A few weeks ago a much overlooked Dkos diary by Windtalker www.dailykos.com/...made this point. It bears repeating.
Tonight I heard Lawrence O’Donnell repeat it on ‘The Last Word’.
bin Laden didn’t fly the planes
It’s really just that simple. The 9/11 attacks were not even Bin Laden’s idea. For that we held Khalid Sheikh Mohammed accountable. The idea for the 9/11 attacks was first presented to bin Laden in 1996 in Afghanistan by KSM.
Every sitting Republican Senator wholeheartedly endorsed the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and none lamented the day he was brought to justice by Seal Team 6. fas.org/
This statement by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on May 2, 2011 is typical:
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said this today on the confirmation that Al Qaeda mastermind, Osama Bin Laden, has been killed by American forces.
“I was pleased to receive a phone call from Vice President Biden informing me of the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by U.S. Forces. I relayed to the Vice President my congratulations on this historic day. Events such as this do not happen accidently and require great personal sacrifice and courage. God bless those who put themselves in harm’s way to bring about this long-overdue day of justice.
“With the death of Osama Bin Laden and impending trial of Khalid Sheik Mohammad, I hope the victims of 9/11 will receive some closure and believe justice is being served. This day has been long-awaited by our nation and all those who reject terrorism. This event by no means ends our fight against Al Qaeda, but it is a decisive moment helping create momentum for our cause throughout the world.
“With the death of Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda will do everything possible to take revenge. That’s why it is important we stay on the offensive and remain ever-vigilant in our fight against terrorism.
“It should be clearly understood that there is no safe hiding spot for those who harm the American people. Those who act against our nation will be relentlessly pursued and they will be brought to justice. Today’s announcement has been a long time coming and like all Americans, I’m very glad justice has been served.”
www.lgraham.senate.gov/...
What exactly was Bin Laden’s crime, the one for which all those Republican senators agreed that he deserved extrajudicial execution? bin laden used his position of authority to incite violence against the US. He used rhetoric and provided material assistance to the terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks.
No analogy is perfect, but this is one that most Americans will understand and agree with. That is exactly what Donald J Trump did in the months before Jan. 6 following his election defeat, and at the Jan. 6 ‘Stop the Steal’ rally. Trump used his position of authority to spout lies, repeatedly. Trump repeatedly encouraged his follows to take action, to be strong, to stand up to right a fictitious wrong, or risk losing their country, and to fight like hell to accomplish that end, and although he claimed he would join his followers in a march on the Capitol to stop Congress and overturn the election results, he then retreated to the White House and watched with satisfaction on TV, much as bin Laden must have watched on 9/11 as planes crashed into the World Trade center towers and the pentagon. The President of the United States just sat and watched on TV, for hours, as the seeds of his rhetoric took shape and the riot he had produced in that made for TV moment came into being.
Trump summoned the whirlwind, set it loose and then did nothing to stop the terrorists he had unleashed. Trump tried and failed to do what bin Laden’s followers on Flight 93 had attempted en.wikipedia.org/..... And like the passengers on Flight 93, Trump’s terrorists were stopped by patriotic Americans who stood shoulder to shoulder in the face of the terror he summoned and they too refused to allow terror to win. Some of those Capitol Police officers gave the last full measure in defense of democracy on 1/6, as did all the passengers and the flight crew on Flight 93.
The sacrifice made by capitol police in defense of our democracy should not be ignored and Trump’s terrorist attack on that democracy cannot be allowed to go unvanquished. Donald J Trump must be convicted of inciting the 1/6 Capitol Riot.
For all those Republican Senators who choose to vote otherwise, this analogy must be made plain to their constituents now and in the next election cycle.
Thursday, Feb 4, 2021 · 11:55:35 PM +00:00 · ARodinFan
Thanks to all of the community readers for considering this analogy, for participating in the comments and for help with my grammar.
I think the comparison between what Osama bin Laden did with respect to 9/11 and Trump on 1/6 is simple and powerful and understandable and persuasive.
It’s not an original idea — I read it here first in a diary by Windtalker. We later corresponded and I urged a revision and reposting of that Jan 14 diary — hoping that the a new diary with the same theme would gain the traction that I thought it deserved.
It you think this analogy is useful — I urge you to amplify the idea — I believe it could lead to a conviction and ban from future office
Regards, A Rodin Fan
Friday, Feb 5, 2021 · 12:11:57 PM +00:00 · ARodinFan
I’ve updated this diary to include an example of the sort of comments made by US Senators following the death of Osama bin Laden, choosing remarks made by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in 2011 . A search of news reports and the congressional record will demonstrate that every Republican senator made similar comments.