Brendan Calling

Open Letter to Richard Cohen

OK, let me get this straight:

Richard Cohen says “To overlook the xenophobic element in this controversy is to overlook the obvious. It is what propelled the squabble and what sustains it. Bush put his finger on it right away. “What I find interesting is that it’s okay for a British company to manage some ports, but not okay for a company from a country that is a valuable ally in the war on terror,” he said last week. “The UAE has been a valuable partner in fighting the war on terror.” It is a long way from a terrorist haven.”

But Think Progress links to this letter from Al Qaeda to the UAE, dated to 2002, in which AQ claims to have infiltrated various government agencies:

See the whole document (warning, pdf) here.

According to Cohen if you oppose this deal, a deal with a country whose security agencies seem to have been infiltrated by Al Qaeda, you are a bigot. Oh, and our 300 year old alliance with England is no different from our relationship with a non-democratic country that laundered 9/11 money. Oh, ok.

Richard Cohen goes beyond his typical mere fatuousness in this piece, and into the realm of sheer… I don’t know what you’d call it. “Wrong-headedness” is too mild a term, “sophistry” too academic… how about “total f-ckwitted stupidity”.

His column is completely offensive to any thinking person. His column is offensive to any thinking LOBSTER. Cohen either DOES NOT KNOW WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT, doesn’t do especially deep research, or is deliberately purveying a dishonest argument.
You’ll note that the Lieberman-est of the lickspittle liberals does not mention the Coast Guard’s objection to the deal. He does not mention DHS’s objection to the deal. Why let facts get in the way of a good opinion? But that’s the Cohen m.o.: he just says whatever he thinks is true on any particular day.

“Ho-hum. What shall I write today?. The sky is a lovely shade of green and the lollipop tree is in bloom here on Mars sounds about right, I’ll just send this off to ol’ Fred at the Post.” Clickety-clack goes the typewriter, and ring-a-ding goes the egg timer that Richard Cohen calls his brain. Cha-ching goes the cash register. Must be nice to draw a salary like Cohen’s to write drivel. Now the lobsters are offended too.

Why does Richard Cohen hate America?

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