No one has ever said that Rick Perry is on the cutting edge of foreign policy. The Texas Governor’s latest comments about Hamas though go beyond callousness and enter into that all-too common GOP territory of blatant indifference to the lives and suffering of others.
Appearing on CNN on Sunday, Perry, when asked about his thoughts regarding the 1700 dead in Gaza, most of which are thought to be civilians, responded, “War is a horrible thing. There are individuals who lose their lives in war.”
“But when we have a fairly good understanding that Hamas is actually using their citizens as shields, at that particular point time, it loses a lot of the power, if you will, from my perspective,” he continued. “When you look back at Hamas’ statements that they will not be satisfied until Israel is wiped off the face of the Earth, then you start understanding the mentality a little better of a terrorist organization like Hamas.”
Go ahead and watch the clip and witness the cold, emotionless way that Perry delivers his response.
Joshua is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. You can follow him on Twitter @Joshual33.