Fingers Off the Button!

I've talked about this before, but one of the things that surprised me the most about Washington, once I started to get to know it beyond monuments and museums, was how Congressmen are just like us. Which is to say, kinda stupid, if not actual idiots. One can chose to be amused by their antics ("I was on my way to a vote, officer!" and whatnot), but every once in awhile their idiocy veers into dangerous lunacy. (Hat tip for the t'script to Hullabaloo.)

This rationale for invading Iran, by the way, just barely edges out "it's just one letter off from that other brown place on the map" for coherence.

MATTHEWS: How many wars are we going to have to fight in our lifetime? You want to go to war with Iran now?

CANTOR: I'm not saying we should take anything off the table.

MATTHEWS: Do you think we should go to war with Iran?

CANTOR: I don't think that‘s responsible for to us take that option off the table right now.

MATTHEWS: I'm asking you, do you think we should go to war? Yes or no?

CANTOR: I think all options including the military option should be left on the table.

MATTHEWS: This isn't an option question. This isn't multiple choice.

Right now, February 8, 2007, do you believe we should go to war with Iran?

CANTOR: I'll leave that decision up to the commanders on the ground and those in our military ...

Matthews is visibly taken aback.

MATTHEWS [straining]: Commanders on the ground ... whether we go to war with another country?

CANTOR: I will leave the decisions in the military arena to—this is exactly the point.

MATTHEWS: This is Barry Goldwater talking. He used to say that.

Regional commanders can decide whether we want it use nuclear weapons. You're obviously saying soldiers should decide which country to go to war with.

It's not like soldiers would make worse decisions than Bush, but I like the whole "elected representatives" idea... oh, wait...