Rick Perry Says Turkey Should Be Expelled from NATO, Calls Leaders 'Islamic Terrorists'

[denem]

Source: Turkish Weekly
URL: http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/130077/rick-perry-says-turkey-should-be-expelled-from-nato-calls-leaders-39-islamic-terrorists-39-.html

[div class="excerpt"Texas governor and U.S. presidential hopeful Rick Perry suggested it might be time to kick Turkey out of NATO, calling the country's leaders "Islamic terrorists."

Perry made the remarks during Fox News' South Carolina debate, website Mediaite.com reported yesterday.

Moderator Bret Baier reportedly mentioned Turkey's ruling "Islamist" Justice and Development Party (AKP) and outlined the increasing murder rates of women, declining press freedom in the country and deteriorating relations with Israel and Greek Cyprus since the AKP came to power and asked Perry if he believed Turkey still belonged in NATO.

“Obviously when you have a country that is being ruled by what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists, when you start seeing that type of activity against their own citizens, then ... not only is it time for us to have a conversation about whether or not they belong to be in NATO but it’s time for the United States, when we look at their foreign aid, to go to zero with it,” Perry said, adding that Turkey "moved far away from the country it once was in the 1970s," when Perry was stationed in Turkey as a pilot.

You don't have to be in the White House to fuck up foreign policy. When you've lost in SC, you ignorant box of rocks, get the hell out of public life.

Why should the State Department have to issue a statement (which they will) because some GOP clown has shot his mouth off again?

[ferrisd]

1. really ?

Perry obviously learned a lot about Turkey while he was stationed there as a Pilot :-D

And of course he has been following the development of the countries during the last 10 years very closely while creating 100.000s jobs in Texas at the same time.

Good thing he is gone after SC...

[karynnj]

7. I hope both statements are sarcasm, if not your post count is unlikely to get to triple digits

The fact is that there is no one in the Republican field who has good credentials on foreign policy. Perry shows in his comments here that he is not a diplomat and has no understanding on the situation in the Middle East. While it is true that Turkey has shifted over the last few years, other than Jordan and Egypt, there is no middle eastern country that has been as willing to have cordial relations with Israel. Egypt is likely to not be as strong an ally - if an ally at all when it's new government is formed.

While Perry is attacking one of the few countries not inalienably against any political solution to the Palestine/Israel problem, President Obama will be meeting with the King of Jordan, who has been leading a quiet peace initiative. ( Senator Kerry met with the king and Abbas last week in the middle east per Jordanian media.) Here is an Israeli article on Jordan's efforts that mentions Obama's meeting. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/jordan-s-abdullah-israel-realizes-need-to-revive-mideast-peace-talks-immediately-1.407769 (Note - Haaretz is a left leaning Israeli paper.)

Santorum's main foreign policy goal while in the Senate seemed to be that we should attack Iran - I guess because it was so easy to defeat Iraq, a less powerful, smaller country than Iran.

Romney has been continuously wrong on foreign policy. My "home" on DU has been the John Kerry group - so there were many times where their opinions were contrasted in the local papers. As the posts go back to 2006, when Romney decided that he could be a foreign policy expert, time has shown that one of these two men is a foreign policy expert - and it is not Romney. Here is my post that includes a recent oped that explains why Romney is wrong - that Kerry wrote for the Manchester Union (which was supporting Gingrich). In addition, there are dueling opeds on START and from 2006, Iraq and Afghanistan. http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=178229

(For anyone wanting a starting point on questioning Romney's foreign policy expertise, Kerry's exchanges with Romney could be a good starting point.)

[izquierdista]

13. And their credentials are equally good on domestic policy

Any one of them could join with Bill Kristol and Francis Fukuyama to form the Foursome of Wrong (starting off with even having the concept of a foursome incorrect).

[karynnj]

16. I should have said that, but foreign policy has not really been the main issue in the primaries, so

it has been off the radar.

I would expect that Obama will make the case on both the domestic side - where his policies have had some real success, even though there are major structural economic problems that need fixing. (Something that it is near impossible in the polarized situation we are in. ) The fact is that the Romney plan makes those structural problems worse.

At a time of historical income inequality - he wants to eliminate taxes on capital gains, dividends and estates. It does not take an econometric model to know that that will greatly increase that inequality.

[Fuddnik]

15. Perry is so stoopid,

He thought he was stationed in Turduckhenstan.

[rainbow4321]

46. Texan Repubs are not impressed

Mittens is eating goodhair's lunch in his own backyard.... I'd prefer goodhair stay in the race til the TX primary so we get to see him explain that away on national TV. And can I ask if he plans on refunding our TX tax dollars ($400,000 per MONTH) that he is using as he goes around the nation making an ass out of himself. Yeah, I didn't think so. I imagine "God" will tell him during a morning jog that he doesnt need to cut us a check.

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/01/romney-dewhurst-lead-in-texas.html

[lunatica]

2. Our country is dangerously headed towards a theocratic government

And the teabaggers who became governors are delighted to show us what it would be like. You could bid farewell to the New Deal social programs, unions, the Constitution and any and all forms of tolerance. Just one teabag President with a teabag Congress would put Bush's administration's gutting of our Constitution to shame. Imagine Scott Walker riding all the way to the White House armed with his walking orders from the Koch brothers to privatize everything.

[JoePhilly]

3. Perry has become so insanely desperate, he's ringing every "crazy bell" he can think of.

[brooklynite]

4. I noticed this awhile ago...

Apparently the Religious Bigotry bloc isn't big enough for a win, so he's trying to add the Xenophobic vote as well.

[JoePhilly]

43. YUP and the "everyone in the ME is a terrorist" bell.

In a way, I'm almost sad Perry is about done.

[Bragi]

5. The sorta good news is this

Serious people outside the U.S don't really put any weight on election year crazy talk from right wing Republican politicians looking for votes.

They do, however, shake their heads and wonder why so many Americans continue to support insane right wing politicians.

Naturally, we worry about insane right wing politicians actually getting elected in the U.S, but we also know that there's nothing the rest of us can do about this, if it is to happen.

[denem]

9. Front page of The Turkish Weekly? No they don;t hear one word about

of GOP politicians. Dream on.

[Bragi]

11. I didn't say they didn't hear about it

Of course people outside the U.S stand aghast when your right wing pols make stupid statements. What I actually said is that serious people don't give it a lot of weight.

[mwb970]

6. The degree of ignorance on display from Perry is overwhelming.

Is it possible that we have actually found The Stupidest Man In All Of America?

[hobbit709]

8. If he isn't, he's definitely running a close second.

[The Doctor.]

10. He's taken 'Cowboy Diplomacy' straight into 'Cowbatshit Diplomacy'.

Talk about stupid.

[jpak]

12. Wow - a dumbass on loan from god

yup

[Fuddnik]

14. Colbert had him pegged in the right category last night.

He said people should be able to vote for whoever they want in the SC primary. Sleepey, Dopey, or Perry.

[Hugabear]

17. Teabagger mentality: Islam = Terrorism

If a country is Islamic, then by freeper logic, that country is a terrorist country.

This is one of the many dangers with teabagger logic.

[Turbineguy]

18. It's the primaries, folks

and these clowns have to appeal to the lowest common denominator in the US, those who get their current events information from Fox news. For Perry however, this just happens to come natural.

[denem]

20. And the lowest common denominator is on the front page of The Turkish Weekly.

Lovely.

[Turbineguy]

24. Well, that's embarrassing....

[marmar]

19. What a profoundly ignorant person.

nt

[hifiguy]

21. It is now official

Perry is even dumber than the Little Chimp, and that borders on science fiction.

[bemildred]

22. Turkey responds to Perry remarks

---

In a statement e-mailed to CNN, Selcuk Unal said presidential candidates should "be more informed about the world and be more careful their statements."

"The unfortunate views of Perry are not shared in any case by Republican party supporters, considering the weak support he has received in public polls and primary elections," Unal concluded.

Top Turkish government officials were unavailable for comment Tuesday, with many of them in Northern Cyprus for the funeral of veteran Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas, but the country's largely-tabloid press wasted no time in responding to the comments on websites early Tuesday morning.

---

"Rick Perry: what an idiot," tweeted Mustafa Akyol, a columnist with the English-language Hurriyet Daily news. The Hurriyet newspaper also posted a video on its website of Perry drawing a blank in the middle of a prior debate, forgetting in mid-sentence which was the third of three government departments he would cut if elected president.

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/17/turkey-responds-to-perry-remarks/

[denem]

26. And the State Department will have to say something now

because a stupid man, completely out of his depth, is throwing red meat around like a lunatic before a Fox crowd that boos at the mere mention of Mexico. Rupert, you have a lot to answer for.

And it's not as if the moderators didn't set Perry up for this. Congratulations.

[bemildred]

27. Yep. Loose cannon. nt

[denem]

28. Loose lips sink ships.

Bastard.

[riverwalker]

23. funny comment from Turkish paper

“America really must be a land of opportunity if this man has managed to become governor,” one reader commented on the website of Vatan newspaper."

[denem]

25. They got a clue in 2000,

and following the dots back to Texas confirms their suspicions I'll bet. Sigh.

[mainer]

34. Yep, the Turks get what many Americans don't

As a frequent visitor to Turkey, I am appalled by Perry's stupidity.

[BeyondGeography]

29. Even though he was stationed there he still confuses it with Chicken

[McCamy Taylor]

30. Is this the policy of his Big Oil backers? Maybe they have a contract with Iraq's Kurds?

[Odin2005]

31. Perry makes W look like a genius.

[Hugabear]

37. Perry makes Palin look like a genius

Not by much, but still...

[Bruce Wayne]

48. And yet Perry makes Lady Godiva look like Lex Luthor

My god, that man has good hair.

[denem]

32. It's exploding as expected : "Turkey furious at Perry's terrorist accusation"

http://www.freep.com/usatoday/article/52613100?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cp

" the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in an e-mailed statement today - “Turkey was a NATO member when the governor was a mere two years old.”
http://blog.chron.com/rickperry/2012/01/turkey-slams-rick-perry-over-islamic-terrorists-remark/

"Talking Turkey: Rick Perry’s Latest ‘Oops’ Moment?"
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/01/17/talking-turkey-rick-perrys-latest-oops-moment/

Stupid dipshit.

[McCamy Taylor]

33. Why Perry's oil backers might want to see Turkey out of NATO.

Exxon, among others, has lucrative contracts with Iraq's Kurds. With Iraq on the verge of Shiite rule, those contracts are now in jeopardy. Exxon, Keystone and the others (see link)

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/12/world/meast/iraq-oil/index.html

want that oil. The best way to ensure that they get that oil would be autonomous rule for Iraq's Kurds---which would basically mean a new country, Kurdistan.

Now, the problem with "Kurdistan" is several other countries in the region consider Kurds terrorists. These include Iran (but Iran's enemies are our friends), Syria (but that country is so destabilized right now they do not count) and Turkey. Turkey as in our ally and NATO member. Turkey will never, ever agree to a "Kurdistan" because this would make their own Kurds more determined to become independent and it would provide a safe haven country for Kurdish rebels. Think Northern/Southern Ireland before the reunification.

Now, if Turkey was out of NATO and no longer our BFF in the Middle East, it would be much easier for Exxon and the others to get that Kurdish state formed in Iraq. And that would mean those oil contracts would be worth the paper they are signed on.

For those of you who doubt that Perry is owned by Big Oil:

http://www.opednews.com/populum/link.php?id=136373

This is why I think Perry was not going rogue when he said what he did about Turkey---and it is why I think we will hear a lot more about the Kurds in the months to come---unless Baghdad allows the area to remain semi-autonomous.

[denem]

35. Interesting.

I guess if someone says that sounds insane it's always prudent to check whether Exxon is involved. The Kurdish region of Iraq is semi autonomous. It has it's own ministries, and foreign investment is bucketing in. It's already known as Kurdistan. The two governing parties there split from the Turkish Kurds, the PKK, a decade ago. If that's what Perry was thinking - a greater Kurdistan, he must have misunderstood (easy for him) the conversations his Oil buddies were having.

One on the reasons Turkey is pissed with Syria is that Syrian Kurds have been pouring over the boarder to escape Assad's pogroms.

[Alameda]

36. It's interesting to see the various proposed maps of "Kurdistan"

They also include the headwaters of the Tigress and Euphrates rivers...the ones that made the Fertil Crescent fertile. It is also interesting to note much of that map is also claimed as "Greater Armenia". It's about a lot more than oil. This guaranteed to produce more conflicts.

Note access to the Black, Caspian, Mediterranean seas and the Persian/Arabian Gulf

http://www.jawadmella.net/id13.html



Greater Armenia

[denem]

39. I can't see Kurdistan going much further south than Kirkuk.

Having Baghdad as a city on three boarders seems a bit of a stretch to me. South West Iraq contains Shia Islam's most holy sites, including the Golden Mosque. How could that be part of Kurdistan? Did the Kurds drive them out at some point in history?

[Alameda]

42. more incredulous things have happened.

Who in the late 1800s could have foreseen Palestine/Israel now?

[McCamy Taylor]

50. Kurdistan is a US oil/gas baron's wetdream. However, the Kurds really do deserve their own country.

[KamaAina]

38. Prick Erry IS a turkey who should be expelled

from the Presidential race. And soon!

[Botany]

40. I bet Texas is soooooo damn proud of Governor Rick

Rick Perry is dumb as a bag of 2 day old lunch meat. We have military bases in Turkey.


ANKARA, Turkey - (AP) -- U.S. Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry drew Turkey's ire on
Tuesday after suggesting the country is ruled by Islamic terrorists and questioning its NATO membership.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry released a scathing statement saying Perry's comments were "baseless
and inappropriate" and that the U.S. has no time to waste with candidates "who do not even know their allies."

http://www.newsday.com/news/turkey-reacts-to-rick-perry-s-terrorist-accusation-1.3458042

[MisterP]

41. aaaaahahaha, Perry's with Ergenekon!

[carla]

44. Stupid isn't strong enough.

I think we should call him Neo-W. Shit that has been on the grass for 3 days is smarter than this "man". I wish I could kick him in the balls. "Teh Stupid! It HURTS!!!"

[yurbud]

45. this puts in a lower circle of stupid than Bush

[Bruce Wayne]

47. Ah the voice of ignorance.

Turkey's going to be one of the three most important (and possibly one of the three most powerful) nations in the late 21st Century. We would alienate them to the peril of our foriegn policy's effectiveness. Some of their moves are troubling. They remind me of a particularly problematic colleague of mine in a certain exclusive club I've belonged to over the years. Let's just say this colleague had significantly different operating parameters than the majority of the "club" members.

She was, of course, difficult to work with at times. Always flying off here, flapping around there, pushing the envelope of appropriate boundaries for club activities. I obviously can't go into details here. But in the long run, the group's cohesion and operational effectiveness was enhanced more by having her inside the tent spitting out than outside the tent spitting in (to paraphrase a Texan far wiser than Governor Perry). Therefor we, as a group, did what was necessary to engage and redirect this unacceptable behavior toward more profitable ends. Turkey is no different from our "hawkish" colleague in this--proactive engagement and gentle redirecting of a sturdy, if divergent, ally is always far preferable than confronting and coming into conflict with a roguish ex-affiliate.

Perry suffers from delusions of American omnipotence--always the hallmark of a petty, irrational mindset. God forbid he should ever become president, because the next step down that fool's path is his suffering from delusions of American relevance in a rapidly changing world.

[Monk06]

49. The should start calling this guy Jethro Bodine