Hey friends,
This is my first diary in about a month due to the fact that I just started college and I don't have much time anymore (I'll diary on this later). Anyway, I have been thinking a lot about Cheney's idiot slip about terrorism increasing if we make the "wrong choice" in the upcoming election.
He's right, of course. If Bush is wrongly re-elected, terrorism will increase, and there is a lot of evidence to support this.
For instance, terrorism increased manyfold from 2002-2003 and 2003-2004. The likely reason, or at the very least, a huge exacerbating factor: the war on Iraq.
But first, let's address the Bush response to 9/11; instead of effectively attacking al Qaeda, the murderers of 3000 Americans, he simply replaced one set brutal warlords in Afganistan with another, equally brutal set of warlords. Great work, President Bush- where is Osama bin Ladin again? I forgot, you don't think much about him- you really don't care.
Your words, not mine.
But back to Iraq- we spent $200 billion, squandered the lives of 1000+ American troops, killed tens of thousands of Iraqis, and shook the very foundations of our alliances. For what exactly? Some malfunctioning "chemical-tipped" artillary shells? The 9/11 commission concluded that Saddam had no connection with the 9/11 attacks, so wasting our money, troops, moral, and international standing was hardly worth whatever positive "ends" (are there any?) the war may have offered.
But the worst damage of the attack on Iraq was, as we all know, the proliferation of Arab support of al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Terrorist recruitment has risen sharply and even Rumsfeld conceeded that terrorists are recruiting more quickly than we can kill them. Wow, what a way to be "tough" on terrorism; 4 more years of this pace and perhaps the terrorist armies of the video game C&C Generals may become a reality.
But even if Bush has been "tough" on terrorism, that is hardly addressing the problem. We've all heard the old adage "Don't fight hard, fight smart." Perhaps this would make a nice campaign slogan for Kerry.