Gloating Chris Hayes Suggests 'Neocons' Wanted 'Muscular Assertion of Military Dominance' Against Iran
On Monday's All In show on MSNBC, as he celebrated the "truly historic" news of President Obama's deal with Iran, Chris Hayes mocked "neocons" for having a "dark day" and played the part of liberal caricature by suggesting that "neocons' nefariously wanted war with Iran for the "muscular assertion of military dominance."
A bit later, as he admitted that even Democrats in Congress are skeptical of the plan, he fretted about the possibility of Congress imposing more sanctions on Iran as he referred to doing so as "bonkers" and "ridiculous."
Hayes began the segment:
Saturday was a dark day for neoconservatives everywhere, in a string of seemingly endless dark days for people who over the course of a few heady years there ran our country's foreign policy and were in charge of the most powerful military on the planet.
A bit later he asserted:
Well, Iraq is one of the greatest strategic disasters in American foreign policy history, not to mention a moral abomination. North Korea, of course, already has a nuclear weapon, first tested during the Bush administration, which basically means there is no viable military solution for the United States to impose.
So Iran is the last place where the neocons can get the kind of war they've wanted, the muscular assertion of military dominance, and if that goes away, they are left with nothing.
After bringing aboard guest Matt Duss from the left-wing Center for American Progress, the two began:
CHRIS HAYES: Matt, a dark day in the halls of "neocon-dom" today.
MATT DUSS, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: A dark day for neoconservatives and a great day for America. That's in my view-
HAYES: Those usually go together.
DUSS: Those usually go together.
After mentioning plans by Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer and Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel to push for more sanctions, Hayes ended the segment:
It is absolutely bonkers and ridiculous if the Senate goes ahead on a vote for sanctions that are explicitly, any sanctions within the six months of the deal are explicitly barred. That is ridiculous.
Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Monday, November 25, All In with Chris Hayes on MSNBC:
CHRIS HAYES: Coming up, more on the diplomatic development between the U.S. and Iran. Plus-
FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH CLIP #1: North Korea as a regime arming with missiles and weapons of mass destruction.
BUSH CLIP #2: Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror.
BUSH CLIP #3: Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and to support terror.
BUSH CLIP #4: States like these and their terrorist allies constitute an Axis of Evil arming to threaten the peace of the world.
HAYES: What will neocons do now that perhaps their biggest enemy is engaged in direct diplomacy? We'll talk about that, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Today, that diplomacy opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure, a future in which we can verify that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful and that it cannot build a nuclear weapon.
HAYES: Saturday was a dark day for neoconservatives everywhere, in a string of seemingly endless dark days for people who over the course of a few heady years there ran our country's foreign policy and were in charge of the most powerful military on the planet.
It was just a few months ago that neoconservatives were given a stunning rebuke by the country, which rose up in bipartisan rebellion against the idea of a war in Syria. Nearly 60 percent wanting their members of Congress to oppose the use of military force, only 33 percent supporting military intervention.
Thanks to luck, happenstance and some very adept diplomatic maneuvering, the Syrian intervention that Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham and others so badly wanted never happened.
But that is nothing compared to Iran. For neoconservatives, Iran is the biggest enemy they have left. In his 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush famously declared the Axis of Evil as Iraq, North Korea and Iran.
Well, Iraq is one of the greatest strategic disasters in American foreign policy history, not to mention a moral abomination. North Korea, of course, already has a nuclear weapon, first tested during the Bush administration, which basically means there is no viable military solution for the United States to impose.
So Iran is the last place where the neocons can get the kind of war they've wanted, the muscular assertion of military dominance, and if that goes away, they are left with nothing. Joining me now is Matt Duss, Middle East policy analyst for the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank. Matt, a dark day in the halls of "neocon-dom" today.
MATT DUSS, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: A dark day for neoconservatives and a great day for America. That's in my view-
HAYES: Those usually go together.
DUSS: Those usually go together. No, I think, I'm glad that you played that clip earlier, you know, about President Obama back when he was running for office in that debate with John McCain, because I think that is a central argument of his presidency when it comes to foreign policy. He started and won a very important argument that had to do with the appropriate uses of American power. He was criticized by conservatives, certainly, even by some Democrats. He was called naive.
But I think now we've seen the results. He has effectively deployed all the tools of American power, economic, political, diplomatic, military, and he has advanced America's security by talking to our enemies.
(...)
HAYES: The third point in this triangle here are the Democrats, congressional Democrats. We just had Eliot Engel, congressman from New York, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York very critical of the deal. There are Democrats in Congress, in the Senate and the House, who don't like this deal and are going to push for sanctions. How much room are they going to give this deal to work?
DUSS: Well, I think even if you look at the statement from Harry Reid on, I think it was Thursday or Friday and today, as of the end of last week, he was definitive that when they come back from Thanksgiving, they were going to move on new sanctions. We got a deal over the weekend, and Harry Reid is a bit more circumspect, he's a bit more measured right now.
So I think, you know, given the significance and the potentially era-defining, you know, importance of this agreement, the implications for U.S. security in the region and the world are huge, if we can-
HAYES: It is absolutely bonkers and ridiculous if the Senate goes ahead on a vote for sanctions that are explicitly, any sanctions within the six months of the deal are explicitly barred. That is ridiculous. Matt Duss from the Center for American Progress, thank you so much for your time.
