Fox News host Sean Hannity's guests Thursday night to discuss President Trump's decision to assassinate Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the powerful leader of Iran's external paramilitary Quds Force, included two prime architects of former President George W. Bush's public case for invading Iraq in 2003, former Press Secretary Ari Fleischer and chief strategist Karl Rove.
There's a political argument raging in Washington over whether the assassination of Soleimani is more like former President Barack Obama's killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in his hideout in Pakistan — one-and-done retribution for a man who ordered the death of thousands of Americans — or Bush's region-destabilizing decision to topple Iraq's Saddam Hussein.
Fleischer made the case that Soleimani's killing should be welcomed like bin Laden's, but his argument was complicated by his role promoting the Iraq War, and his prediction that lots of Iranians would "celebrate this killing of Soleimani" had uncomfortable echoes of his pronouncement, just days after U.S. forces swept into Baghdad nearly 17 years ago, that "the celebrations in the streets of Baghdad are the sights of freedom."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The substance of Fleischer's prediction is also not widely shared.
It would be fascinating to know what Trump, who frequently watches Hannity but despises many Bush alumni and claims to have opposed the Iraq War, thought about Fleischer's praise.
-
Political cartoons for November 9Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include a ripoff, and the land of opportunity
-
A ‘golden age’ of nuclear powerThe Explainer The government is promising to ‘fire up nuclear power’. Why, and how?
-
Massacre in Darfur: the world looked the other wayTalking Point Atrocities in El Fasher follow decades of repression of Sudan’s black African population
-
What's Tucker Carlson's net worth?The Explainer The far-right media figure has made millions since his embrace of Trumpism
-
Rupert Murdoch's behind-closed-doors succession court battleThe Explainer Media mogul's legal dispute with three of his children over control of his influential empire begins today
-
Rupert Murdoch is in a 'Succession'-style rift with his kids over his media empireThe Explainer Murdoch and his son Lachlan are attempting to maintain his empire's conservative swing following his eventual death
-
Laurence Fox suspended by GB News after 'unacceptable' Ava Evans commentsSpeed Read Broadcaster issues apology after actor goes on a tirade during a live interview with Dan Wootton
-
Rupert Murdoch steps down: a legacy of power and scandalTalking Point Lachlan Murdoch succeeds his father as head of media empire
-
Fox News apologizes to Gold Star family for false story Marine Corps called 'disgusting'Speed Read
-
Is Geraldo Rivera too liberal for Fox News?Talking Point The longtime Fox News vet has parted ways with the network after being removed from the political roundtable show "The Five"
-
CNN in crisisSpeed Read Hemorrhaging viewers post-Trump, CNN is trying to broaden its appeal. Can it get Republicans to tune in?
