By golly I think that folks are
finally getting it:
Just five years ago this week the CIA sent a memo to President George W. Bush, vacationing then as now in Crawford, Texas, with the heading "Bin Laden determined to Strike in U.S." But there was more, as Ron Suskind wrote at the beginning of his recent book, "The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11." Panicked CIA analysts flew to Texas to brief Bush personally in 2001, "to intrude on his vacation with face-to-face alerts." Bush sized them up, as is his wont, looking to judge the content of what they told him by the confidence with which the message was delivered. Bush wasn't convinced. "All right," said the president, "You've covered your ass now."
The real point in all of today's media orgy is that our country is no better prepared today than five years ago to deal with terrorism, despite all the rhetoric, well- and poorly-intended efforts, budget-busting wars, and losses of civil liberties.
Dickey continues (read the
whole article if you get a chance):
There is no excuse for those who would carry out such atrocities, but there are reasons that keep pushing recruits to take up the suicidal cause of attacking the United States. To blame "Islamic fascism" that "wants to destroy those of us who love freedom" dodges responsibility for making those reasons more abundant, and making them worse, over the last five years. What's at work in the heads of those who would kill themselves to slaughter Americans is less Al Qaeda's ideology, such as it is, than a pervasive sense that Muslims are under attack: their lands occupied; their men, women and children victimized around the world. The Iraqi slaughterhouse, besieged Gaza, wasted Lebanon are all examples in the minds of those who convince themselves that suicidal terror is the only way to fight back.
I seem to recall this kind of logic appeared briefly right after 9/11 - the whole "Are we to blame?" logic - until the right-wing accused those making these arguments of being anti-American and anti-patriotic.
Wasn't it just a year or two ago that a scare at the Capitol sent staffers scurrying to the exits? As Jon Stewart mocked at the time... "Oh, I see... our new plan for dealing with terrorism... R-U-N!!" And, my friends, we've not done anything to improve on that today.
What on god's green earth is the logic behind requiring every bottled water, every neutrogena facial cleanser, and every bottle of suntan lotion to be discarded?? I get it, there was a plot in the U.K. That's why they "foiled" it. Got it? Is there any logic behind suddenly requiring hundreds of thousands of travelers here in the U.S. to dump out that bottle of Aquafina?
The real point in all this is that George W. Bush has had FIVE YEARS, with GOP Congresses every step of the way, to do whatever he felt necessary (and then some) to combat terrorism. And, even with that, we find ourselves still stuck with the "R-U-N!!" model for dealing with potential attacks, much less an honest-to-god attack.
The message? We ain't no safer now and we never will be safer under George W. Bush or his GOP buddies. They could honestly give a damn about terrorism - except to the extent that they're pals get to profit from an unnecessary war.
Throw the bums out.