Pot, Meet Kettle, Presidential Candidates Version

Via Atrios, Juan Cole chides Barack Obama for talking about using nukes in Pakistan, reversing his original position, and Hillary Clinton for saying that "all options should remain on the table" (would that Nancy Pelosi felt that way about Dubya and impeachment).

I am not pro-nuclear war, but actually, I think Clinton's phrasing is the way to go here. Since she is a grownup, unlike anyone in our current presidential "leadership," she would understand that that language is bland enough to virtually rule out the possibility of a pre-emptive strike with nukes on our part.

And I don't feel that Obama committed any particular kind of a faux pas with his reversal into not ruling anything out, staged Pakistani outrage aside (giving up bin Laden would put an end to it, bin Laden's "protected" status notwithstanding). Unlike Cole, I don't think Obama made a "serious error." If this ends up as an "issue" somehow, it will be because our corporate media made it so to reinforce some kind of "crazy Dems" narrative about Barack Hussein Obama (we mustn't forget his middle name, right, wingnuts?).

This, by the way, brings us to John McCain and Mitt Romney, who are now making hay at Obama's expense. How funny is that considering that Romney has stated that he wants to double the size of Guantanamo and McCain wants to "bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb-bomb-Iran" (here - "lighten up," huh? Let us know when that ol' "Straight Talk Express" gets rolling once more and your fundraising numbers head into positive territory again, OK John?).

I wonder if those genius utterances brought consternation to friend and foe alike? And gee, I wonder why Tom Casey in the State Department decided to keep his mouth shut when McCain and Romney uttered these words, but instead chose to sound off about Clinton and Obama (here)?

I will note, though, that both Casey and Juan Cole are absolutely right about Tom Tancredo, especially Cole. The man belongs in a rubber room.