Morning Joe 4/27/2012 -- Juvenile humor

I hate to appear as if I think there's no  reason to laugh at the political class, because God knows there are myriad reasons to roll on the floor laughing, but when recession still lingers, unemployment remains stubbornly high, our government blocks energy production which could create tens of thousands of jobs, we are bogged down in a mideast war which needlessly puts our troops in danger and causes death and physical mangling in order for the President to save face, we're wasting billions on alternative energy bets which aren't panning out, the SS is unraveling with charges of cavorting with prostitutes, GSA is mocking tax-payers by laughing at the money they've stolen and wasted, our Federal agencies are involved in scandals like Fast and Furious and are fast and furiously lying about involvement, it's not so funny for Obama to yuck it up with Jimmy Fallon over student loan debt which threatens a trillion dollar default, or to snicker at Biden who for some unknown reason has no self-awareness. Yes, the political class deserves to be laughed at, but it's not funny anymore.

I think that was the uncomfortable tension felt on Morning Joe this morning with guests Sam Stein and John Heilemann. Donnie Deutsche, of course, jumped in with juvenile humor as Joe and Willie acted like mischievous accomplices snickering as the joke marinated. Biden said Obama has a Big Stick. The grown ups on Morning Joe, like Dan Senor and Jeffrey Sachs and John Heilemann and Sam Stein let it slide -- the others didn't.

Sachs and Senor set the stage for the split between Democrats and Republicans heading into the 2012 elections -- whether to raise taxes and invest in infrastructure to help alleviate the recession, or whether to cut taxes and abolish regulations which are blocking economic growth. Scarborough jumped on Senor and made it clear that he, Scarborough, is for raising taxes on the rich. Scarborough's said in the past that America should invest in infrastructure like the Chinese, praising FDR for his bold investments in the 30s. I agreed with Senor on economics, but I disagreed when the subject changed to foreign policy and war.

Senor is a neo-conservative who thinks we should intervene in Syria and do whatever is necessary in Iran, which means military action. First, Senor makes the mistake of framing the rebels in Syria as freedom fighters when all the evidence shows they are would-be dictators trying to overthrow a the present dictator. Not another America soldier should die in a civil war in a foreign  country. It's insane. Senor said we are isolated internationally because we aren't intervening enough -- this is really insane. We've intervened way too much -- it's time to come home and allow our economy to recover. We can defend against the remainder of terrorists with special forces and intelligence. America has to retire as Global Police -- it's not what we should be about. We should be about innovation, creativity, economic growth, charity, technology -- not these drone missions and wars in nations that never change and only waste the lives of brave men and women who deserve better leadership. War should not be undertaken so superficially and extended for political reasons. It's abusive to our military, and it only creates resentment in the region -- nothing changes for the better.