Erdogan sees an opportunity to burnish Turkey's credentials as a major player

He gave a speech this morning in which he proclaimed nothing less than that Turkey was becoming the world's "joint conscience." A statement like that makes for a useful litmus test among the other world-stage players, particularly those in his region. How will Iran receive such a statement? How about the new populist governments and movements in Europe? NATO? Russia? The United States, which recently got back one of its citizens who had been languishing in Turkish prison on flimsy charges?
He's not wrong about the basics of the Khashoggi affair, of course. The removal of security cameras inside the Saudi embassy shortly before Khashoggi's arrival, the body double, reports of Khashoggi's body parts showing up. Pretty damning stuff, either separately or in sum.
And let us remember this further layer of complication: Khashoggi was an Islamic hardliner, supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The fact is that both Turkey and Saudi Arabia are among the world's most egregious human-rights violators. And they're both ostensible US allies.
Saudi Arabia has been useful for two main reasons: its oil and the fact that it is so resolutely opposed to Iranian hegemonic designs that it is willing to look at cooperative measures with Israel.
This may be the bridge too far, though.
It gets sticky, though, doesn't it? Taking severe measures against Saudi Arabia should not push us into some kind of Erdogan-led camp that might or might not include Russia.
In a way, this situation points up just what is truly exceptional about America. The US is and always has been driven by an idea: ordered liberty. And because it's had a strong moral foundation, it's been able to stay relatively true to its core ideal. While most of the world continues to proceed along the age-old model of world affairs - power centers making moves based on consolidation and, if possible, expansion, of that power - we still, despite a weakening of our clarity of vision in recent decades, focus on freedom and its resultant human advancement.
We must keep a level head as this situation plays out, but what does that look like? Obviously, we have to call out Saudi Arabia and make it pay. But we need to scoot Erdogan out from behind the podium and exert the kind of leadership that marshals the West to steadfastness. Erdogan's notion of a "joint conscience" must not hold sway.
That's about all we can do. Respond morally to grim developments in a perpetually broken world. Be on record as having done the right thing even as bad actors make complicated messes.