North Korea, that the President is acting like a dictator, and White House will, in turn, say those people aren't patriotic and they don’t love our troops that they don’t want a military.
The relevant portions of the transcript are below:
CNN
The Situation Room
February 6, 2018
6:45:45 PM EasternWOLF BLITZER: Before we get back to our specialists, we have breaking news. I want to quickly go to our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. Barbara, the President apparently wants a big military parade, tell us about that.
BARBARA STARR: Well, a Pentagon spokesman confirmed that they are looking at dates on the calendar for a parade that Mr. Trump has told the Pentagon he wants as an expression of national unity and patriotism.
(…)
But, what are we really talking about here? There has not been a military parade typically by the U.S. military in many years. The last one really after Desert Storm in the 1990s.
(…)
So it's going to be a difficult proposition. And it may be very controversial. The veterans have long wanted some kind of welcome home parade. This may be seen as something unduly militaristic overseas, may be seen as an expression of celebrating years of America's wars abroad. Wolf?
(…)
STARR: Our colleague, Jeff Toobin, made a good point a few minutes ago. What we more typically see is America's heroes marching down Broadway in New York. The canyon of heroes, the ticker tape. This has gone on for decades, throughout America's wars. And those kinds of Broadway, New York, celebrations are really a true celebration of the service of those who go to war on behalf of the nation. It's not very typical, frankly, to see American weaponry rolling through America's city streets. It is something, I don't know that anybody can predict how nations overseas, especially in the Middle East and Asia, might react to it all, Wolf?
BLITZER: Jeffrey, what do you think?
JEFFREY TOOBIN: Well, you know, I -- we're getting more North Korean every day in this country. You know, yesterday the President says people who don't cheer are un-American and treasonous. And today, we're going to start having big parades with tanks and missiles. And, you know, people have to decide whether they want to have that kind of country. I mean, we have a country where we celebrate our troops, as Barbara said when they come home from battle in lower Manhattan and we throw ticker tape. But the idea in peacetime, simply having tanks roll through the streets of Washington that’s—to use a phrase the President likes to use – in my experience that’s un-American.
REBECCA BERG: And one of the reasons we don't tend to have those military parades in America, is just the sense that being the power that we are, we don't need to show off our military might like countries like North Korea or Russia might need to.
(…)
DAVID SWERDLICK: If you’re the President and you think what nation needs is a military parade, to me that’s like what Jeffery said, that's like North Korea, that's like a middle-aged guy who goes out and gets an earring and ponytail. That's trying to prove something that just simply doesn't need to be.
BLITZER: Very quickly.
KAITLAN COLLINS: We can already see the future what's going to happen here. This parade will probably go forth on Veteran’s Day or whenever the White House is proposing a date. Democrats and critics will automatically draw conclusions this is like North Korea, that the President is acting like a dictator, and White House will, in turn, say those people aren't patriotic and they don’t love our troops that they don’t want a military.
(…)
