It’d be nice to report that noted right-wing loon, veteran conspiracy theorist, and richly deserving karma victim Alex Jones had a revelation of foreign policy clarity this week. After all, he used whatever platform he has left to not only condemn the American war in Iran, but to call for the removal of President Trump via the 25th amendment or impeachment.
The truth, however — as various folks named Reagan and Cheney can attest — is that conservatives usually don’t come around on policy issues until someone in their immediate family is affected.
This breaks down in three easy points:
Trump’s administration will start automatically enlisting 18- to 25-year-olds in the selective service at the end of the year, a shift from the longstanding self-enrollment requirement.
Karoline Leavitt says POTUS is not ruling out a draft to support the hostilities in Iran.
Jones has a son within the age range of a potential draft.
Simple as that.
Don’t get distracted by the fact that when it comes to good public policy, right-wingers like Jones have a circle of empathy about as wide as a hula hoop. Jones is slow to arrive here, and he’s a terrible person, but like the proverbial broken clock, he’s right when he says:
“We’ve got to come together and transcend left and right, and we have to say no to an expanded war that will definitely destroy the economy and kill a bunch of our troops.”
Sure, it’d be more accurate to say “Republicans need to transcend their partisanship here because Democrats with no MAGA blinders saw this war for what it was from the start.” But let’s not nitpick. He knows his audience.
And credit where it’s due: George W. Bush might have fancied himself a uniter, but it’s Donald Trump who has brought 70 Democratic members of Congress onto the same page with Alex Jones, MTG, and Tucker Carlson on what should be an impeachable offense.
I mean, starting a war in the Middle East with no particular objective at the expense of our human and fiscal resources … if that’s not impeachable, what is? I’m just asking questions.
If anybody’s MAGA acquaintances want to dispute that characterization of this conflict operation war, or blather on about the Obama deal blah blah blah, then let me again share the link for enlisting in the armed forces. You should share it with them, so they can pass it on to their children and grandchildren. It’s the least they can do.
For those with a little more sense on either side of the aisle, we’ll leave off with a track that turned 40 this week. You ask me for the greatest album opener of the 1980s, and one springs to mind immediately. But the truth is, R.E.M. crafted a viable champion of their own, and it kicks off an album whose political savvy has only become more apparent over the years.