MSNBC Live host Stephanie Ruhle on Friday made no effort to hide her contempt and scorn at the administration’s call for a sixth branch of the military to be called Space Force. She alternated between horror and mockery while reporting on Mike Pence’s announcement. After playing a clip of the Vice President stating, “It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space,” an appalled Ruhle marveled, “Oh my goodness.”
Abandoning any objectivity, Ruhle snapped, “Vice President Pence announces the formation of a new branch of the military. The Space Force. There is plenty to mock there of course.” The MSNBC picture for the segment featured Donald Trump and Mike Pence in space with a galactic background.
Refusing to take Pence’s announcement speech seriously, Ruhle sneered, “I know it seems like it was sort of absurd, but he was just glad nobody was asking him about Paul Manafort.” Ruhle brought on Reason’s Matt Welch to dismiss the whole concept:
This isn't seriously thought through, no matter how Mike Pence gets that look in his eyes. The far off gaze, talking about the President doing this with great forethought. No. They're just making it up. They have Space Force.
One of the few times Ruhle actually took the whole concept seriously was when she allowed, “There is a real threat. China and Russia are testing anti-satellite weapons and moving forward. Do we need to be doing so?”
Oh, right. Mabye MSNBC journalists should consider this point a little more seriously.
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” for more.
MSNBC Live
8/10/18
9:01
STEPHANIE RUHLE: And galaxy quest. What started as a line at a rally could now be coming a reality.
DONALD TRUMP: I said maybe we need a new force, we'll call it the Space Force. And I was not really serious.
RUHLE: The administration now asking for eight billion — I'm going to say that again, eight billion bucks over the next five years to launch the first new branch of the military since 1947. What's the goal?
MIKE PENCE: It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space.
RUHLE: Oh, my goodness.
...
9:49
RUHLE: Up next, Vice President Pence announces the formation of a new branch of the military. The Space Force. There is plenty to mock there of course.
...
9:53
RUHLE: The Trump administration is proposing to take the U.S. armed forces to infinity and beyond. Vice President Mike pence unveiled the administration's plan to create a sixth branch of the U.S. military by 2020. Known as a space force. The administration is asking congress for $8 billion. I remind you, there is not clean water yet in Flint, Michigan. $8 billion in the next five years to protect the United States from emerging threats while also combating space age advancements by China and Russia. They hope to have it up and running by 2020.
MIKE PENCE: Too often, previous administrations all but neglected the growing security threats emerging in space. President Trump stated clearly and forcefully that space is, in his words, a war-fighting domain, just like land and air and sea. Just as we've done in ages past, the United States of America, under his leadership, will meet the emerging threats on this new battlefield.
RUHLE: I know it seems like it was sort of absurd, but he was just glad nobody was asking him about Paul Manafort.
...
RUHLE: There is a real threat. China and Russia are testing anti-satellite weapons and moving forward. Do we need to be doing so?
MAE JEMISON (NASA): Well, we've actually been able to do some of this before. We've actually done it. We do have formidable capabilities.
...
RUHLE: Matt, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis now says he is on board. Months ago, he criticized it. I'm following Ben Sasse on Twitter, and he is mocking it. He says, “Athletic directors understand all service academies can be trap games, but Space Force Academy is especially dangerous. There are intergalactic, planetary, planetary and intergalactic skills are mad good.” You have Ben Sasse quoting the President, quoting Beastie Boys. Is that not humiliating? The Space Force. Mike Pence is standing up there, like, “This is the future.” Ben Sasse is making fun of it. A couple months ago, Mattis was like, this is not a good idea. Who wants this besides the president?
...
MATT WELCH (Reason editor-at-large): This isn't seriously thought through, no matter how Mike Pence gets that look in his eyes. The far off gaze, talking about the President doing this with great forethought. No. They're just making it up. They have Space Force.
