Radical, Chic

Michael Ramirez supplies the picture; in “Radicalism, Rewarded”, Guy Benson adds the thousand words, writing that “There’s never been a better time to be an enemy of the United States of America”:

Whether you’re a trained jihadist in US custody, a diminutive cult leader starving his own people while developing nukes, or part of a ruthless regime that murders dissidents in broad daylight, you can rest assured that the United States government is unlikely to act—or perhaps even speak—in a manner likely to disrupt your daily routine. While invoking “our values,” hailing the importance of American humility, and rejecting the “failed policies of the past,” the current administration is projecting a dangerous image to the world. This approach may be extolled as cautious pragmatism on the Beltway cocktail party circuit, but it’s most assuredly perceived as something entirely different by America’s current and emerging adversaries around the globe: Weakness.

Or as Will Collier recently quipped, “Welcome Back, Carter.”