For several years now I have come to have more respect for Tucker Carlson and his nightly show on Fox News than for any other presentation of news and opinion on TV because of his intellectual depth on the issues and objectivity as compared to the other “red meat” cable options, both left and right. But he and his fellow travelers he regularly brings on his show have now completely lost me on the issue of the war in Ukraine. He seems to believe that Americans must find Ukraine’s leader, President Zelensky, totally virtuous in defense of a pure democracy in order to unequivocally champion our support for his country and the condemnation of Putin’s invasion.
I have previously noted that this is war, not a beauty pageant–we don’t get to chose the war, only whose side we are on. And the absolute moral clarity here demands the support of Ukraine and, yes, even using the characterization of their governing system as democratic, however flawed and fledgling it might be. Does this clarity change because of any corruption in Ukraine? NO, there are elements of corruption in all regimes. Does it change if there are some Nazis in Ukraine? NO, there are a few everywhere, including here. Lincoln suspended habeas corpus during the Civil War, Wilson shut down some news outlets as seditious during World War I. Not pretty. Some of Zelensky’s decisions are equally questionable, such as consolidating and centralizing his power, reducing the number of political parties, shutting down some media outlets, etc. But the guy is trying to save his country and his life is on the line every day. Give him a break.
Seek not every quality in one individual. – Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC) Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher
“None of us, no, not one is perfect, and were we to love none who had imperfections, this world would be a desert for our love.” – Thomas Jefferson (1743 –1826) author of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1777), founder of the University of Virginia (1819), the third president of the United States
And this flaw of demanding perfection, present in Carlson himself, may be that beam to which Christ referred when he cited the difficulty it poses for us in removing the cinder from our neighbor’s eye.
I share your opinion on Tucker completely although I was somewhat prepared for it as I read his early book a number of years ago. Init he showed his position on national security as he reveals it today. He is being consistent. I blame much of this attitude on a failure to see the big picture although he seems to on many other things.
Right on Jim!
I love Tucker too. But he is wrong on this issue!
As I said in a previous reply—the only real losers in ware is the public.
Tucker is the one news show that should be required listening for all. He made great points last night about Ukraine and the fact that it is not a democracy and Zelensky is establishing a dictatorship. Nothing wrong with his comments. I would suspect that you would hear the same complaints if he pointed that all lawyers must have the same opinions!!
As someone else said – we are only choosing whose side we wish to be on and it is not Russia’s
Couldn’t agree more, Jim. He has definitely gone off the rails on this/it’s pretty hard to be judgmental when the enemy is at the gate and you have no clue what it is like to be in his shoes. Actually a bit surprised Fox has let him stay the course on this one…
Jim, well said and spot on as to “Why.” But there is another border we need to worry about as well — and as someone said we can walk and chew gum at the same time. Although we have been working as hard as we can to become financially bankrupted, there is no need to compound that with moral bankruptcy. A sticky wicket and a hell of a mess — but we will muddle our way through all of this — at least during your and my lifetimes!
Tucker has become an inflammatory fool. A nation is fighting for its life, the physical assaults and property damage have been astounding, and Tucker wants a debating legislature to meet during this hell?
He is worse than childish. He has taken leave of his senses.
Great points. I’ll add our own corruption plus Roosevelt’s internment of Japanese. We may be unaware of pro Russian elements within the Ukraine government he is dealing with. What if Carlson is totally correct? What right does that give Putin to invade, destroy and kill innocents?
I think Tucker just isn’t well informed or very interested in becoming so. He sees most of the critical issues at home and seems to hit a ceiling on what he seems to view as far away places. My great concern is that we’ve let this pot boil to long rather than bring it to a quick ending. That’s not going to happen without decisive US or partial NATO action. The longer it simmers the more dangerous the situation becomes.