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On Thursday, the US Secretary of State testified before Congress trying to sell legislators on a $50 billion budget for his department, calling it "the minimum price" for America's leadership for the next year.
In his fourth testimony this week, Kerry pointed out the scope of the US' "simultaneous" engagements across the world, while also stressing the need to keep national security strong and protect America's interests.
With regard to Washington's international challenges, specifically the scale of radical Islamic extremism, Kerry was asked if he agreed that Russia poses a greater threat than jihadists.
"If you wanted me to put on the table the top threat to the United States today, in terms of day to day life and the stability of the world, it is violent extremism, radical religious extremism and violence..." he began to reply. Kerry was interrupted by Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-California), who called the Secretary out for being "unable" to say "radical Islamic" when referring to terrorism.
Comment: Pass the sick-bag. Rohrabacher seems to be channeling McCarthy here. Or Goebbels. And of course, no acknowledgment that the U.S. is the greatest facilitator of "radical Islamic" terrorism.
Beginning with President Obama's comments of September 2014, when he said Russia posed more of a threat than Islamic State, the US has repeatedly labeled Moscow as a top threat to America's national security.
Comment: Which of course is total nonsense. As the Russian MOD put it, there's a simple answer for this:
"We were not surprised by the loud statements of US security officials who saw Russia as the main threat to US national security," said Russia's Ministry of Defense spokesman, Igor Konashenkov."It is not a thing to be impressed by," he said, adding that the statements have the same timing each year. "The reason is simple - the discussion of the military budget in Congress for the next year."
He pointed out that the idea of a so-called Russian threat is not new. "One needs to remember that the 'Russian threat' has been the best-selling threat delivered by the Pentagon not only to Congress, but also to NATO partners since the middle of the previous century," he said. "What would they do without us?"
"What the Defense Department and others have been saying is that they see activities that Russia is engaged in, which present challenges - for instance, what happened to Crimea, what happened in Donbass, what happens with support for the separatists, the long process of back and forth on Minsk implementation - is interpreted by the frontline states as a threat," Kerry explained.
Comment: More nonsense. The U.S. facilitated the coup in Ukraine. Russia saved Crimea from the fallout (just look at the state of Ukraine today!). Donbass? Ditto. Minsk? Ditto. In all cases, the blame falls on Kiev, and thus on the U.S., not Russia.
While "touring" Capitol Hill this week, the Secretary has been trying to persuade lawmakers of Russia's essential cooperation and key role in hammering out the Syrian ceasefire deal, notably in contrast with the Obama's administration's frequent anti-Russian rhetoric.
As Kerry was making his remarks on cooperative relations with Russia to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, just down the hall General Philip M. Breedlove was telling the House Armed Services Committee that "Russia has chosen to be an adversary and poses a long-term existential threat."
Comment: Please, would someone provide a functioning brain for Mr. Strangelove?
While the State Department is looking for $50 billion, as the US is "trying to cooperate with Russia" in fighting Islamic State, the Pentagon is seeking $582.7 billion to counter Russia and China, America's "most stressing competitors," in the words of Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
"To counter Russia, Eucom, working with allies and partners, is deterring Russia now and preparing to fight and win if necessary," Breedlove, the commander of US forces in Europe, said.
However, at least for Congressman Rohrabacher, this sounds like a non-starter.
"Let me just note that increasing the spending of our military spending in Europe so that we'll have now have more tanks in Europe could be taken as a hostile act by Russia as well," he told Kerry. "So I want to get out of this cycle of well we're going to find things that they are doing hostile and vice versa."
Comment: The funny thing about partisanship: people like Rohrabacher spout complete nonsense to counter their partisan 'enemies', but sometimes also speak some basic common sense. It's not because they have a rational bone in their body, however. It's just a debate tactic.
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