Angry-Bird Update: IRA-Lover Peter King Considering Presidential Run Because Rand Paul Isn't Serious About Defense

From TPM:

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) said Friday that his newly revealed presidential ambitions are motivated by what he views as a "lack of a real defense policy or defense debate" among leading 2016 contenders like Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ted Cruz (R-TX).

"A number of people in the last several months, particularly in New York but also around the country, were concerned about what they feel is a lack of a real defense policy or defense debate among Republican candidates for president, focusing primarily on Rand Paul and Ted Cruz," King said during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." […]

The New York congressman said Paul, who led a marathon filibuster earlier this year to demand answers on the use of drones to target Americans, has misplaced his priorities in the debate. […]

"It bothers me when the leading Republicans out there, someone like Rand Paul, seems more concerned about an American being killed in Starbucks by a CIA drone than he is about Islamic terrorism," King said.

How debased has GOP hawkery become? Consider that the Great Neoconservative Hopes these days are John Bolton, Liz Cheney, and now Peter King, while Angry Birds Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and John McCain (R-Arizona) talk about boycotting another Russian Olympics and building a new Berlin Wall. This is what happens when you spend decades working to marginalize political opponents as "unserious" instead of taking on their arguments: The last "serious" pols standing will have all the policy gravitas of Eric Cartman.

Related: "Reminder: Peter King, Who Wants to Arrest Glenn Greenwald, Is an Actual Supporter of Terrorism."

Comments

[Almanian!]

The last "serious" pols standing will have all the policy gravitas of Eric Cartman.

Screw you guys - I'm goin' home.

Also, fuck Peter King in his Starbucks with a CIA drone. Fucktard, wardboner maroon.

[Joe M]

Al, please stop with the word games. Just tell us how you really feel.

[Eduard van Haalen]

British officials, speaking on background, said that they were behind the recent drone-striking of American Congressman Peter King.

"We're worried that the Troubles might return to N. Ireland," said a spokesperson, "and if they do we don't want this King guy to support the IRA like he did the last time around."

King's family released a statement reiterating that there are no hard feelings. "We're more concerned about terrorism than about nitpicking about drone strikes," said the widow, who was on her way to a rave with her new boyfriend, Kid Rock.

[Jordan]

Is there any politician anywhere in New York that isn't a complete piece of shit?

[Andrew S.]

The ones from upstate (at least north and west of Albany) are usually okay. But the ones from Westchester/NYC/Long Island are uniformly terrible.

[Rights-Minimalist Autocrat]

Get out of my head. My exact thought was, "What a fucking shit stain."

[KalkiDas]

Like I say recently: the neocons are like the zombies in "The Walking Dead", only more animated and less susceptible to being annihilated

[CampingInYourPark]

"It bothers me when the leading Republicans out there, someone like Rand Paul, seems more concerned about an American being killed in Starbucks by a CIA drone than he is about Islamic terrorism," King said.

Because being concerned about killing our own citizens with no justification is stupid, right? Why should the Mooozlims have all the fun?

[Apatheist ?_??]

"A number of people in the last several months, particularly in New York but also around the country, were concerned about what they feel is a lack of a real defense policy or defense debate among Republican candidates for president, focusing primarily on Rand Paul and Ted Cruz," King said during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." [...]

Up is down! Someone actually starts a damn debate with the neocons and apparently this means their is a lack of debate.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Shorter King: Killing innocent women and children is ok when members of my religious and ethnic group do it.

[sarcasmic]

Innocent? Prove they weren't terrorists! Prove it!

[KDN]

He is perfectly consistent in this regard. He did materially support Sinn Fein and the IRA, after all.

[Andrew S.]

Similarly to my feelings about Lindsay Graham, is there a fund I can donate to that will collect money to drone strike Peter King? Because I'll gladly give as much as I can afford.

[Auric Demonocles]

I'm sorry, is half a trillion dollars not adequate defense?

[The Late P Brooks]

The Party of Hate and Fear.

What a great legacy.

[Azathoth!!]

Peter King looks a lot like Walternate from Fringe, no?

[The Late P Brooks]

"It bothers me when the leading Republicans out there, someone like Rand Paul, seems more concerned about an American being killed in Starbucks by a CIA drone than he is about Islamic terrorism," King said.

Go ahead and say it, Pete, you know you want to.

THE CONSTITUTION IS NOT A SUICIDE PACT.

[Aresen]

Imagine President King on a State Visit to the UK in 2016 being arrested for aiding and abetting terrorism.

[WTF]

I'm sorry, but just imagining the "President King" part is too horrifying to go any further.

[Aresen]

You have a God President, why not a King President?

[Agammamon]

God Emperor King

[ant1sthenes]

That seems like a simple enough primary slogan for Paul, if this actually goes anywhere. "America's President should not be a King."

[ant1sthenes]

I have seen the future, and it is awesome.

[ant1sthenes]

Look, America's next President needs hands-on expertise with terrorism. It's clear that the current President's connection was too indirect to provide the necessary insight.

[Cytotoxic]

How can a face be so asshole-tastic and not be obliterated by violence?

[Mr. Soul]

I was just about to say the same thing about Krugman in the other post.

[bostonaod]

Peter King running for president might be the funniest thing I've contemplated this month. Please, let the neocon wing go full retard, their angry, salty tears will be delicious.

[Stormy Dragon]

Past history being a guide, if King does run, he'll end up getting more support than Rand Paul, particularly among Tea Party supporters.

The commenters here will respond by telling us how all the "real" Tea Partiers supported Rand Paul and that the support Peter King got in no way suggests the Tea Party's limited government rhetoric is in any way insincere.

[Mr. Soul]

disagree.

Conservative including Teapartiers coming off 8 years of Obama and looking at 4 of Hilary will nominate Rand.

The last 2 cycles they ran to the perceived safety of the establishment candidate who lost to the embodiment of empty rhetoric.

They will opt against the sure loss for a chance at winning.

[Stormy Dragon]

I'm seeing King more as a stand in for Santorum than as a stand in for Romney.

[Agammamon]

"lack of a real defense policy or defense debate"

I could'a swore there's been a lot of defense policy debate. Most of it centered around
a) who actually sets defense policy - congress or the president
b) should we actually be droning all these people or not
c) should we be sticking our nose into every little two-bit revolution happening in the middle east.

I don't know where King's been but the last year has been positively *full* of defense policy debate.

Unless, by debate, King means 'more money to the DOD and more war everywhere' - naahh that can't be it.