When President Trump ordered the attack on Iran, it was inevitable that he would receive considerable criticism from the Democrats and their mouthpieces in the corporate media. It was also to be expected that some conservatives would offer thoughtful criticisms of his decision to hit Iran. It was surprising, however, when he was denounced by various podcasters, most of whom have been stunningly naïve about Iran’s threat and why Trump had to take action. By far the most clueless of them has been Megyn Kelly. On the first day of the conflict, Kelly opened her podcast by braying, “No one should have to die for a foreign country.” What foreign country?
Israel, of course.
She actually seems to believe that Iran presented no threat to the United States, which was somehow forced into attacking by Israel. She said the following during the same monologue: “This feels very much to me like it is Israel’s war.” She went on to question Trump’s veracity when he explained that the attack was necessary to eliminate an imminent threat from Iran: “Does it make any sense to you that Iran was planning preemptive strikes against us and our civilians, knowing full well about the massive military assets we had moved into the region, the aircraft carriers and so on?” Well, yes it does. As special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has explained, diplomatic talks with his Iranian counterparts had effectively collapsed.
Everyone with a rudimentary grasp of the situation in the Middle East understands that Iran would still be a serious threat to the region and the world even if Israel didn’t exist at all.
During an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News after Operation Epic Fury began Witkoff said, “Iranian negotiators declared they controlled roughly 460 kilograms of enriched uranium to about 60 percent and that this material could potentially be further enriched toward weapons-grade levels in about a week to 10 days.” According to Witkoff, enrichment beyond about 20 percent serves no civilian purpose and is associated with weaponization. Who did Megyn Kelly consult with concerning whether Iran constituted an imminent threat? Joseph Kent — the National Counterterrorism Center official who suddenly announced his unexpected departure from the Trump administration in a social media post that included a copy of a resignation letter that outlined the following conspiracy theory:
Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran. This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory. This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the Iraq war.
Joe Kent, according to a report in Axios, has been under FBI investigation for months on suspicion he leaked classified information. Yet, Megyn Kelly credulously lapped up his claim that there was a dark plot to trick the President into launching a wholly unnecessary war in the Middle East. And, who precisely were the “influential members of the American media” colluding with the Israelis to bamboozle Trump? Kelly names a few in her initial podcast on the war, including Mark Levin and Ben Shapiro. She also throws in Miriam Adelson, the widow of Sheldon Adelson, but she’s not a member of the media. Why would Kelly include her in this list? What does she have in common with the others? Meanwhile, the New York Times is enjoying the brawl:
The podcaster Megyn Kelly and the Fox News host Mark Levin are two of the country’s best-known conservative influencers. She opposes the war in Iran. He supports it … The debate reflects a widening rift within the American conservative movement. For decades, conservatives were stalwart supporters of the Jewish state, but over the last few years, some have grown disenchanted with Israel and its role in American politics. The disagreements have only intensified since the attacks began on Feb. 28.
The worst part of all this is Kelly’s childlike gullibility concerning Kent’s claim in this now infamous X post: “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” Anyone paying attention to the metastasizing anti-Semitism that has characterized the first 25 years of the 21st century will recognize this trope. Older Americans familiar with the horrors of the Holocaust, will see it for what it is. Younger Americans, however, have been fed propaganda that portrays Israel as an oppressor that “occupies” a fictitious nation called Palestine. Thus they somehow exercise power over Trump.
This is all nonsense, of course. Everyone with a rudimentary grasp of the situation in the Middle East understands that Iran would still be a serious threat to the region and the world even if Israel didn’t exist at all. When its leaders chant “death to the Great Satan,” they aren’t kidding. And their ongoing effort to acquire a nuclear arsenal is not just a hobby. Instead of blaming “the Israel lobby” for the current conflict, we should thank them for keeping the barbarians outside of the gate. As to Megyn Kelly, she should stick to media gossip and other things she grasps.
READ MORE from David Catron:
Paxton Makes Thune an Offer He Can’t Refuse
The Democrats’ Epic Fury Over Iran Strikes
Who Cares If Democrats Boycott Trump’s SOTU?
