Listen as Larry spoke with Elliot Resnick, a Jewish Press editor and writer, about his latest Daily Caller article, What’s Changed On Syria, President Trump?.
Resnick addressed why President Trump changed his mind on attacking Syria:
O’Connor: What is different today? What has changed with this man from when he was candidate versus now as Commander in Chief?
Resnick: I honestly do not know. It’s as if our brains turn to mush as soon as we see pictures of dead children. Dead children should not dictate policy. Some of these people passed away, that is terrible, but one does not change one’s national foreign policy because one is sad that one sees pictures of dead children.
Resnick also addressed why getting involved with Syria to defeat Assad is not in our best interest:
O’Connor: Why isn’t it in our best interest? Let’s face it, Assad in Syria has been a real problem in that area for quite some time. We can draw terror attacks from there, as well as, the fact that the mess that is in Syria right now is forcing our allies, like western Europe and eastern Europe – for that matter, to have to take in all of these refugees because they are fleeing that country. What’s wrong with taking some action to try to right the wrongs and fix the mess?
Resnick: Well first of all, since all our actions in the Middle East to right the wrongs, over the last 15 years and arguably over the last 70 years, have only made things worse not better. So I don’t understand the logic behind that. And second of all, Assad is not a good person, his father was not a good person but these people at least keep their countries in check. The alternative is the Arab Street and the Arab Street hates America. The Arab Street are radical jihadis who would love to come here and blow up our buildings and our shopping malls and our train stations. So I don’t understand why we would be backing the people who hate Assad, when these are the very same people who want to destroy western civilization. As bad as Assad is, he does not want to destroy western civilization and he will keep things stable.
At the conclusion of the interview, Resnick revealed his disapproval of members in Trump’s cabinet.
Resnick: I’m against us in general acting as an international community, I’m for America acting as America. That is what President Trump campaigned on, on America first. He was going to be President of America, not President of the World. I am very very cautious and wary of us getting involved in international affairs.
O’Connor: I think that’s a very interesting and important point to make. And I know you supported candidate Trump when he was running for President based on that, right Elliot Resnick? That it was America first? And he very specifically said about not only not getting us involved in the Middle East unless our vital American interest were at stake, but specifically to Assad he said, ‘I don’t quite see the problem here’. So let me ask you this, I asked the question openly what’s changed and you said ‘I guess it’s the pictures of these children that were killed’. Let me ask the question a different way, who has his ear now? Do you think he is getting advice or getting persuaded by other players in the White House or other players in the Republican party that weren’t influential with him when he was a candidate?
Resnick: I am actually concerned about the people – many of the people he surrounded himself with. I don’t see too many of them actually agreeing with him on most of his policies – very few maybe Bannon, maybe Stephen Miller. The rest of them, I really don’t see them stepping with him. I see them as being typical Republicans, typical neoconservatives and I don’t really trust the people like Mattis and people like Tillerson. I mean, I hope I’m wrong. I hope Trump sees something in them that I don’t, but I don’t understand a lot of the people he surrounded himself with. It seems like they are holdovers from the Bush era of us being the moral policemen of the world. And whenever we see a moral campaign, a moral crusade, we are going to go ahead and pursue it.
An excerpt of Resnick’s article is below:
What’s changed, President Trump? During the campaign, you promised not to embroil the United States in the Middle East’s petty wars. You correctly stated that we have no clue who the Syrian rebels are. You wisely argued that as bad as dictators like Bashar al Assad may be, they at least keep terrorists at bay.
What’s changed? [Read More]
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