Have you heard the newest Right-Wing fantasy - it goes like this: When the terrorists attack again - and they will - oh boy, do we hope they will - who better to protect America than the man who protected us for 7.5 years! And that man is DICK CHENEY!
Only the right-wing could cook this up!
It's nice--but potentially dangerous. If the Bush administration's policies really did keep us safe for 7½ years, then it stands to reason that the Obama administration's policies may be endangering us now. Certainly that is how the public would see it in the event of another terrorist attack.
Is that HOW the public would see it? Because this is how I would see it: The Bush administration IGNORED the obvious warning signs, screwed up the war on terror and left us vunerable to future attacks!
Meanwhile, the surveillance of Al-Qaeda operatives on U.S. soil continued. Between 2000 and 2001, the CIA had made the FBI aware of the names of about 100 suspected members of bin Laden’s terrorist network thought to be headed to, or already in, the United States. A 23rd August 2001 cable specifically referred to Khalid Al-Midhar and Nawaq Alhazmi, who were allegedly aboard the hijacked airplane that crashed into the Pentagon.[17]
Six months before 11th September, U.S. agencies became aware through authoritative intelligence warnings that bin Laden was planning to implement Project Bojinka soon. Three months later, these warnings were repeated. The warnings were, again, not dismissed. On the contrary, the U.S. intelligence community took the reports very seriously. Newsbytes, an online division of the Washington Post, reported in mid-September that:
"U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies received warning signals at least three months ago that Middle Eastern terrorists were planning to hijack commercial aircraft to use as weapons to attack important symbols of American and Israeli culture, according to a story in Germany’s daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).
And, of course, there's THIS plum: "Approximately 4 weeks prior to 11th September, the CIA received specific information of an attack on U.S. soil."
So even though national Security EXPERT Dick Cheney COMPLETELY missed the boat on protecting America, the right-wing fools - like James Taranto, INSIST that "If that happens [a new 9/11-type attack], heaven forbid, Obama will be seen to have failed in the most basic presidential duty, and the Bush administration will be vindicated."
Again - even though Bush failed in his MOST BASIC PRESIDENTIAL duty - with Dick Cheney as the experienced NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERT, Bush would be VINDICATED by an attack during the Obama administration. Folks, you can't make this stuff up! I kinda hope Cheney decides to run - because I think that he and Bush were given a big-fat pass on 9/11 - which might've been fine - but they actually have the GALL to tell us that THEY PROTECTED this nation and Obama is FAILING this nation. This is a debate we NEED to reopen!