Ed Schultz on US Arming Qadhafi's Foes: 'Why Are We Concerned With Who Gets Arms?'

April 1st, 2011 8:30 PM

Ed Schultz is so gungo ho for the Libyan war that he wants Obama to provide weapons to anti-Qadhafi forces -- without scrutinizing who gets them.

Seeing how Qadhafi's opponents in Libya could include al Qaeda and Hezbollah, according to the U.S. NATO commander, what could possibly go wrong?

Here's Schultz engaging in his singular brand of bellicosity while talking to a caller on his radio show yesterday, followed by an unintentionally hilarious remark by Democratic congressman Adam Smith later in the same show (audio) --

CALLER: I'm with you on this. I mean, I feel comfortable standing behind this administration a lot more than I did the last. And given the situation, I would think that we definitely have to have some kind of covert action going on and it shouldn't have been leaked out. But, I mean, we can't just go in there and start arming random people. We gotta know who we're arming, for one thing. But I like to think that we're trying more to disarm Qadhafi more than we are actually trying to arm people. And I would think that that would take some covert action or, you know, somebody on the ground (inaudible) this thing ...

SCHULTZ: Well, why are we concerned with who gets arms? I'm just, for conversation now. ... I mean, if they're going to take out Qadhafi, hell, they can't be all that bad!

To his credit, Congressman Smith wasn't on board with this an hour later on Schultz's show --

SCHULTZ: Do you think we should arm these freedom fighters? Do you think that we should give them a chance to defend themselves from being butchered by Qadhafi?

SMITH: Well, I think we are defending them. I mean, part of the problem the last two or three days, I know part of the problem, has been bad weather which has limited the ability of our air campaign to stop Qadhafi from ...

SCHULTZ: No, but they want arms, congressman ...

SMITH: Oh, let me get to that, let me get to that. I mean, what I'm saying is, yes, I think we should help. As far as whether that we give them arms, we gotta figure out who they are first.

Smith, an infrequent Schultz guest, just got scarcer.