Thomas Massie: useful idiot for Assad & Kim Jong-un, embarrassment to us all

Last year, Massie, along with fellow Republican isolationist Justin Amash of Michigan, was just one of two members of the entire U.S. Congress to vote against sanctioning Kim Jong-un (as noted yesterday, even Bernie Sanders sent a statement of support from the campaign trail in New Hampshire).

This week, Massie was one of three votes against a resolution condemning North Korea’s ballistic missile launch (the others being Amash and Walter “Freedom Fries” Jones). He was the only vote against a bill that would push the State Department to re-add North Korea to the list of state sponsors of terrorism, following the nerve agent attack at the Kuala Lumpur Airport that killed Kim Jong-nam, and for more acts of terrorism before this than I need repeat here. Now, following the Syrian government’s horrific nerve gas attack on its own people, and for the third time this week, Massie has again made himself an embarrassment to his party, to the Congress, to his country, and to history:

Massie’s words had the remarkable effect of uniting Twitchy and Salon in outrage against him. Had he stopped at asking questions about the purpose and strategy behind direct U.S. intervention, I’d have no quarrel with him (I still have questions of my own). It is Massie’s denialism and apologetics for crimes against humanity, and for those who perpetrate them, that disqualify him. Republicans should disown and primary him. Democrats should tell me where to mail my check to their nominee to unseat him.

[link]

But at least give Massie credit for consistency. Amash and Freedom Fries voted against the resolution condemning North Korea’s missile launch, but for the bill calling for North Korea to be re-added to the list of state sponsors of terrorism. If you can see any consistency between those two votes — much less with Amash’s 2016 vote against sanctions — my comments are open.