Podhoretz on Bombs: ‘If He’s Going To Act Like This Is Just a TV Show, Then He Will Be Complicit in What Follows’

EXCERPT:

PODHORETZ: “I hate to sort of talk about the President like he’s a toddler or 4-year-old, but it’s like it’s all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. So I doubt that he wishes to provoke violence in the United States. That said, he thinks all of this is a game. Presidents before him tie themselves into knots trying not to use words and say things and make phrases that will be misunderstood not only by their own people, but across the world. So they get briefed by their aides who say 'Don’t use this word, don’t say that. Somebody in Turkey will misunderstand you if you say this or that or the other thing.' So last night when he made that perfectly mild joke, it’s like, 'Everybody should vote. If you’re a Democrat, don’t vote.' But nonetheless, it conveys this un-seriousness at a serious moment. That is his challenge in the next two weeks, particularly if, God forbid, more bombs emerge, which is if he’s going to act like this is just a TV show, then he will be complicit in what follows."