Wag the dog Did Erdogan stage Turkey's military coup? Of course not -- a democratically elected leader wouldn't do something like that No -- even asking the question is Islamaphobic How could he? He was out of the country on vacation No, a false-flag operation where hundreds are killed is too politically risky No, the Gulenists who are being protected by the U.S. organized the plot Yes, it was a power grab by a megalomaniac who's trying to rebuild the Ottoman Empire with himself as the caliph Yes, some of the surrendering soldiers said they had believed they were part of a legitimate military exercise Yes, it has let him purge the judiciary of all suspected political enemies Yes, it was a ploy to pressure the U.S. to extradite the cleric Fethullah Gulen Yes, it was meant to delegitimize the secularists while he pushes to make Turkey an Islamic state Yes, the only coup in Turkey this weekend was the one Erdogan pulled off in plain sight Other View Results Loading ...