‘Tehran’ Tom Cotton Insults U.S. Troops, Tries To Spark War With Iran In Disgraceful Interview
Nobody has spent more of his political career trying to undermine his own government than Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK). The Tea Party Republican most known for his borderline treasonous letter he sent to Iran in a shameful attempt to derail sensitive nuclear negotiations between President Obama and Iran’s government. His ravings failed to accomplish anything and in recent months he’s been relegated to the obscurity he deserves. Until now.
On the night of the State of the Union, Cotton went on CNN’s “Situation Room” to openly and egregiously spread lies about President Obama, even while a difficult situation was unfolding in Iran. On Tuesday evening, the Navy announced that two of its ships, and 10 U.S. sailors, were being held by the Iranian government after the boats floated into the country’s territory.
Conservatives rapidly lost their minds, even while details continued to come in suggesting the international incident was minor and, in all likelihood, harmless .
The Americans were on a training mission in the Persian Gulf when the riverine boats experienced “a navigational or mechanical difficulty” and appear to have drifted into Iranian waters, according to the Pentagon. Iranian Coast Guard boats brought the vessels to a Revolutionary Guard base on Farsi Island, officials said.
This iframe is not allowed
U.S. officials said they believe that craft steered off course and that the crew was aided, not captured, by Iranian forces.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything malicious at work on either side,” according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal assessment.
Iran said it was working on releasing the crew members “promptly.”
No big deal, right? In fact, the very lack of hostilities supports the idea that the tensions between the United States and Iran is cooling off, thanks to President Obama’s commitment to negotiations.
Not as Sen. Cotton tells it. Speaking straight into the camera, Cotton spews lie after lie. His only agenda, to hurt the president’s reputation and provoke a hostile response from Iran.
“Senior members of Barack Obama’s administration are apologizing for Iran seizing two U.S. Navy vessels and holding 10 sailors hostage,” Cotton said. “The White House tonight is a hotbed of cold feet.”Cotton said he didn’t think it was “coincidental” that Iran had seized the ships hours before President Obama’s final State of the Union address. CNN had reported the sailors may be in Iran overnight.“It’s humiliating for Barack Obama and therefore the United States to have American sailors held hostage during his final State of the Union,” Cotton said.In labeling the ships “captured” and the crew held “hostage,” Cotton is viciously lying about the troops. They weren’t taken by force. They aren’t gagged and bound somewhere in enemy territory. Their boat experienced difficulties and they were rescued by Iranian ships. They never surrendered. The United States was never asked to “apologize” to the Iranians.
But by fear-mongering to score political points, Cotton does risk inflaming tensions. Not that the lives of these men and women register in the deep, dark cavity where Cotton’s brain allegedly lives. It’s clear that even waiting until the sailors are safely out of Iran is too much to ask for a Republican who is hell-bent on painting the Middle Eastern country as a dangerous enemy.
As usual, American soldiers are being used by a Republican to serve his agenda. Secretary of State John Kerry couldn’t do an interview with CNN, even if it might have helped Democrats in the polls, he was too busy talking personally with Iranian officials, coordinating the release of these soldiers.
So going into tonight’s State of the Union, where rhetoric on both sides will be high, ask yourself this: Which politician “supports” the troops more? The one who uses them as bargaining chips to lie his way into better poll numbers or the one who spent the last few hours making sure they get home safely.
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This is par for the course for people like Tom Cotton over the past 8 years. They have done this sort of thing over and over again.
Sadly, on NT, this has to be explained to the same group of people who have the "see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil" mindset over and over again also.
A lot of "good" people have let the Tom Cottons of the world get away with this for far too long.
Iran has freed 10 U.S. sailors after detaining them in the Persian Gulf a day earlier, quickly ending an incident which could have dramatically ratcheted up tensions between the two nations. The U.S. military confirmed their release, but says it's still investigating how two boats full of Americans ended up in Iran.
CBS News
Nice going Cotton. Instead of keeping your mouth shut, you opened it to show the world how frickin' stupid you are.
Lying spam site lies to fool the dumbest of the dumb left wingers to reinforce their prejudices. Another day, another spam submission.
The headline should insult any literate person with it's stupidity. The whole article is propaganda for those who blindly support the Ayatollahs over those Americans they have political difference with. It's scary that some left wingers hate their fellow Americans so much that they would blindly support a regime that would execute them because they are a lesbian if they ever were detained by the regime. But so it goes.
In labeling the ships “captured” and the crew held “hostage,”
They were detained and held against their will. They were kept until the US apologized, which means they were hostages.
The United States was never asked to “apologize” to the Iranians.
Yes. They were and did. That's why they were released from custody.
It's scary anyone would their "news" from a spam site with a well earned reputation for blatant lying to reinforce the prejudices of it's bigoted, ignorant readership that is too scared of actual honest news to realize they are being manipulated for clicks. It's the perfect feedback loop, give ignorant, dim witted left wingers the sort of biased hate-filled news that reinforces their fragile egos without ever causing them to think critically.
Here's an actual news report, rather than the dishonest, hate filled propaganda that pollutes the site.
Sean, your source for saying the US apologized is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, according to the BBC story you linked.
Tom Cotton is a scum bag. He is also a fundamentalist Christian fanatic who would love to see the US be in a shooting war with Iran. We need to neuter the influence of these maniacs in Washington, not build them up.
Here is the LA Times story, which again sites the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as the source for the claim that US personnel apologized.
But even if the sailors did "apologize" for drifting into Iranian waters, who the fuck cares ?
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"Iran has freed 10 U.S. sailors seized on two Navy vessels in Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf after determining that the encroachment was due to a failure of navigational systems.
In a statement, the U.S. Navy confirmed the release of the sailors and the two boats from Iranian custody.
“There are no indications that the sailors were harmed during their brief detention,” the Navy said in a statement from the commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
The sailors departed Iran’s Farsi Island, where they had been held, on Wednesday morning aboard the same Riverine Command Boats that they had been operating when they “lost contact” with the U.S. Navy, the statement said.
The sailors were transferred ashore by U.S. Navy aircraft, the statement said, while other sailors took charge of the two boats en route to Bahrain. A naval investigation into the incident is underway.
In a separate statement, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter applauded the "timely" resolution of the incident.
"I am pleased that 10 U.S. Navy sailors have departed Iran and are now back in U.S. hands," Carter said. "I want to personally thank Secretary of State John Kerry for his diplomatic engagement with Iran to secure our sailors' swift return. Around the world, the U.S. Navy routinely provides assistance to foreign sailors in distress, and we appreciate the timely way in which this situation was resolved."
Kerry also said he was pleased with the sailors' safe release.
"As a former sailor myself, I know the importance of naval presence around the world and the critical work being done by our Navy in the Gulf region," he said in a statement.
Kerry suggested that a better ability to speak to Iran, thanks to Obama administration diplomacy, had helped secure the sailors' release quickly.
"I want to express my gratitude to Iranian authorities for their cooperation in swiftly resolving this matter," Kerry said. "That this issue was resolved peacefully and efficiently is a testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure, and strong."
Iranian state television and Press TV, Iran’s English-language service, had announced the release in breaking news headlines on television screens.
The semiofficial Fars News Agency reported that the sailors and their boats were released in international waters after an investigation by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.
“After considering the technical and operations logs of the boats, we found out they were unintentionally in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s waters,” a corps spokesman was quoted as saying by Fars News. “And after their apologies the two boats were released in international waters.”
Press TV showed still photographs of what it said were some of the captive sailors lounging in a room with pillows and carpets, apparently before their release. All wore military fatigues.
Iranian state television said the 10 sailors had “apologized for trespassing” in Iranian territorial waters.
A “broken” navigation system led to the encroachment, Press TV reported.
The U.S. sailors pledged “not to repeat the same mistake,” the Iranian guards said in a statement carried on Iranian media.
Earlier, Iranian authorities had hinted that the issue was close to being settled with the likely release of the 10 sailors, nine men and one woman, according to Iranian officials.
State television had quoted Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, head of the guard corps naval operations, saying that the U.S. boats' entry into Iranian waters “was the result of faults in navigation systems and the issue is getting resolved.”
The reported release would appear to avert a major confrontation in U.S.-Iranian relations at a sensitive moment, when key aspects of the nuclear accord hammered out last year between Tehran and world powers are about the be implemented. Iranian officials had vowed to use "Islamic compassion" in determining the fate of the sailors."
Special correspondent Mostaghim reported from Tehran, staff writer McDonnell from Beirut and staff writer Hennigan from Washington. Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Washington contributed to this report.
''A senior State Department official, though, told Fox News that there was “no apology from Kerry” to the Iranians.''
''It's scary that some left wingers hate their fellow Americans so much that they would blindly support a regime that would execute them because they are a lesbian if they ever were detained by the regime''... A couple of things Sean, I don't hate my fellow Americans, and I don't support Iran. Your rant and accusations make you sound exactly like the false narrative in your comment.
The BBC (no right wing source) is reporting a US apology without qualification. Has the administration denied apologizing?
The anonymous official quoted by Fox News simply said Kerry did not apologize. That's not the same thing as saying the US government did not apologize.
I don't hate my fellow Americans, and I don't support Iran
Did I say you did? But yes, I do believe there are some left wingers who will reflexively support and accept Iranian propaganda if they can use it to attack their fellow Americans.
The idea that Cotton tried to "spark a war" is beyond ridiculous. No respectable source would publish such nonsense.
Yes, Joe Biden said there were no apologies from the administration.
Even if there were, what in the hell difference does it make. Would you rather the U.S. not apologize if it were demanded for their release? We could just let them sit in there, great plan.
No you did not specially name me, but you painted with a broad brush Sean. It would like me saying that many conservatives are traitors to American...Think you wouldn't respond to that?
Although I believe Tom Cotton should have held off any comments until all the facts were available, don't be fooled by Iran.
There is no country on earth who has been responsible for more American and citizens of other countries deaths from terrorism and by other means than Iran. Iran has never followed the rules of any agreements or treaties they have made with anyone. They've always continued to move toward their goal and have even, when caught for their deceit, bragged how they just used these agreements and treaties to buy time. The only difference with Obama's Iran Nuclear deal and all the rest is he acted as a dictator of this country and he gave them the time for free. I mean they've already been caught breaking the rules of the agreement.
They weren't taken by force..They were rescued
Sure.
They are immune to facts, Sean. The biased spin and denial of reality will continue.
No big deal, right?
"This photograph violates international law. Article 13 of the Geneva Convention (III), governing the treatment of prisoners of war, requires Iran to protect prisoners against “insults and public curiosity.” This photograph — including a female sailor apparently forced to wear a headscarf – is a quintessential example of “public curiosity” and would be interpreted as insulting throughout the Muslim world. (And if you don’t think Iran is in a state of armed conflict against the United States, tell that to the families of hundreds of American soldiers who’ve lost their lives to Iranians and Iranian-backed terrorists.)
The sight of members of the American military, disarmed and under Iranian control, is of enormous propaganda value in Iran’s ongoing war against the United States. To its allies in the Middle East, the photo demonstrates Iran’s strength – how many jihadist countries have had this many American servicemembers under their power? – and it demonstrates American weakness"
The problem is, they are not prisoners of war as defined by the Geneva Conventions. Though seizure and holding them against their will is as you say a propaganda field day for the Iranian Regime.