“Sarah Palin with a Harvard degree”: Why new senator Tom Cotton is so frightening

[xchrom]

http://www.salon.com/2015/02/12/sarah_palin_with_a_harvard_degree_why_new_senator_tom_cotton_is_so_frightening/





“How do I respond when I see that in some Islamic countries there is vitriolic hatred for America? I’ll tell you how I respond: I’m amazed. I’m amazed that there’s such misunderstanding of what our country is about that people would hate us. I am — like most Americans, I just can’t believe it because I know how good we are.”

– President George W. Bush Oct. 11, 2001, press conference

Newly elected Tom Cotton of Arkansas is one of the youngest members of the Senate, only 37 years old, a graduate of Harvard and Harvard Law and a veteran of both Afghanistan and Iraq. Widely considered to be a leading light on the right in foreign policy and national security, Cotton was naturally given a plum assignment on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Last week he made his debut on the national stage by posing a series of probing questions about Guantánamo to Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Brian McKeon that left many people in the country wondering whether Pee Wee Herman was guest lecturing the semester he studied logic at Harvard.

With a barely suppressed smirk on his handsome young face, Sen. Cotton asked,”How many recidivists are there at Guantánamo Bay right now?” Obviously the answer was none, since the recidivists he speaks of would be people who’ve been released from Guantánamo. Next he asked, “How many detainees at Guantánamo Bay are engaging in terrorism or anti-American incitement?” Pregnant pause. Then he answered his own question — “None, because they’re detained.” Oh Suhnap!

Finally, he asked, “How many detainees were at Guantánamo Bay on September 11, 2001?” And since Guantánamo prison camp didn’t exist at the time, the answer is, once again, none.

All of this strange “questioning” was done in service of advancing the idea that since terrorism existed before Guantánamo, Guantánamo is irrelevant to terrorism today. In fact, if one were to carry that string of logic all the way out, it’s clear that since terrorism existed before the American Revolution, America is irrelevant to terrorism today as well. Case closed.

[Warren DeMontague]

1. You need to put a picture warning in your OP.

Nerd alert!

[BlueJazz]

2. I understand the headline now. “Sarah Palin with a Harvard degree”

I didn't get killed this morning and you want to know why?
I'm writing this post.
I an insightful and smart.

[trumad]

3. Bush graduated Harvard.

Nuff said!

[no_hypocrisy]

4. And Ted Cruz with Princeton and Harvard Law Review.

Pearls before swine.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

5. To follow up on his idea that Gitmo is irrelevant to terrorism, I add one more fact for one more

conclusion.

America is spending a ton of money on those irrelevant prisoners.

Conclusion? Quit wasting money and shut Gitmo down.

[atreides1]

6. Senator Cotton

I have in my hand a simple clove of garlic...according to certain beliefs, garlic keeps away vampires! Since there are no vampires here, then it must work!

[sinkingfeeling]

7. He's absolutely terrifying! He only had 6 months in the House before is run for

the Senate. He's the apple of the RW, Bible-thumping, kill all foreigners, TEA Party types' eyes.

[CJCRANE]

8. An idiot with a Harvard degree

is still an idiot.

Terrorism has increased 500% since 2000 and the ISIS freaks put their hostages in orange jumpsuits to show that they are a reaction against what the neocons did.

[Rex]

9. Amazing, that someone with the level of education and world travel

could be that clueless. A fool answering his own stupid questions...with a Harvard degree and a vet from Iraq and Afghanistan. Amazing. Sad.

[IcyPeas]

10. all that fancy book learnin'

doesn't make you smart.

[Blanks]

11. I voted against him...

I think he outspent Pryor 5 to 1. You couldn't interact with the outside world without being exposed to a Cotton commercial.

I'm sure we will see more of his stupid ass in the years to come.

[KamaAina]

12. Sarah Palin with a Harvard MBA

[TBF]

13. I'm starting to wonder if the admissions committee at Harvard

needs some shaking up. Seriously, who would admit these idiots?

[hifiguy]

14. Speaking from personal experience,

I can say without qualification that I never met a stupid person in my three years at Harvard Law (same class as Michelle Obama). Assholes, yes, and people who would slit your throat if there was a dime in it for them, but no idiots. There is a choice being made here to sound like an idiot to make points with idiots. Palin, OTOH, IS an idiot who is just being her idiot self.

[BlueStater]

15. Like Lindsey Graham and Aaron Schock, there's actually been a few gay rumors about this guy.

That immediately makes him toxic to the Republican base. GOP might want to think twice on making this guy a "rising star".