The Turkish government is a disgrace: Kennedy
How do I despise thee Erdogan, let me count the ways. The Turkish president is putting his country in a diplomatic pickle by refusing to free an American pastor over "terrorism" charges. The fake crime is a bunch of hot malarkey, a rancid plate of Turkish non-delight, and although Erdogan has been concentrating his power through fake elections, imprisoning journalists and purging academics, he didn't bet that he'd be strong-armed by another strongman.
Our president has had it up to his eyeballs with Turkey's trolling, and instead of empty words he's offering a full-throated digital slap to Erdogan, tweeting:
"I have just authorized a doubling of tariffs on steel and aluminum with respect to turkey as their currency, the Turkish lira, slides rapidly downward against our very strong dollar. Aluminum will now be 20% and steel 50%. Our relations with turkey are not good at this time!"
When were they ever good? The Turkish government is a disgrace, and past administrations have either coddled them or sat idly by while they've rolled out the welcome mat and thrown the back door open for ISIS all while cozying up to Russia. This is not our strategic partner, this is a corrupt, murderous regime that should be kicked out of NATO for a host of human rights violations, not to mention deep kissing the Russians who are supposedly the biggest regional threat.
Sure, there have been counter threats and now Erdogan is saying he'll pull the iPhone off the market, as if people there could use the device to mobilize, enrich themselves or seek freedom from a regime that wants total control and is willing to tank the global economy to prove a childish point.
And while we're at it, and while the president is hot under the collar, if he really wants to make his new party pal Kim Kardashian happy, he should officially and once and for all acknowledge the Armenian genocide which was not an "issue" or a series of unfortunate events, but a cold-blooded slaughter of 1.5 million people whose memory will not be erased by any Napoleonic nincompoop.
Release pastor Andrew Brunson, President Erdogan! And fear the ‘stache. John Bolton is mongering, so for the sake of world peace, put up and shut up.
Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (Kennedy) joined FOX Business Network (FBN) as a contributor in 2012 and is the host of the primetime program, Kennedy, which airs Monday through Thursday at 8PM/ET on the Fox Business Network.