Over the weekend, tens of thousands of anti-Iraqi war people demonstrated in Washington, D.C. Not a huge showing, but a very intense, dedicated one.
The gathering was sponsored by a group called United for Peace and Justice, made up of primarily far left Americans, who believe the USA is doing a bad thing in Iraq.
Now many of the protesters say the Iraq war is illegal and immoral. Of course, they are absolutely wrong about the illegal part. After the first Gulf war, Saddam signed a cease-fire, which among other things, allowed the United Nations to inspect his military operations. Saddam violated that part of the cease-fire 17 times.
On the first violation, the USA and Britain had the legal authority to go in and remove him. As for the immoral part, here's what the far left is putting out there:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUNSARA TAYLOR, ANTI-WAR ACTIVIST: A war of aggression is a war crime. If you haven't been attacked, you have no legitimate claim to self- defense, that it's preemptive, that's by Nuremberg standards a war crime. We should not commit war crimes. We should not be engaged in the illegal war in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
All right, now Ms. Taylor believes that America has to be directly attacked to justify any military response. That is secular progressive, far left position.
This becomes problematic when a nation like Iran, whose president wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, violates the U.N. nuke treaty, for example, seeking nuclear weapons. But for the left actor Sean Penn, who consistently sides with America's enemies, that really isn't much of a problem at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PORTER BERRY, "FACTOR" PRODUCER: I'm talking about the Iranian nuclear program that the U.N. has told them to stop, but they haven't stopped their enrichment of uranium. And some are concerned that they might develop nuclear weapons. How do you think we could handle that kind of a situation?
SEAN PENN, ACTOR: By understanding that they're concerned that we've already developed nuclear weapons. And by talking to them having not defied the United Nations ourselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Now if I understand Mr. Penn correctly, and that is not an easy thing to do, he's saying that because the USA has nukes, Iran should be able to have them, or we should understand their quest. Incredible!
And then there's Jane Fonda, who is once again protesting a war. During the Vietnam conflict, Ms. Fonda actually rooted for the enemy to win. She did apologize, but has never really explained her thinking:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERRY: Ms. Fonda, we just wanted to follow up on the question about the people who died. And after people died in Vietnam, what about - what do you think might happen to the Iraqis? Are you concerned about what will happen to the Iraqis if we leave?
JANE FONDA, ACTRESS: I'm concerned about what's happening to the Iraqis right now.
BERRY: What do you think about what happened to the three million Vietnamese and Cambodians who died after the U.S. troops left Vietnam?
FONDA: It's too bad that we caused it to happen by going in there in the first place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
So according to Jane Fonda, America, we, caused the North Vietnamese to murder a million of their own people after the war was over and the Khmer Rouge two kill two million human beings in Cambodia after we left! We did that. Some force of nature somewhere.
Are you getting the picture here? You want more? Here's Susan Sarandon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERRY: One more question, Ms. Sarandon. Are you worried about civilian casualties in Iraq if the U.S. troops pull out of there?
SUSAN SARANDON: Do you know how many civilian casualties there's been already in Iraq? 650,000.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Six hundred fifty thousand? Well that's Susan Sarandon and the far left's number. The Brookings Institution, however, says about 59,000 Iraqi civilians were killed as of last July. The U.N. number is 150,000.
But it's clear, the war is a disaster for the Iraqis. That is certainly true. But "Talking Points" believes a cut and run strategy would be more disastrous and Iran would become an even greater threat.
Now the far left simply will not take that analysis into account. They dismiss it. Listen to Tim Robbins.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERRY: Doesn't it maybe make the situation worse if we leave?
Yes, I think people are acknowledging that it's bad situation. But could it potentially get worse if we pull out of there?
TIM ROBBINS, ACTOR: No, I don't believe it can get worse than it is now. From what I hear from people that have been there, from the Iraq veterans that have come from there, they don't believe it can get worse if we leave.
BERRY: Even if Iran were to take over part of the country?
ROBBINS: Well, I don't know. You seem to have some kind of support for the war. You're pretty young guy. So maybe you should enlist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Ah, there you go, Tim. Nice answer to a legitimate question. Maybe he should enlist. Very intellectual, Tim. Very, very good. Thank you.
Fonda, Penn, Sarandon and Robbins sincerely believe the USA is a flawed country with a bad foreign policy. And they have that right to believe that.
But it's also the responsibility of the press to put these people and their movement into context, to ask them those questions. And you heard their answers. OK, we didn't cut their answers. You heard what they had to say.
Now I have a question for you: Do you believe removing Saddam Hussein was a war crime? Do you believe Iran should have nukes because we have them? Do you believe the USA should allow Iran to dominate the Persian Gulf and threaten Israel? Remember the war Hezbollah started last summer? Iran financed it.
The far left secular progressive movement wants to give peace a chance at the expense of our national security, ladies and gentlemen. They despise Ronald Reagan. They generally admire Fidel Castro. They hate President Bush more than Saddam. They call for unilateral action in Darfur, but not against fanatical Muslims.
Maybe you can figure all of this out, but these people frighten me. If America had intervened in Europe in 1938, millions of lives would have been saved.
If America had prevailed in Vietnam, millions of lives would have been saved.
If America had preemptively attacked Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, 3,000 Americans might be alive today.
I can cite many more examples, but clear thinking people get the point. Truth is that Fonda, Penn, Sarandon, Robbins and the rest are entitled to their opinions, but I believe their opinions put us all in grave danger.
I don't like the Iraq war. If we could go back in time, we don't do it. We pick another battlefield. But far left thinking is insane. And that was the reason not one big name elected politician showed up at that Washington rally. Not one.
And that's "The Memo."
Most Ridiculous Item
We were supposed to have a story this evening about some ladies in Seattle serving coffee in their underwear — which has angered some residents near where the coffee shop is located.
Well, ladies who consented to do the “The Factor” backed out, no pun intended, when — at the last minute, apparently when their caffeine wore off. They realized they would have to answer some questions in their regular clothes and that was a daunting prospect for them.
No one here really understands why young ladies are serving coffee in their underwear. It could be ridiculous but then again, who are we to judge, ladies and gentlemen?
—You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
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