Thread by @ClaireBerlinski

@HawleyMO, your comments suggest that you are exceedingly naive about international affairs and national security. You also lack judgment, wisdom, and maturity. #WeAreNATO

https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1555249740140486656

You have, I presume, staked out this position because you like the attention. I imagine you're congratulating yourself for being such a free-thinking iconoclast.
But in reality, the reason all of your colleagues support expanding NATO is that it is *so obviously* in our interest.

Your position--not to put too fine a point on it--is idiotic.
If our military is stretched too thin in Asia, what does it suggest? It suggests we need more allies to bear the burden in Europe. More men, under arms, on our side, sharing the responsibility for Europe's defense.

That's logical, no? If we're overstretched in one theater, we need to reduce our burden in the other. Astonishingly, we have the immense fortune of the opportunity to add two of Europe's most capable and advanced militaries to NATO.
Do you not get it?

Just as important, enlarging NATO with these capable powers serves as a *deterrent.*
This in turn makes it less likely that our troops will end up fighting and dying in Europe, which in turn frees them up (God forbid) to fight and die in Asia.
Which part don't you understand?

Thank God, no one else voted as you did. But if they had, the message it would have conveyed to China is this:

"My God, the Americans are unserious. They seem to be tired of deterring Russia and happy to let that conflict set all of Europe ablaze."

"Remarkable: They voted *against their own interest* out of perversity and spite. We told you democracy doesn't work. What good fortune to have such stupid enemies!"

"Like we said: They're a decadent paper tiger. And if they're that feckless, there's *no way* they'll have the toughness, stamina, strategic sense, or even the brainpower to defend Taiwan.

"They'll make speeches and slap on a few sanctions, but then they'll tire of the whole business, and by then Taipei will look like Mariupol.
"We'll rename Taiwan "Hawley" to honor the Senator's contribution to China's peaceful rise.
"We're good. Let's invade."

If you think you've distinguished yourself with this vote, you're right. But you've distinguished yourself as someone who--out of vanity and willful ignorance-- will blithely undermine our national security.

It's clearly a game to you. A fun game of "trigger the libs," or whatever it is that gets you going in the morning.
It doesn't seem to occur to you that if you had your way, in the event of a conflict--a conflict made more likely by votes like yours--more US troops would die.

Or perhaps you just don't care.

Thank God there's only one of you. Oh, wait--there's another. Erdoğan. You're in great company.