Tom Toles for September 12, 2014

Chickenhawk pinfeathers.

Don’t disbarrage Congress they have important things to do…several repeal Obamacare votes are overdue.

Interesting. After yapping about doom and gloom from ISIS, Congress (Read Republicans) are hiding under their beds and demanding “plans”. Yet the Party of Ideas (read all Bad!) is suddenly no where to be seen.

I noticed that too. Usually after the President makes a speech there is an immediate response on all TV channels by conservatives bashing the President. This time utter silence. The only one who shot off his mouth quickly was John McCain with his usual tirade about using American military power.

“…we can’t squander hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars on military equipment, special contractors, weapons, waste and fraud…” Because we gave all the Iraq and Afghanistan left-over equipment and weapons to local US police departments.

This comic is hilarious – it makes it look like Obama is leading…

Almost fell out of my chair laughing about that one – good job Toles,I like the switch from Editorial to Comic.

‘And for the cherry on top of that dollop of honesty, consider the candid cynicism of Representative Jack Kingston, of Georgia, explaining the Republican strategy on Obama’s initiative. “We can denounce it if it goes bad, and praise it if it goes well, and ask him what took him so long,” he said.’

‘Heard Rand Paul on NPR last night. As predicted, "The President doesn’t know what he’s doing. We need to send in more troops, more “boots on the ground” (read more lives lost and money wasted). Essentially more clueless rhetoric from a partisan shill.’ Funny coming from the son of “non-interventionist bring-the-boys-home” Ron Paul. Ron has always been closer to being an actual libertarian, the son only likes the brand, but shows his actual lack of principle here.

Here was another chance (as in the Iraq war vote) for Democrats to display their chickenhawk cred, not just the Republicans. Or it would be, but with election day looming, it’s time to cower behind the sandbags. Nice to see all these Arab/Moslem countries are lending support to the US efforts here. “Support” in this case means silent cheering. From behind the sandbags.

Congress is too cowardly to even have a debate on the issue.-BTW, are any other countries threatened by ISIS? Which ones?

The left looks back now with their superior intellect and remembers all that Bush did wrong to cause ISIS to appear now.

If they knew so well how wrong Bush was, why didn’t they do something to head ISIS off over the past 5-6 years? And why was Obama so ill-prepared, thinking we just had a JV team?

If the cartoonist wants Congress to be more involved perhaps he should encourage President Obama to seek authorization for the proposed military action. As President Bush once did.

ISIS has publicly and loudly proclaimed that they intend to absorb Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan, and at least the Sunni part of Iraq to create a great Sunni Arab “caliphate.” They have explicitly threatened to raise their black flag over the White House one day. This means either (1) they really are that crazy, actually mean it, are undeterable fanatical lunatics who think they are doing God’s work, and we have to take their threats very seriously and must strike back and strike back hard; or (2) they are “crazy like a fox”: they want US to believe #1 for reasons of their own that remain hidden; they are trying to provoke us to strike back at them, and we are playing into their hands.Perhaps it is a combination of both. Perhaps they intend to rise to power precisely by getting us to provide a scapegoat and enemy that will unite the Arab world behind them. They operate like the mafia: they kidnap and rob and murder and terrorize so that, in spite of them being few in number, it becomes so dangerous to oppose them that none dare do it. The mafia have existed for centuries in Sicily, and no one has ever been able to eliminate them. Yet you don’t hear many people advocating the extermination of the entire population of Sicily as you hear some on the right advocate genocide against Arab populations. There are not a few in this country who would have no problem with napalming and carpet bombing every city, town, and hamlet in the Arab, if not the Muslim world. And few enough of the rest of us advocate prudence.

Isn’t it amazing that Congress can PROPOSE all kinds of legislation, but when it comes to SERIOUS issues, “The President needs to put forth a platform.”We can “honor” any “heroic” act, showcase a home state company with a resolution, but ACT? Uh, that’s HIS job!

Congress is awaiting orders from their financial sponsors.