Victor Davis Hanson's new piece at National Review is an excellent example of the continued obscuring of recent history among the right, as well as their inability to acknowledge ways our actions are clearly driving anti-American sentiment throughout the world.
But more than one-third of all terrorist plots since 9/11 transpired in 2009 — despite loud chest-thumping about rejecting the idea of a war on terror, reaching out to the Muslim world, and apologizing for purported American sins. A non-impoverished Major Hasan or Mr. Mutallab (or Mr. Atta or KSM) does not fit with the notion that our enemies act out of poverty or oppression or want.
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Apparently, the Obama administration came into office in January 2009 thinking that the notion of a "war on terror" was archaic and largely had been an excuse for the Bush-Cheney nexus to scare the nation for partisan political purposes. Given the long period of calm after 9/11, the somnolent "good" war in Afghanistan, and the sudden quiet in the "bad" Iraq theater, Obama preferred to focus on Bush's constitution-shredding rather than on national security. What vestigial danger remained could be changed by the charisma of Barack Obama, the obvious appeal of his ancestry to the Muslim world, and the ritual demonization of George Bush.
But Obama has discovered that there really are radical Islamic threats; that Bush's record of seven years of security was no accident; and that the "good" war is heating up. Obama has been forced by events to quietly find ways of emulating Bush's successful anti-terrorism formula, while making loud but empty declarations to mollify his liberal base (which so far seems pacified that Guantanamo is "virtually" closed, and that KSM is "virtually" facing an ACLU dream trial).
First of all, Mr. Hanson provides no explanation or source for his claim that more than one-third of terrorist plots since 9/11 transpired this year. Using a source he would likely feel comfortable with, The Heritage Foundation counts the Detroit attack as the 28th foiled plot since 9/11. Their most recent list I could find goes up to 23, including 22 prior to this year. That leaves six of 28 foiled plots this year. Adding in the Fort Hood shooting makes seven of 29 total plots, and the 2001 anthrax attacks brings the total up to 30. Seven out of 30 is not only not more than one-third, but it is not even one-fourth. Regardless of the fact that this is higher than the average since 9/11, it still does nothing to invalidate the left's complaints against Bush-era tactics since most of them are still in use by the Obama administration - it is not as though our government changed its tactics and the attacks increased.
While he is certainly not the only member of the right to have this view, it is important to note that Mr. Hanson finds it unbelievable that America may have committed any sins against the Muslim world, as he feels the need to qualify our sins by describing them as "purported." Also, in order to act out of "poverty or oppression or want," a person must apparently meet all three of those requirements, despite the sufficient but not necessary properties of the word "or." Mr. Hanson also cannot imagine someone acting on behalf of other members of a group who are impoverished or oppressed, even if the individual actor is not.
Mr. Hanson then displays a case of selective amnesia regarding terrorist attacks under the Bush administration that has been displayed by other members of the right and even former administration officials. To Mr. Hanson, American history does not include the anthrax attacks or shoe bomber, as we had a "long period of calm after 9/11." This also ignores terrorism like abortion clinic bombings, but Mr. Hanson is seemingly only concerned about attacks carried out by Muslims. Mr. Hanson continues to gloss over violence when it is politically convenient, as he feels comfortable describing Iraq as entering into a "sudden quiet" before the Obama presidency. This "sudden quiet" consisted of an average of more than two-dozen civilians being killed in violent attacks per day in 2008. While this is a relatively low number when compared to the bloodbaths of 2006 and 2007 (before we started paying off the Sunni insurgents), it is another example of his willingness to obscure and ignore history to fit with his political agenda. In the next paragraph he leaves the most deadly terrorist attack in American history out of Bush's record on terror, instead focusing on his "seven years of security." It's much easier to paint a picture that fits with your story when you can start and stop the record whenever you desire.
Although Mr. Hanson suggests through a photo-headline combination Matt Drudge would be proud of (see below) that Barack Obama is to blame for increased terrorist activity, he never outlines a clear explanation. For someone whose worldview is incapable of acknowledging American sins, our increasing levels of violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan certainly never into the equation. Mr. Hanson admits Obama has mostly preserved Bush's anti-terror tactics, and that his changes have mostly been limited to "empty symbolism" and "loud but empty declarations to mollify his liberal base." However, he also suggests that Obama naively believed his charisma and ancestry could win over the Muslim world, and when Obama discovered this was not enough, he had to "quietly find ways of emulating Bush's successful anti-terrorism formula." This simply does not match reality. Although Obama's rhetoric has been a distinct shift from his predecessor's, his policies on terrorism have largely been the same throughout the first year of his presidency - he did not make sweeping changes and then reinstate the original policies.
Mr. Hanson's article is left missing any coherent answer to his primary question. He does actually mention a major source behind anti-American sentiment - our continuing and increasing violence against Muslims - but like he does with so many other relevant items that do not fit with his agenda, he simply puts his fingers in his ears and glosses over it. Dozens of murdered Iraqi civilians each day is "quiet." The anthrax attacks and shoe bomber can be ignored. Even 9/11 can be swept aside to focus on the good times that followed. But once terrorist plots continue under a Democratic administration, it's time to start panicking and assigning blame. We certainly need to work to stop terrorism and discover its causes, but ignoring our crimes, obscuring the results of our policies, and instead focusing on changes in empty symbolism and declarations is not the answer.