From a reader:

Jonah,
I think some skepticism is called for. I mean, a
candidate goes to a Hollywood fundraiser and blasts
Israel? That’s a scene from Bullworth, not reality.
Don’t you think Edwards is a tad more savvy than that?
Why would he say something guaranteed to alienate his
rich audience? And sure enough he’s denied it in a
press release:
“He did not say nor does he believe that the greatest
threat to world peace is the possibility that Israel
would bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. Senator Edwards
said, as he has in the past, that Iran acquiring a
nuclear weapon is one of the greatest short-threats to
world peace.”
The real question is: how did such an account end up
in print?
Thanks for listening,

Me: Actually, since I think Edwards isn’t very thoughtful about foreign policy (See John Judis here and Franke-Ruta here ) I do think it’s possible he said it. He might have meant something else, or butchered his point, but I can believe he said it. Also, since it’s a pretty explosive charge, I’d be shocked if Bart got the quote wrong.

Also, what he actually said — that Israel’s bombing of Iran might be the biggest threat to world peace — is actually not that crazy, despite the blame-the-victim undertone. I mean a lot would hit the fan if Israel bombed Iran. And if that’s what he meant — that such a confrontation would be really dangerous – he might even be right. What’s offensive and stupid is putting the blame on Israel rather than on Iran and its nuclear program. So to that extent, I think Edwards’ statement sounds like a plausible correction to me.

As for Wonkette’s statement, I don’t think there’s really any defense.