RUSH: Folks, I still have some audio sound bites remaining here on this ISIS business. I’ve kind of divvied it up as we’ve discussed it today, but there are still some things that I’d like to share with you, and I will get started here. Charlie Rose last night on PBS, the Charlie Rose Show. He’s interviewing the… Oh, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Wait just a second. There’s one before I get there. Grab audio sound bite number six. This is so inspiring. Mr. Snerdley, you have to hear this.
This is so inspiring. This is on Capitol Hill today. The Senate Armed Services Committee held a confirmation hearing for the secretary of defense nominee Ashton Carter. During the Q&A, Senator McCain of Arizona said, “What do you understand the strategy for combating ISIS to be?” Okay, so it’s a simple, straightforward question. This is the secretary of defense nominee, Ashton Carter. McCain wants to know: So what are we gonna do? How do you see us fighting these guys?
CARTER: The, uh… uh, uh, um… (smacks lips) uh, strategy connects ends and means, and our ends with respect to, uh, ISIL needs to be its lasting defeat. Uh, I say “lasting” because it’s important that when they get defeated they stay defeated. Uh, and, uh that is why it’s important that, uhhh, we have, uhhhh, uh-uh, uh, those on the ground there who will ensure that they stay defeated once defeated.
RUSH: Isn’t that inspiring? It’s 33 seconds there of sheer excitement, sheer awe-inspiring confidence in our ability here and how we’re gonna defeat ISIS. Now, McCain’s question: “What do you understand the strategy for combating ISIS to be?” And our defense secretary nominee said, “Well, uh, uh, uh, the, uh, strategy connects ends and means.” Oh! Oh-ho-ho! Right on, dude, right on. “And our ends with respect to, uh, uhhhh, uh — (coughing) excuse me, Senator — ISIL needs to be its lasting defeat.”
Now, obviously senators didn’t know what that meant, lasting defeat. So our nominee clarified. “I say ‘lasting’ because it’s important that when they get defeated, they stay defeated.” Man, folks, are we lucky? Where do we find these people? Where in the world do we go, and how far down do we have to go, how high up do we have to go to find such amazing and qualified people?
“Well, uh, Senator, uh, uh, we are gonna beat ’em.”
That’s the strategy?
“And, uh, when we beat ’em, they’re gonna stay beat. Uh, that’s what I mean. Once they’re defeated, they’re defeated. We’re gonna defeat ’em, they’re gonna stay defeated.” Man! You gotta go to Harvard or Yale to be able to answer that, right? Man, oh, man. So now we move on from that to Charlie Rose who no doubt will be interviewing this guy after he becomes secretary of defense, and that’ll be fun.
Anyway, Charlie’s talking to the former director of the DIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency. He’s Lieutenant General Mike Flynn. Charlie Rose says (summarized), “Did we get a treasure trove of stuff from bin Laden when they killed him? A lot of things in terms of what he thought, what he was trying to do? Did we really clean up by doing that?”
FLYNN: We really do have to come to grips with defining it — we just have to — and it doesn’t mean that we’re any less respectful of the Islamic religion. Why do we…? For example, when we detain somebody at Gitmo. Why do we give them a Koran, you know, a prayer rug, and make sure that they have all the time in their world to practice their religion?
ROSE: (somber whispering) Because we have a value that —
FLYNN: What…? Yeah.
ROSE — says you respect freedom of religion.
FLYNN: So why don’t we recognize the fact that these guys are, in fact, Islamic extremists? Why did we bury bin Laden wrapped in a white sheet in a somewhat respectful way? What I’m saying is that we already recognize that this is an Islamic problem.
ROSE: Ahhhhhhh! By the fact that we show respect for them!
FLYNN: Exactly.
ROSE: And give them a Koran!
FLYNN: So why not just call them that?
ROSE: We recognize that there’s a connection between them!
FLYNN: That’s right. We connect ’em.
RUSH: Good grief, what did I just hear? (laughing) Charlie Rose just…? He just had an epiphany moment! He said, “A-ha! Okay, I got it now.” Do you…? I have to parse this. I’m sorry. So this guy, Mike Flynn, is obviously frustrated that we’re handcuffing ourselves, that we’re tying out of with your arms behind our backs. We don’t even properly identify these people. And then he says, “If they’re not Islamists, why do we give them a Koran at Gitmo? Why do we give ’em a prayer rug and make sure they have all the time in the world to practice their religion?”
Charlie, like a good, liberal says, “Because we have a value that says we respect freedom of religion!” Well, yeah, for citizens, Charlie. For citizens, yeah. Isn’t it convenient how the Constitution is infallible on certain things, like freedom of religion for our enemies? But you talk about the Second Amendment or other things for American citizens, and, “Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! We’ve gotta change it.” Freedom of religion. “Yeah, we have values, American values, Mike!
“That’s why! That’s why we give ’em a Koran and that’s why we give ’em Korans and prayer rugs!” So this guy, seeing Charlie still doesn’t get it, says, “Okay, so why don’t we recognize the fact that these guys are, in fact, Islamist extremists? Why do we bury bin Laden wrapped in a white sheet, in a respectful way? What I’m saying, Charlie, is we already recognize it is an Islamic problem.”
Charlie says, “Ahhhhhhhhhh! By the fact that we show respect to them and give ’em a Koran, we’re recognizing there’s a connection between them!” Flynn goes (summarized), “That’s right. We connect them, Charlie. You see, we buried bin Laden with full Islamic regalia, and we give them Korans and prayer rugs at Gitmo, and then we’re told that they’re not Islamists,” and Charlie finally had it explained to him in a way he could understand it. For him, I guarantee you, this is one happiest nights in his life!
A light went off. He couldn’t figure this out on his own, or didn’t. Maybe it’s not that he couldn’t; it’s just that he didn’t. So… (interruption) Well, will he remember it? Yeah, that’s not a question of will he remember it. Will he now utilize what he knows in whatever interviews he conducts, or will he revert back to, “Well, why do we know their Islamists? What gives us that education? Are we really correct in assuming that?”
Remember when he talked to Brokaw about Obama, they were reveling in how much they didn’t know about the guy, five days before telling everybody they should vote for him. Anyway, there’s one more sound bite to this. Mike Flynn, after the light goes in Charlie Rose’s head… I’m not meaning to be mean. I’m not making fun of Charlie. I think this is… Folks, I think this is fascinating, the way liberals learn things.
Things that you and me connect instantly that are just common sense, it took a former DIA head to explain to Charlie. “Well, you know what? We give them a Koran.” Charlie says, “Yeah, because we believe in freedom of religion!” “No, because they’re Islamists!” “Oh, yeah?” “Yeah, and we buried bin Laden with full Muslim ceremony.” “Oh, yeah, that’s right! Why, we wouldn’t do that if he wasn’t Muslim, right?” That’s what Charlie’s thinking. So he had it explained to ’em, and they continued. The conversation continued.
FLYNN: We had various assessments that call them like they are, and, in fact (chuckles), even in the Arab world, the Arab leaders, they will call it like it is. So why is it that the United States has such a difficult problem? I mean —
ROSE: Do you think the president has a difficult problem?
FLYNN: I do. I think he does. I think he’s got a challenge with calling —
ROSE: (stammering) The White House doesn’t like to call it the Islamic State, as you know.
FLYNN: Right. Right.
ROSE: I mean they call it Daesh.
FLYNN: Right, right, right, right. I mean, just call it… You know, call it like it is. Let’s get off the dime and just call it like it is.
RUSH: (laughing) Charlie’s still arguing with the guy even after the light went off. “Well, you know, Obama says it’s not Islamic, so it must not be! I don’t care what you said to me, Mike. Yeah, it makes perfect sense, but, well, Obama says it isn’t. They call it Daesh or something.” “Right, right, right, right. I mean, just call it… You know, call it like it is. Let’s get off the dime and just call it like it is.” Charlie: “Well, the president says it isn’t!” “Charlie, I just explained it to you why they are Islamic, and you just got it.”
“Yeah, I know, but the president doesn’t call ’em that, so can we?”
I mean, Charlie didn’t say that, but that’s the thought process.
I just wanted you to hear that.
Skip to number nine. We move now to Senator McCain this morning on CNN’s New Day, and a former Fox anchorette Alisyn Camerota is interviewing McCain. She said, “Do you feel that now, because of the depravity of this particular act,” the burning of the Jordanian pilot, “do you think there’s gonna be more of an appetite in Congress to take on ISIS in terms of more boots on the ground?”
MCCAIN: There’s already significant appetite in Congress. I’ve just seen no change in the White House. Have no doubt: ISIS is winning. We’re neither degrading more destroying, ISIS.
RUSH: Now, Alisyn Camerota works at CNN now. So she’s a gotta push back on this, which she did. McCain just said, “ISIS is winning.” We are not degrading, we are not destroying ISIS. And Alisyn Camerota said, “Well, I just want to stop you for a second, ’cause of our the military analysts have said the US coalition is pushing back ISIS, that they are losing some of the ground and the territory they’ve taken, and that we have killed some of their leaders. You disagree with that, Senator?”
MCCAIN: Of course. No, we are not winning, and that is the opinion of outside military experts, literally every one of them I know. And if there have been some gains, they’ve been minuscule.
RUSH: Obviously, McCain’s right on this. The UAE, United Arab Emirates, don’t forget, just pulled out because of any attempt to join us in defeating ISIS or even fighting them because they don’t feel we have a full-fledged commitment to it. When you get right down to it, that’s why UAE left. I don’t know how much they were providing but they were an ally, and no more. They pulled out. So this morning on the Senate floor, Senator Dick Durbin takes to the Senate floor to denounce ISIS. Or wait, does he?
DURBIN: Yesterday, we were informed of another barbaric act by ISIS, literally burning a Jordanian pilot to death in a cage. It’s an indication of the threat not just to the Middle East, but to the world, of terrorism in its extreme, as ISIS demonstrates on a regular basis. The same day we learned this, I visited the Department of Homeland Security and met with the secretary, Jeh Johnson, and talked about the political strategy of the Republicans when it comes to funding the Department of Homeland Security.
RUSH: Wait a minute, he didn’t denounce ISIS! He shows up to denounce Republicans. That’s what he did. I thought for a moment where he was gonna go with this, was, “Just like we did at Guantanamo Bay.” ‘Cause, remember, Dick Durbin is famous for comparing our tactics in Guantanamo Bay to the gulags of the Soviet Union and Pol Pot and all that. So here he is. He “denounces” what ISIS did, and then ends up by ripping the Republicans for whatever funding they do or don’t want to extend to the Department of Homeland Security.