Newt Gingrich subscribes to Mediawingnuts' Tongue-in-Cheek Armageddon Scenario

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of non-Representatives (although when he pushed his Contract with America, he was a true representative himself!) showed up as a guest on Meet the Press yesterday. He subscribed to the Mediawingnuts' interpretation of the end times, something that is not entirely subscribed to by my brother, Richard from Connecticut.

Rather than today being the sixth day in the New War, he sees this latest activity in the Middle East as the "58th year" of a war that began with the formation of Israel and its neighbors' complete denial of its very existence. More to the point, he sees it as the inevitable outcome of the policies and attitudes that have evolved over the past 58 years.

Further, he cheers the Israelis on ... stating that he believes that we should support them to the hilt, insuring that Hezbollah is but a memory in a few months and that its state sponsors (Iran and Syria) are neutered to the point of never resurrecting another Hezbollah-like terrorist gang in the future. Specifically, he said, "the United States should be saying to Syria and Iran, 'South Lebanon is going to be cleared out. We are for Israel and the Lebanese government breaking the back of Hezbollah, getting rid of 10-13,000 missiles -- and we will decisively stop any effort by Syria and Iran to intervene.'" Geez, those sound like fighting words to me and are likely to incite persons like my old periodic "lunch-mate at Safeco," Mike McGavick, to campaign to promise to blindly rubberstamp the foolishness begun with GWB's invasion of Iraq -- Syria next? And Iran after that? And then ... who knows?

(Yes, Newt was right here in the State of Washington over the weekend campaigning for several of the Republican candidates.)

Not only couldn't I believe what I was hearing, but his words shocked even Senator Joe Biden (who really berated him properly -- for a change!) and some of the zillion or so other talking heads -- left and right -- all day today. He included many "other" events in his end-days scenario, including even the bombing of the trains in Bombay (Mumbai today) and the threat to behead Canada's prime-minister. I am listening to him over my shoulder right now (he's ranting on Hannity and Colmes right now!), and he is including the war in Afghanistan, North Korea's missile tests and one after another conflict here and there throughout the world to his World War III scenario. He hasn't mentioned the latest six-feet high tsunami in Indonesia, the wildfires in California or the Second Coming of Christ yet, but I expect those any minute!

This guy's dangerous! He is inciting the Israelis to continue to ratchet up the level of conflict even more explicitly than John Bolton's foolish remarks relating to expectations of the need for "reckoning" with Syria and Iran -- after we have "reckoned" with Hezbollah -- in the UN Security Council meeting last Thursday or Friday.

The problem is -- Newt sounds so logical and calm while (effectively) screeching "fire" in a movie theater. His rhetoric is exactly what the US doesn't need at this serious time of world tension.

He and all of us should be calling for an immediate cease fire, followed by some sort of negotiations among the combatant nations and organizations.

Hopefully, Condoleezza Rice will say something sensible once she arrives on the scene later tonight and tomorrow. But don't count on it! Sadly, I don't see an end-game scenario for this latest flare-up. And I don't see our attention focused on Iran's development of nuclear weapons what with the current Middle East crisis PLUS our foolish occupation of Iraq both rolling along at full tilt.

President Bush has certainly set us all up for the closing stages of his self-fulfilling prophesy ... stated back when he announced the existence of an "axis of evil" shortly after the Supreme Court annointed him President, didn't he?

Truly scary!