November 22, 2023

“Jill and I have been keeping all those held hostage and their loved ones close to our hearts these many weeks…”

Said President Biden, quoted in “Dean Phillips hits Biden over handling of Hamas hostages: ‘Absurd, shocking and dismaying’” (The Hill).

Phillips’s point: “we have nine Americans held hostage right now by Hamas, [who] have been there for six weeks, including at least one child…. And by now, I would have expected American special forces to perhaps play a hand in extracting them. I think it’s absurd, shocking and dismaying, that six weeks later, we still have American hostages held by a terror organization in Gaza.”

91 comments:

RideSpaceMountain said...

"I would have expected American special forces to perhaps play a hand in extracting them."

Are they dual-citizens? Do they have one passport or two? Because if they're dual citizens, there is absolutely no reason why American special forces should have a hand in extracting them.

Not when Sayaret Matkal - and their second home away from home - are so nearby.

Leland said...

I’m shocked that Biden approved aid to Gaza (a month ago) without securing the hostages first. However, I don’t know what they expect US Special Forces to do. If the IDF doesn’t know where those hostages are, then the US doesn’t either.

tim maguire said...

I wonder how many Americans don’t even know that Americans are among the hostages.

Joanne Jacobs said...

Finding and rescuing hostages held in booby-trapped tunnels is a very high risk operation.

Readering said...

Perhaps....

n.n said...

Arab... Israeli Spring with collateral damage. That said, they have had nearly a century to resolve the UN's choice, and decades to remove toxic Palestinian leaders in the territories isolated after the failed war on Jews and attempted coup in the transjordan kingdom aborted the two state solution.

Ice Nine said...

Dean Phillips: “we have nine Americans held hostage right now by Hamas, [who] have been there for six weeks, including at least one child…. And by now, I would have expected American special forces to perhaps play a hand in extracting them.

You've been watching too many action movies, Dean. It's a bit more complex than just sending in a bunch of studly-looking SEALS with a bunch of cool-looking whizbang gear the next day (week, month...).

Howard said...

Special operators could easily sneak undetected into the most densely populated place on the planet, find the exact location of each hostages within the depths of an unmapped subterranean labyrinth, exfiltrate potential non-ambulatory victims back out to ground and make it back to friendlies all before anyone realizes whats going on.

Jupiter said...

"I would have expected American special forces to perhaps play a hand in extracting them."

Maybe Dean should just hie himself on over there and show them how it's done.

What a fucking idiot.

gspencer said...

"But," Old Joe added, "we eat ice cream first. Then we think of the hostages."

The American president - always keeping his priorities in order.

Rich said...

The GOP is complaining about fictional turkey prices while Biden is bringing hostages home and humanitarian aid to Gaza. The two sides are not the same…

Rabel said...

When this guy finds out about Iran '79 he's really gonnna be pissed.

And I can't see a special operations action being successful under the current situation.

Hubert the Infant said...

One way to know that the support for Hamas among American Progressives is based on anti-Jew hate is that there is no mention that many Americans were murdered and a small but still appreciable number of Americans were kidnapped. That is because those victims are Jewish, so they are among the oppressors.

The Crack Emcee said...

Relax: Bibi and the Zionists have already told you, they know exactly what's going on, even though they were obviously caught by surprise and - just as obviously - don't have a clue what's going on.

rhhardin said...

close to our hearts

Your call is important to us

Joe Smith said...

Is that like having 'thoughts and prayers,' something the left mocks?

Btw, when is the last time 'Mr. Super Catholic' has gone to church?

I expect we'll see lots of video of Biden with a bible come election time...

ga6 said...

"And we are working hard at figuring out how to make a buck out of it. Perhaps Barry can lend a deep thought or two."

tommyesq said...

American hostages being held in the Middle East? Must be a Democratic President!

Michael K said...

The State Department is an ally of Hamas. They were convinced by Georgetown school of foreign service, that Jews must die.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

ah come on - give the old crook a break. At least he's not trump.

Worship you inept crooked mob boss. He's on team D.

madAsHell said...

Biden was elected by fraud. This is all you get.

Old and slow said...

Those hostages are as good as dead. Biden hasn't given them a second thought, and that's as it should be.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

For those of us who lived through the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979-1980 the dissimilarities are indeed striking, astonishing even. That our president hasn't made one demand of Hamas, only demands that Israel "be careful" or "leave the hospital alone," is grotesque. That he hasn't spoken the names of the American hostages is just mind-boggling. He doesn't fucking care. Yet another case of Joe being worse than Carter. Carter cared. Carter tried to get them out. Joe just doesn't give a fuck.

And I don't leave the newsertainment business out of this criticism. Much as Rather and Brokaw and the rest were partisan hacks, at least they were American and reported on the hostages every night, kept a tally of how many and how long they were held. Not one news channel is naming them. It's all coverage of the hateful protests, the tearing down of posters.

No yellow ribbons this time. No song. No old oak tree. Philips is onto something. Maybe he can restore some compassion to the Democrat Party. But then again, where are the Republicans? Where are the House and Senate resolutions demanding the return of Americans?

Crickets. Fucking crickets. Desantis sent a plane. What's happening NOW?

Owen said...

I do hope the President's work on the statement didn't take too much time away from fundraising.

Iman said...

It is shocking but Lambchop Biden’s priorities run counter to America’s.

Iman said...

Some folks don’t realize that Biden and Blinken have been busy selling selling out Israel behind the scenes.

The Crack Emcee said...

Michael K said...

"The State Department is an ally of Hamas."

Just like Netanyahu. Who knew?

Temujin said...

Phillips is not incorrect. Biden is repeating what he did in Afghanistan. He does not follow the credo, 'leave no man behind'.

Wince said...

Blogger Howard said...
Special operators could easily sneak undetected into the most densely populated place on the planet, find the exact location of each hostages within the depths of an unmapped subterranean labyrinth, exfiltrate potential non-ambulatory victims back out to ground and make it back to friendlies all before anyone realizes whats going on.

"Excuse me, not to shit on anyone's riff here, but let me see if I grasp this concept, okay?"

Leland said...

That our president hasn't made one demand of Hamas, only demands that Israel "be careful" or "leave the hospital alone," is grotesque.

Indeed.

narciso said...

Qataris give sanctuary to Taliban, Hamas and the army of conquest, (syrian branch) they also are a key ally in the ukraine imbroglio,

Gusty Winds said...

If we do send in Special Forces to rescue hostages in Gaza, can we PLEASE send in our transgender Special Forces waiving a rainbow flag?

If successful it would be the ultimate insult to injury.

Gusty Winds said...

Considering the current state of our military, Biden's incompetence, and all the woke shitheads working in the State Dept and Pentagon...sending in Special Forces for a rescue mission would only get the hostages killed, along with the Special Forces, and then we will have punched the tar baby entering another middle east war once again.

I would be great to see them rescued. But the Israeli's have a better chance of success.

Michael K said...


Blogger The Crack Emcee said...

Michael K said...

"The State Department is an ally of Hamas."

Just like Netanyahu. Who knew?


Get back on your meds, Crack.

n.n said...

Memories, nothing but memories of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya... perhaps he doesn't remember.

Michael K said...

Blogger Rich said...

The GOP is complaining about fictional turkey prices while Biden is bringing hostages home and humanitarian aid to Gaza. The two sides are not the same…


Wow! I didn't see that. When did they get home , "Rich?" You couldn't be bullshitting again, could you?

ronetc said...

Please, please could commenter "I stand w Isreal. Leftists, Mullahs, Hamas-Palistinian terrorists can suck it" spell Israel correctly.

Paul said...

Meanwhile Jill and Biden are vacationing at the 13,000-square-foot home at Billionaire Rubenstein's 14-acre compound on Rabbit Run Road. I am sure they will keep the hostages in mind while yucking it up with the rich folks.

Drago said...

LLR-democratical Rich/C****: "The GOP is complaining about fictional turkey prices while Biden is bringing hostages home and humanitarian aid to Gaza. The two sides are not the same…"

LOL

As predicted, the gaslighting from the left/LLR-left was going to become ever more pathetic and hilarious!

Thanks Rich! We can always use a good laugh.

Kevin said...

How many Americans are still in Afghanistan and can’t get out?

How are we doing on those visas for people who helped our military and were promised we’d bring them with us?

Do Joe and Jill think about them at all?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

It’s Jimmy and Iran all over again.

Joe Smith said...

'Just like Netanyahu. Who knew?'

Netanyahu feels sorry for Hamas just like Democrats feel sorry for blacks after slavery, Jim Crow, and affirmative action.

I knew...

Mike Sylwester said...

Delete this test.

rcocean said...

Oh, *Americans* are being held hostage. So, now the Biden and the D's are yankee doodle dandies, and full of concern for OUR citizens and wave the Red white and blue. LOL.

Well, how American are they? Assume they are dual citizens. In any case, American citizenship has become meaningless since millions have come here illegally and gotten it. We don't even have a southern border. Almost every immigrant who becomes a US Citizen is now a dual ctiizen with numerous passports.

Of course, Dean Phillips is Jewish, which may account for his passion over a few hostages. Astounding that he and Biden are A-Ok with killing 12,000 Palestinian civilians and destroying hospitals, and shutting off food and water to millions.

But....hey 9 Israeli dual citizens are being held hostages and that is INTOLERABLE. You have to wonder why Israel wasn't more concerned about their Non-USA hostages, which number in the hundreds.

So, why wasn't Dean Phillips demanding Bebe Netenyahu get "our hostages" out? After all we could have said to Bebe WEEKS AGO, "make a deal for our 9 'muricans, or you don't get $14 billion in aid". But of course, "We stand by israel" which means we give them Billions and let them do whatever they want.

Valentine Smith said...

There’s a big difference between the Iranian hostages and the current group. The US was attacked directly when the American Embassy was stormed. Military action basically was mandatory. We should have crippled Iran when we had the chance to do it easily.

Who knows what condition of readiness our special operating forces are in. The regular army is in a shambles. That there is your recruiting pool. In the best of times, the Pentagon is inhabited by straight leg, political animals. Now the path to to star rank is not a combat infantryman’s badge but of course training in diversity, equality, and inclusion. (Better known as division, exclusion, and inequality).

Another old lawyer said...

I don't understand why the US gov't should go to extraordinary lengths (which includes the use of military force or payment of dollars or prisoner exchanges) to try to free US citizens who are taken hostage by NGOs when traveling abroad (not in US territory). Can someone explain?

FWIW, "because they're American citizens" isn't an explanation, at least to me.

gspencer said...


I need new conspiracy theories because all my old ones came true,

https://www.amazon.com/Need-Conspiracy-Theories-Because-T-Shirt/dp/B08K63XF9L

The Crack Emcee said...

ronetc said...

"Please, please could commenter "I stand w Isreal. Leftists, Mullahs, Hamas-Palistinian terrorists can suck it" spell Israel correctly."

DON'T YOU DARE (He thinks he's been uiber-convincing)

minnesota farm guy said...

Phillips' comment should be disqualifying for any command responsibility over American forces. Pure ignorance. There is a better comment above by MJB that notes Biden has done nothing to draw attention to the nature and plight of the hostages and most particularly the outrageous use of hostages in a battle that Hamas started. The "hostages" are almost all civilians and as such should not be put in danger in an armed conflict. Expecting any kind of leadership from this administration of a senile old men and panty waist advisers is a pipe dream.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

No prayers... just hearts. noted.

Robert Cook said...

"'Blogger The Crack Emcee said...

Michael K said...

"The State Department is an ally of Hamas."

Just like Netanyahu. Who knew?'


"Get back on your meds, Crack."


The Bad Doctor seems not to know--or is pretending not to know--that Netanyahu had been providing funding to Hamas for many years.

The Godfather said...

I understand that Biden's got the Special Ops forces laser-focused on getting the Americans out of Afghanistan. Once they've completed that mission, I'm sure he'll send them to Gaza.

The Godfather said...

I understand that Biden's got the Special Ops forces laser-focused on getting the Americans out of Afghanistan. Once they've completed that mission, I'm sure he'll send them to Gaza.

Paddy O said...

Fictional turkey prices? The process are almost double what they were a year or two ago

n.n said...

Joe and Jill went... Spring up the hill...

Meanwhile Jill and Biden are vacationing at the 13,000-square-foot home at Billionaire...

And the Obanas before them.

Pentagon...sending in Special Forces for a rescue mission would only get the hostages killed, along with the Special Forces,

What difference, at this point, would it make?

The State Department is an ally of Hamas.

Biden wearing Obama's boots to intrude upon Israeli elections, again.

Christopher B said...

I have it on good authority that Democrats don't do "thoughts and prayers".

Sheridan said...

I must have missed it. Who exactly is being held captive. Where are their pictures, interviews with their friends and families - their co-workers? Where are the yellow ribbons?. Biden's platitudes are not enough. Is Biden afraid of upsetting the American public by personalizing the hostages? I know more about Biden's (attack) dogs than I do about the hostages. Unconscionable.

William50 said...

"“Jill and I have been keeping all those held hostage and their loved ones close to our hearts these many weeks…”"

Right...to paraphrase Yoda...the BS is strong in this one.

Tina Trent said...

We have amazing special forces. Enough said.d

effinayright said...

Robert Cook said...
"'Blogger The Crack Emcee said...

Michael K said...

"The State Department is an ally of Hamas."

Just like Netanyahu. Who knew?'

"Get back on your meds, Crack."

The Bad Doctor seems not to know--or is pretending not to know--that Netanyahu had been providing funding to Hamas for many years.

************

What a crock----ISRAEL has been providing funding to *Gaza*, in the form of food, water, electricity...for a number of years.

Does that make Israel an ally of *Hamas*, since the latter steals a lot of it?

Would you rather Israel deny *Gaza* all those things, as it is doing now---only to be attacked for committing "genocide" by doing so? I bet you do.

And btw: We KNEW where the American hostages were during the Iran crisis---they were in our Embassy. We don't know where the American hostages are in Gaza.

n.n said...

No prayers... let us bray in the secular fashion.

n.n said...

We have amazing special forces.

No doubt. They're deployed elsewhere.

n.n said...

Hamas launches a war and the transnational community empathizes with them and accuses Israel... Jews of not taking a knee. Such a "burden"... burden. Deja vu.

Maynard said...

The Bad Doctor seems not to know--or is pretending not to know--that Netanyahu had been providing funding to Hamas for many years.

This is a perfect combination, the bipolar Crack who knows nothing and the disingenuous Cookie who knows everything and has the moral superiority card to prove it.

n.n said...

ISRAEL has been providing funding to *Gaza*

Funding and logistical management of capital and resources, principally from America. The UN created an intractable situation, the international community ignores it until they don't, and the Israelis work with the people when Fatah, Hanas et al do not govern in the territories or carry out insurrections in Israel.

Skeptical Voter said...

More mush from the wimp.

Anga2010 said...

The statement by Dean Phillip is purely political, but otherwise sensible.
Leland I agree
Rabel I agree
Hubert I agree
MJB Wolf I agree
Crack I almost always agree

Dr Weevil said...

Hubert (12:10pm):
It's possible that all the American hostages are Jewish, but it's certainly false that all the hostages are Jewish.

In fact, it's a sign of how incredibly stupidly brutal, and brutally stupid, Hamas is that they haven't even released any of the Thais, Filipinos, and Nepalis they kidnapped, who are not Jewish and were in Israel either to work menial jobs or to learn agriculture. They haven't even released the Thai hostage who was 8 1/2 months pregnant and is now presumably mother of a tiny infant hostage, assuming they didn't kill her and/or the baby before or after it was born.

There are also Muslims among the hostages, and they haven't released any of them. There's a Bedouin village in the Negev that declared a vendetta against Hamas because they're holding a 50-something man, two 20-something men, and a 20-something woman from the village. (I've seen their pictures on Twitter.) Israeli Twitterers said the Bedouin village is known as a hotbed of crime, mostly smuggling weapons and drugs across the Egyptian border, so they're really not people you want to piss off. It would be like kidnapping people from one of the more old-fashioned areas of Sicily: a really bad idea. But Hamas did it.

As for abandoning Americans if they're dual citizens, as some here propose, that is not how Teddy Roosevelt behaved. Look up "Perdicaris alive, or Raisuli dead". And don't assume they're all dual citizens, or Jewish: some may well be neither. Not that that should make any difference. American citizenship used to provide some protection (cf. TR) as Roman citizenship did in the Roman empire: most of the apostles could be tried and executed by provincial governors, but St. Paul, as a citizen of Rome, could and did demand to be tried in Rome.

Sheridan asks (6:21pm) "Where are their pictures?" They're posted on walls in New York City and many other places on more than one continent, along with pictures of the other hostages, but lefty and Muslim assholes go around tearing them down.

Narayanan said...

I think it’s absurd, shocking and dismaying, that six weeks later, we still have American hostages held by a terror organization in Gaza.”
=======
that USA is allies with >>> Fixed It For U

wendybar said...

Michael K said...
Blogger Rich said...

The GOP is complaining about fictional turkey prices while Biden is bringing hostages home and humanitarian aid to Gaza. The two sides are not the same…

Wow! I didn't see that. When did they get home , "Rich?" You couldn't be bullshitting again, could you?

11/22/23, 3:03 PM

"Rich" is full of something....just like a Thanksgiving Turkey.

Jersey Fled said...

Think Jimmy Carter’s successful mission to free American hostages in Iran in 1980.

Losing the election to Reagan was a master stroke.

Jersey Fled said...

Is Rich really our long lost LLR.

His spelling and grammar seem much improved.

Wince said...

Let's give Biden the misleading quote treatment the media give Trump, shall we?

“Jill and I have been keeping all those held hostage..."

The Crack Emcee said...

Anga2010 said...

"Crack I almost always agree"

Hat Tip!

BUMBLE BEE said...

Pretty Accurate... the antagonists are not rational...

https://pjmedia.com/richard-fernandez/2023/11/16/belmont-club-the-amorite-iniquity-effect-n4923962

Drago said...

Jersey Fled: "Is Rich really our long lost LLR.

His spelling and grammar seem much improved."

LLR-democratical Rich and He Who Shall Not Be Named are different entities serving the same purposes.

LLR lonejustice may or may not be an alter ego of You Know Who but is most emphatically part of Team LLR.

All 3 have consistently presented in a way that shows clear alignment in tactics, intent etc. And their original, quite "timely" overlapping and support for each other was a dead giveaway.

It should come as no surprise that a successful, increasingly popular and influential blog such as Althouse would receive such lefty/dem (Omidyar/Reid Hoffman/ Soros/et al supported) type astro-turfing.

Such is the price Althouse must pay for being a Free Speech beacon in the darkness of the New Soviet Democratical/LLR/GOPe Censorship Industrial Complex.

narciso said...

https://archive.li/c0S0H

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Left: You must support the poor poor eternal victim Palestinians.... and their elected death cult Hamas.

Israel and US: OK

Left: How dare you support Hamas!

Israel and the US: We did what you asked.

stlcdr said...

Gusty Winds said...
If we do send in Special Forces to rescue hostages in Gaza, can we PLEASE send in our transgender Special Forces waiving a rainbow flag?

If successful it would be the ultimate insult to injury.

11/22/23, 2:43 PM


Or maybe just leave behind some Rainbow Flag business cards saying 'you've been gayed'?

Robert Cook said...

"'The Bad Doctor seems not to know--or is pretending not to know--that Netanyahu had been providing funding to Hamas for many years.'

************

"What a crock----ISRAEL has been providing funding to *Gaza*, in the form of food, water, electricity...for a number of years."



Maybe look into the facts before making up your own interpretation.

And....

And more....

It's not hard to find reporting on the matter. One may agree or not with Netanyahu's motives in funding Hamas, but to deny it entirely or to make light of the funding that he provided to make it appear as something it was not is easily refuted.

Robert Cook said...

"...and the disingenuous Cookie who knows everything and has the moral superiority card to prove it."

I certainly don't know everything, but compared to most of the motley klan of fanatics, kooks, and brutes who regularly offer their drivel here, yes, I am morally superior.

Haha!

rcocean said...

Its idiotic to think the USA Special forces could be used in Gaza. First, how we would know where the Americans are? How would we raid Hamas and just rescue the Americans hostages, there's no reason to think Hamas has them locked up in separate group. Second, what if Hamas retalitated by killing all the non-Americans, after our raid? Finally, using American Troops against Hamas would destroy our already shaky relations with the Saudis and arab world.

Finally, we give the IDF BILLIONS of dollars every year in military aid. They know Gaza. They know how to fight Hamas. They should be able to get the american hostages out, assuming that makes sense. Its the official policy of Israel not to bargin unless they have to, and to get as much as possible when they do negotiate a release.

Rusty said...

Robert Cook said...
"...and the disingenuous Cookie who knows everything and has the moral superiority card to prove it."

"I certainly don't know everything, but compared to most of the motley klan of fanatics, kooks, and brutes who regularly offer their drivel here, yes, I am morally superior.

Haha!"

Oh, the irony.

The Crack Emcee said...

Spanky! Spanky! Andrew Tate EVISCERATES Ben Shapiro Over Israel!

Will said...

Biden projects weakness.... the world is not as safe a place with him in charge

Biden not only aids our enemies but he harms our allies...

He recently gave $15 billion in fungible dollars to these terrorists..

Last year he traded the arms dealer "Merchant of Death" for a basketball player, continuing the asnine Obama-era asymmetric deals where America gives up kingpins for deserters they claim serve with honor and distinction and recreational drug users who don't appreciate America... Deserters and Drug users ARE Biden's special forces

The Merchant of Death probably had a role in arming Hamas for the attack

Drago said...

Crack Emcee: "It's not hard to find reporting on the matter. One may agree or not with Netanyahu's motives in funding Hamas,..."

LOL

This has been pointed out time and again to you Hamas-ites, but Netanyahu did not "provide" the funding.

Even in your own link (did you actually read it all?), Netanyahu only facilitated the transfer of Qatari funds to Hamas and remember, the transfer was under US approval and supervision!

In any event, Crack's ahistorical ignorance will make not a bit of difference since the Israeli's are never going to allow their entire nation to come under the blades of Crack's 7th century islamic-supremacist death cultists.

Cue Sad Trombone for Crack.

Deevs said...

Rich, can you point me to the sources for GOP members complaining about the prices of fictional turkeys? Because I really want to see that.

Drago said...

https://twitter.com/TheocharousH/status/1727768070452638181?t=UFgxf46hrqPupLJf9liSdg&s=19

So true.

Tina Trent said...

Why else do we have special forces?

Crazy World said...

this Rich person is a clown and Joe Biden is garbage. Happy Thanksgiving!

Rusty said...

Tina Trent said...
"Why else do we have special forces?"
The main problem in this case is lack of intelligence. If they are sent in blind then you run the risk of getting your special operators killed or injured. It takes millions of dollars to train and equip these guys. The last thing you want to do is give them a less than evenchance of success.
Having said that you can bet that there were individual operators embeded with the IDF troops underground. Our special operators look at conflicts like this as learning oportunities.