NYT columnist 'torn' about rooting for Iranian regime's downfall since it would give a win to Trump, Netanyahu

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman said he's "torn" about efforts to remove the Iranian regime over concerns it would politically benefit President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I find myself, Michael, in a situation where I really want to see Iran defeated militarily," Friedman told CNN host Michael Smerconish on Saturday. "Because this regime is a terrible regime for its people in the region."

"And nothing would improve the region more than the replacement of this regime with the regime in Iran that was focused on enabling its people to realize their full potential and integrating peacefully with other countries and stop occupying Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. So, I'm all for that," Friedman continued.

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Friedman then turned to what he calls the "problem" of a successful regime change in Tehran.

"The problem is I really don‘t want to see Bibi Netanyahu or Donald Trump politically strengthened by this war because they are two awful human beings," the Times columnist said. "They are both engaged in anti-democratic projects in their own countries. They‘re both alleged crooks. They are terrible, terrible people doing terrible things to America‘s standing in the world and Israel's standing in the world."

"And so I really find myself torn. I want to see Iran militarily defeated, but I do not want to see these two terrible people strengthened," he added.

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The "torn" feelings from the New York Times columnist sparked a lot of attention among critics.

"What kind of sick hate must @tomfriedman have that he roots for USA to lose to a terrorist regime who has killed thousands of Americans?" Trump's Israel Ambassador Mike Huckabee reacted.

"I didn’t vote for Obama but I praised him for taking out Bin Laden," Huckabee added.

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"I commend @tomfriedman for his refreshing candor," California Post opinion editor Joel Pollack wrote. "Yes, there are some Democrats who want America to lose militarily, so Trump and Netanyahu can't 'win' politically. Trump isn't running again and you can't vote for/against Netanyahu. The left has no foreign policy, only domestic."

"A perfect distillation of TDS," Fox News chief political analyst Brit Hume said.