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The Schmooze

Bono Says Send Amy Schumer and Sacha Baron Cohen To Fight ISIS

On Tuesday, longtime activist and U2 frontman Bono spoke before a Senate subcommitte hearing on “causes of violent extremism and the role of foreign assistance,” where he that foreign aid to the Middle East and Africa is a matter of national security.

But he had another suggestion that was met with roaring laughter: send in the comics to fight ISIS! Well, specifically, Amy Schumer, Sacha Baron Cohen and Chris Rock.

“It’s funny, you’re going to … don’t laugh, but I think comedy should be deployed. Because if you look at National Socialism, and Daesh and ISIL, this is the same thing, we’ve seen this before, we’ve seen these people before,” Bono said, adding “They’re very vain, they’ve got all the signs … it’s show business. And the first people that Adolf Hitler threw out of Germany were the Dadaists and the Surrealists. It’s like, you speak violence, you speak their language. But you laugh at them when they’re goose-stepping down the street and it takes away their power. So I’m suggesting that the Senate send in Amy Schumer and Chris Rock and Sacha Baron Cohen.”

Schumer seemed on board with the plan.

And we can already imagine Cohen’s mockumentary as Admiral General Aladeen.

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