David Kurtz raises an important point in his Buffoonery Alert post today - Obama needs to get tougher and louder in refuting this sort of crap from Rep. Steve King and future Steve Kings. It's actually a great opportunity for Obama, or Hilary, whoever is bold enough to take it on.

We don't have enough discourse about what is and isn't a good strategy to combat Al Qaeda and its spin-offs. We talk about this at a high level, but mostly in terms of the wisdom or incompetence of the Bush administration. That's an important discussion, but it limits the scope of the conversation.

Congressman King's stupidity is a great opportunity to talk about how many people don't understand the problem we face with Al Qaeda and terrorism, that terrorists and their sympathizers don't really care about American domestic politics. They care about Israel and Lebanon and Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan and Chechnya - they care about our foreign policy with respect to Muslim nations and regions.

More importantly, Steve King and his message must be thoroughly discredited. Where did Steve King get this rich insight into the collective mind of anti-American, Islamic fundamentalists? Is there any truth to what he's saying? It's reasonable, for example, to think that most people around the world will be happy to see the end of the Bush administration, but not Al Qaeda. They will be disappointed, as their chief enemy steps off the world stage. They'll be disappointed that the man who talked about a crusade against Muslims, whose supporters regularly go much further in insulting Islam and conflating Muslims with terrorists, is finally going away.

The people who will be rejoicing at an Obama inauguration are the moderates, the otherwise pro-Western Muslims whose voices have been drowned out by violent radicals.

There is a real case to be made for a new foreign policy, and what it will mean, and how the world will react. And finally, why do we, as American voters, care if "The radical Islamists, the al-Qaida" declare victory? Are we so weak and feeble that a declaration of victory by some, any, all terrorists means something? Is that the same as an actual Al Qaeda victory? Let's say that happens - what then? What does Steve King think he's talking about? The bad men will be happy? And we should be scared?

It's complete garbage, and Obama should take the opportunity to set the record straight.