LARRY KUDLOW: Terrorists should be afraid of the US

There he goes again. No, not President Biden this time, his spokesman John Kirby. Our Fox White House reporter Jacqui Heinrich asked Kirby a series of good questions today and basically got no straight answers. Take a listen to some of this:   

JACQUI HEINRICH: “Is the assessment still the same that Iran did not directly play a role in this attack? You had Senator Blumenthal saying it again.” 

JOHN KIRBY: “I did not say that. I never said that Iran did not play a role. What we’ve said and there’s been no change, what we said is Iran is certainly complicit here. We still haven’t seen any direct specific intelligence that says they were witting or participating or directing the attacks of up to October 7.”   

No specifics, I mean he didn’t answer a question. She said “direct” and then he kind of just dodges it and deflects it. Then here’s Kirby yesterday: “We know Iran continues to support Hamas and Hezbollah, and we know that Iran is closely monitoring these events and, in some cases, actively facilitating these attacks and spurring on others who may want to exploit the conflict for their own good or for that of Iran. We know Iran’s goal is to maintain some level of deniability here, but we’re not going to allow them to do that.”  

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You know again, some level of deniability. A, wouldn’t happen without Iran. B, wouldn’t happen without Iran. 

Then, he clings to this fiction that Iran had no direct intervention. It’s incredible. Then take a listen to what Secretary Antony Blinken said Sunday:   

“We expect that there’s a likelihood of escalation, escalation by Iranian proxies directed against our forces, directed against our personnel. We are taking steps to make sure that we can effectively defend our people and respond decisively if we need to. This is not what we want, not what we’re looking for”  

“Not what we want, not what we’re looking for.” These two: Kirby and Blinken, are not answering the questions. There is no plain, direct talk. That is because they are not warriors. They are playing defense, not offense. They are more comfortable sitting around the Yale faculty lounge tossing around dreamy aspirations for peace to use Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Elbridge Colby’s’ line, a guest on our show last night. When Secretary of State Blinken says, “This is not what we want, not what we’re looking for” that is so defeatist, it almost borders on victimhood.   

The United States is not a victim. The United States should not be wobbly. In fact, the U.S. should be on the offense. Blinken and Kirby are afraid of what the terrorists might do.  Wait a second! The terrorists should be afraid of what the U.S. might do. 

These Bidens have the story completely backward and hence wrong. Iran and its terrorist puppets should be scared of American escalation against them.  They were afraid of what Donald Trump would do. Years ago the communists were afraid of what Ronald Reagan would do, but they are not afraid of what Joe Biden would do. That’s the problem today.   

Again, Kirby talked about ‘deterrence’ today. Show me the deterrence. Kirby talked about additional sanctions. Show me the additional sanctions! How many Iranian oil tankers with cargo for China were stopped by U.S. sanctions today?  How many Iranian banks were put out of business by U.S. financial sanctions today? None that I know of. 

Of course, there was no Biden snapback of the Iranian ballistic missile sanctions for the U.N. security council resolution 1223. So, I don’t know what Mr. Kirby is talking about and for Kirby, or anybody else in the Biden administration to deny Iran’s direct involvement in planning and financing Hamas, and other terrorist acts is pure nonsense.   

Kirby better watch out, before people start calling him “Baghdad Bob” for those who remember Saddam Hussein’s hair-brained  spokesperson many years ago. Now, another point: take a listen to what John Ratcliffe said last night: “Americans weren’t killed in some kinder or gentler manner. Americans were beheaded. Americans were raped. Americans were stabbed, shot. All of that has taken place and there’s no outrage from this administration.”  

That is powerful testimony. The Bidens may not realize it, but the terrorists have committed acts of war against the United States. Even Kirby said there may have been a dozen attacks on U.S. troops and ships in the Middle East since October 7. The killing of over 30 Americans and the hostage-taking of perhaps a dozen more are acts of war.  Firing on American ships, embassies and Air Force bases, these are acts of war. When will the Bidens wake up to those facts? When will the Bidens stop appeasing Iran and their terrorist puppets and begin a serious campaign of deterrence? Will they ever? We need warriors in the White House, not Yale faculty lounge discussions.   

This article is adapted from Larry Kudlow’s opening commentary on the October 24, 2023, edition of “Kudlow.”