The mainstream media has been congratulating itself lately for how boldly it’s stood up to Donald Trump. When Trump sent dozens of cruise missiles to an airfield in Syria on Thursday night, though, all thoughts of resistance seemed to melt away.


The usual array of chest-thumping hawks immediately took their place on cable news screens and social media, speaking in heightened tones about American military might.


Dissenting voices were thin on the ground.

The dictum so powerfully reinforced on the night of Trump’s first address to Congress—war and death will get you praised—was in full swing.

Then, there’s what MSNBC’s Brian Williams did. Not content to merely lavish the normal amount of awe-struck praise on U.S. bombs, he took things...a bit further (emphasis mine):

We see these beautiful pictures at night from the decks of these two U.S. Navy vessels in the Eastern Mediterranean. I am tempted to quote the great Leonard Cohen: “I am guided by the beauty of our weapons.” And they are beautiful pictures of fearsome armaments making what is for them a brief flight over this airfield. What did they hit?


I’m sure Leonard Cohen would be thrilled by this stirring tribute to the loveliness of bombs. Another great moment for the American media!