Oliner: Tucker Carlson a Danger to U.S., Israel

Until recently there was no doubt that the most dangerous man for the United States was Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei was responsible for thousands of American deaths in his 36 years in power, rivaling only Osama bin Laden for that dubious world record.

Khamenei was killed on Feb. 28, during a series of Israeli airstrikes.

So, who's the most dangerous for America now?

Answering any world leader would be wrong.

America is an unrivaled superpower.

Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro has been captured, and many arch-terrorists who murdered Americans recently met their maker.

So, this writer would argue that the most dangerous man for the U.S. now may also be the man who is among the most dangerous for Israel and the Jewish people: Podcaster Tucker Carlson.

There are unfortunately several influential influencers and podcasters who turned against Israel. But none has the power, the gravitas, or White House access Carlson has.

The New York Times reported that Carlson met with Trump three times in the Oval Office in an effort to persuade the president against going to war with Iran.

According to the report, Carlson outlined the risks to American military personnel, energy prices and Arab partners.

Carlson falsely accused Trump to his face of considering a strike only because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted it, the report said, adding that Carlson even encouraged the president to "restrain" Netanyahu.

This report would shock no one who has listened to Carlson in recent weeks.

In one recent anti-Israel rant, he repeatedly issued his invective that America went to war for Israel.

"This happened because Israel wanted it to happen," he said.

"This is Israel’s war. This is not the United States' war. It's not being waged on behalf of American national security objectives or to make the U.S. safer or richer.

"This war is waged purely because Israel wanted it to be waged."

Carlson said the U.S. committed troops because Netanyahu demanded it and kept lobbying incessantly to bring down the Ayatollah.

"Nobody in the U.S. government who I ever talked to seemed to believe this was in America’s interest," he said.

"Most people who assess this news knew it had nothing whatsoever to do with us. This is Israel's war. That’s what it is."

Then Carlson shifted to an even more absurd theory about why Netanyahu wanted to strike Iran. Instead of considering that a regime that spoke incessantly about annihilating Israel might actually use the missiles it developed to do so, Carlson said Netanyahu's goal was to rule the Middle East

"The point is regional hegemony," he said. "Israel wants to control the Middle East. They want to be unrivaled in their power in their region."

But the most dangerously false accusation Carlson delivered was about the American servicemen killed in the war, which was then three. Pulling at the heartstrings of Americans, he questioned why they died.

"Three Americans just died for Bibi in a war that nobody wants, in a war designed to hurt the United States, and that's cost free?" he said mockingly.

In his recent interview with U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Carlson took his maliciousness further, daring to suggest America went to war in Iraq after Sept. 11 because of Israel.

Carlson came to Israel only for that interview and did not bother leaving the airport.

He falsely accused Israel of detaining him, even after solid video proof was provided that he had received VIP treatment.

Thankfully, President Trump distanced himself from Carlson and stood up to him and Megyn Kelly, who has suggested that Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) allies were turning against him due to the war.

"I think that MAGA is Trump — MAGA's not the other two," Trump said of Carlson and Kelly. "MAGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe."

Responding to the charges from Carlson that he went to war for Israel, he said "If anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand." He called the war "a detour that we have to take in order to keep our country safe and keep other countries safe, frankly."

With all due respect to the president, I wish he would have gone much further in distancing himself. The Republican Party must shun Carlson. His level of antisemitism, heard by his many followers, given the current climate in which we live, presents an extremely high level of danger.

Midterm primaries are happening now, and national midterm elections are coming up. After Trump said in his State of the Union address that everything is going great, Tucker went and said the opposite.

He is harming Trump’s legacy and exploiting the war to incite Americans against Israel and Jews. Trump went to war because it was right for the US, and Carlson was wrong to question a president who ended so many wars and resolved so many international disputes.

Carlson exerts a strong hold over his audience and regularly advances claims that critics say rely on antisemitic tropes and anti-American narratives.

The argument can be made that Carlson's words only work against the interests and safety of Israel, Jews, and the United States.

Martin Oliner is the author of the book "In Praise of Donald Trump." The views expressed in this column are his own. Martinoliner@gmail.com