ricochet: Republican Bombs Are Bad, M'kay?

The stakes were upped Thursday when the US military dropped a MOAB on ISIS forces in eastern Afghanistan. Nicknamed the “Mother Of All Bombs,” the MOAB is the largest non-nuclear weapon ever used in combat, weighing 22,000 pounds and filled with 18,700 pounds of H6 explosive.

​The MOAB creates explosive shockwaves through overpressure, especially in caves and canyons. Waves of pressure enter the narrow spaces, killing people and collapsing tunnels. This made the bomb ideal to use against the ISIS tunnel complex in the Nangahar province. Gen. John W. Nicholson Jr., US commander in Afghanistan, said, “This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive.” But what do generals know about military tactics compared to our nation’s journalists?

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“The U.S. military has targeted similar complexes and dropped tens of thousands of bombs in Afghanistan, raising the question of why a bomb of this size was needed Thursday.” — Washington Post

“Some national security experts said that Mr. Trump and the Pentagon risked inflaming anti-American sentiment in the Muslim world with their approach to fighting the Islamic State.” — New York Times

“Like the Syria strike, use of the monster munition in Afghanistan is more symbolic than tactical, because it is unlikely to change the course of America’s longest war.” — Los Angeles Times

​Progressives’ response on Twitter was even worse:

Dear @realDonaldTrump:

How does dropping #MOAB fit into a larger Afghanistan strategy? We can't kill our way to victory. - The people — igorvolsky (@igorvolsky) April 13, 2017

It's grotesque to call a killing device, the “Mother of All Bombs.” The #MOAB is the epitome of lethal patriarchy.

— Eric Stoller (@EricStoller) April 13, 2017

Criticizing a bomb for being too lethal is like criticizing a cherry fritter for being too delicious.

​The lefties were fine when Obama was droning Yemeni wedding receptions and US military deaths in Afghanistan quadrupled over the Bush years. But now that President Trump is C-in-C, fighting terrorism is a cruel thing.

The main problem critics have with the MOAB is that it’s a Republican bomb. It was designed under George W. Bush and first used by Donald Trump. SEAL Team Six shooting up Osama’s compound made progressives feel butch, but ordnance that kills exponentially more terrorists is vulgar.

​What the left wants is a kinder, gentler bomb, dropped by a thoughtful, sensitive President. A weapon with a streamlined design that looks good staged in a loft between an Eames chair and a midcentury modern liquor cabinet handmade with reclaimed lumber. An explosive that would be dropped ironically as a Wes Anderson soundtrack plays in the background. A bomb that will shower hashtags, emojis, and social justice across Balochistan.

The US military exists to kill people and break things. And if America is ever going to defeat ISIS, the Twitter hipsters shouldn’t complain that they’re doing their job too well.