Pete Buttigieg loses his cool by blaming Iran downing of Ukrainian airliner on ‘tit for tat’

If U.S. intelligence reports are correct, there is only one nation to blame for the downing of a Ukrainian jetliner: Iran. Yet bizarrely, presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has suggested that the United States shares some of the responsibility.

Iran fired two surface-to-air missiles right before the plane exploded, killing every single one of the 176 passengers aboard, according to U.S. officials. And we now have video evidence of a missile being fired directly at the plane hours after the country had attacked U.S. military assets in Iraq. To be clear, there was no “tit for tat” involved. Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at U.S. targets in Iraq, and the U.S. showed restraint by not responding. Then, the downing of the airliner occurred. It’s unclear whether the downing was intentional, but one thing is obvious: This had nothing to do with the U.S.

That Buttigieg would suggest as much is deeply irresponsible and unlike the Afghanistan veteran. Unlike his rivals, Buttigieg has often taken a more measured tone and is generally careful with his words. After news broke that Iran had fired several missiles at American assets in Iraq, Buttigieg offered his prayers and little more.

Buttigieg’s caution is in part why his campaign is so appealing. He thinks before he speaks and avoids extremism in both policy and rhetoric, and the result has been a significant boost in the polls. He’s now the top candidate in New Hampshire, according to a Monmouth survey released Thursday.

Especially on matters of foreign policy, Buttigieg’s nuance has been relieving. And it’s helped him contrast his leadership with Trump’s sporadic and often chaotic style. But on this, Buttigieg lost his composure. It was a serious slip for someone who prides himself on being calmer and more level-headed than his rivals.