During the April 3rd panel discussion on Fox News Sunday, the subject of the Qur’an burning pastor from Florida, Terry Jones came up. When the Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol chimed in, he referred to Jones as a “total jackass (who) is acting without regard for the safety of our troops there. ”
In the past, Kristol did something on par with what Jones did – and he was proud of it.
In 2006, portions of the Muslim world erupted in riots over the publishing of Danish cartoons that mocked Islam’s prophet, Muhammad. Many publications refused to print the cartoons out of concern that they would only fuel the Islamic rage. Kristol was different, however. Using his 2011 standard, Kristol himself was a “total jackass” in 2006 when he proudly championed his decision to publish the cartoons in the Weekly Standard.
In an article sarcastically titled, Oh, the Anguish, Kristol thumbed his nose at those who would go on a violent rampage over cartoons. Subtitled, ‘The cartoon jihad is phony,’ Kristol said:
“…those who are threatened by our effort to help liberalize and civilize the Middle East are fighting back with whatever weapons are at hand, and with whatever invented excuses and propaganda ploys they can discover.“
During an appearance on the Fox News channel with John Kasich on February 18, 2006 Kristol discussed his decision to publish the cartoons. Kasich pointed to fifteen murders in Nigeria that same day. They were supposedly protesting the caricatures of Muhammad. Kristol said this in response:
“There are, unfortunately lots of radical Islamists who are either terrorists or who are violent and they’re using this as an excuse. We can’t control, I guess, what happens in some city in Nigeria but we can control what we do.”[1]
Kristol went on to explain that he thought European leaders were “caving” to the Islamists and that by doing so, they were weakening the moderate Muslims.
“The more the radicals succeed in intimidating, the worse off we are, the worse off the hopes for moderate Islam are… I’m very depressed by what’s happened in the last couple of weeks. The intimidation is working. That’s the bottom line.“[2]
In 2006, just like in 2011, American troops are in both Iraq and Afghanistan, which neutralizes Kristol’s argument that the Qur’an burning endangers those troops when his weakly standard is applied. In Islam, mocking Muhammad is considered as incendiary as desecrating the Qur’an. So why did Bill Kristol engage in such behavior in 2006 but calls someone who does it in 2011 a “total jackass?”
Perhaps Mr. Kristol should look in the mirror and say, “The intimidation is working, you jackass.”
[1] Fox News Channel interview with John Kasich, February 18, 2006
[2] Ibid
Ben Barrack is a talk show host on KTEM 1400 in Texas and maintains a website at benbarrack.com
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