More Mush For Us (or US, if you will)
It's the morning after 9/11 and now we're left shaking off the cobwebs from a month of all the retrospectives, memorial services, remembrances, and speeches. We are now left with the rather ugly question of "what now?"
It is a sad truth that 9/11 has become politicized. Each side- Left and Right- have sought to co-op it for their own ends.
The Right uses it as justification for their neofascist crackdown upon our Constitutional rights, pulling off the incredible Orwellian doublespeak tactic of telling us they're doing this because our enemies hate freedom. They have used the events of 9/11 as justification for this "war on terror" that includes warrantless snooping, painting of critics as unAmerican Al-Qaeda dick suckers, and a whole other set of tactics whose ultimate end is allowing for the unfettered exercise of executive power.
The Left points to 9/11 as Exhibit A of the Bush Administration's incompetence; that they underestimated the threat. Bush disregarded Al-Qaeda, he didn't care, and he was off reading books about goats to schoolkids on the morning of the attack, etc etc.
I don't necessarily subscribe to that school of thought. One thing the ABC "docu-drama" did was show that 9/11 had its roots back in the early 90s and that. There were a number of points in the 90s where officials from the Clinton Administration could have taken action, but for various reasons they didn't.
We have become inured to the idea of madmen flying jets into buildings. But before the attacks, who in their right minds seriously believed someone would do such a thing? For most of us, this was the shock of 9/11- the patentedly unworldly sight of seeing a 767 purposely slammed into the WTC. Who ever heard of such a thing? Perhaps this was part of Al Qaeda's calculation- that even if the plot became known, who in their right mind would think anyone would be insane enough to carry it out?
Of course, thinking about this, such things happened in WWII with the Japanese Kamikaze pilots.... The difference then being that they flew into military targets.
President Bush is right when he says that things have changed. We are at war. But here's the rub. Those of us on the Left don't dispute that. What we dispute is the manner in which this war was undertaken and the tactics chosen.
There is a common thread running between the conduct of the war in Iraq and the WOT. In both instances, the Bush Administration has arrogantly stormed forward, ignoring outside counsel, refusing to adjust tactics, and when things go wrong, not admitting errors but instead blaming others or outside forces. In their conduct, they are playing into Al Qaeda's hands and doing all the dirty work for them.
Keith Olberman, a political commentator, has emerged as one of the more eloquent voices against the Bush Administration. Yesterday, he lit into the president about the gaping pit that still remains at the WTC site five years after the fact. But Olberman went further, giving voice to something about which I've been writing since 9/11, which can be neatly summed up as thus: out of the devastation of 9/11 we had an opportunity to move forward and seize the moral high ground in an effort to combat this radical Islamic fundamentalist movement. But Bush and his Administration screwed the pooch. They made a series of insanely stupid moves that turned the tide against us. Jesus, somebody needed to go up to El Presidente and say "You had it right in the palm of your hand, laddie, and you fooked it up." and biff him upside the head.
Seriously. It boggles the fucking mind that we went from having the sympathies of most of the world after 9/11 to being hated worse than Al Qaeda. What's the US's approval rating in Europe? 35%? How is this possible?
But back to what Olberman said:
It is a sad truth that 9/11 has become politicized. Each side- Left and Right- have sought to co-op it for their own ends.
The Right uses it as justification for their neofascist crackdown upon our Constitutional rights, pulling off the incredible Orwellian doublespeak tactic of telling us they're doing this because our enemies hate freedom. They have used the events of 9/11 as justification for this "war on terror" that includes warrantless snooping, painting of critics as unAmerican Al-Qaeda dick suckers, and a whole other set of tactics whose ultimate end is allowing for the unfettered exercise of executive power.
The Left points to 9/11 as Exhibit A of the Bush Administration's incompetence; that they underestimated the threat. Bush disregarded Al-Qaeda, he didn't care, and he was off reading books about goats to schoolkids on the morning of the attack, etc etc.
I don't necessarily subscribe to that school of thought. One thing the ABC "docu-drama" did was show that 9/11 had its roots back in the early 90s and that. There were a number of points in the 90s where officials from the Clinton Administration could have taken action, but for various reasons they didn't.
We have become inured to the idea of madmen flying jets into buildings. But before the attacks, who in their right minds seriously believed someone would do such a thing? For most of us, this was the shock of 9/11- the patentedly unworldly sight of seeing a 767 purposely slammed into the WTC. Who ever heard of such a thing? Perhaps this was part of Al Qaeda's calculation- that even if the plot became known, who in their right mind would think anyone would be insane enough to carry it out?
Of course, thinking about this, such things happened in WWII with the Japanese Kamikaze pilots.... The difference then being that they flew into military targets.
President Bush is right when he says that things have changed. We are at war. But here's the rub. Those of us on the Left don't dispute that. What we dispute is the manner in which this war was undertaken and the tactics chosen.
There is a common thread running between the conduct of the war in Iraq and the WOT. In both instances, the Bush Administration has arrogantly stormed forward, ignoring outside counsel, refusing to adjust tactics, and when things go wrong, not admitting errors but instead blaming others or outside forces. In their conduct, they are playing into Al Qaeda's hands and doing all the dirty work for them.
Keith Olberman, a political commentator, has emerged as one of the more eloquent voices against the Bush Administration. Yesterday, he lit into the president about the gaping pit that still remains at the WTC site five years after the fact. But Olberman went further, giving voice to something about which I've been writing since 9/11, which can be neatly summed up as thus: out of the devastation of 9/11 we had an opportunity to move forward and seize the moral high ground in an effort to combat this radical Islamic fundamentalist movement. But Bush and his Administration screwed the pooch. They made a series of insanely stupid moves that turned the tide against us. Jesus, somebody needed to go up to El Presidente and say "You had it right in the palm of your hand, laddie, and you fooked it up." and biff him upside the head.
Seriously. It boggles the fucking mind that we went from having the sympathies of most of the world after 9/11 to being hated worse than Al Qaeda. What's the US's approval rating in Europe? 35%? How is this possible?
But back to what Olberman said:
The only positive on 9/11 and the days and weeks that so slowly and painfully followed it… was the unanimous humanity, here, and throughout the country. The government, the President in particular, was given every possible measure of support.
Those who did not belong to his party — tabled that.
Those who doubted the mechanics of his election — ignored that.
Those who wondered of his qualifications — forgot that.
Those who did not belong to his party — tabled that.
Those who doubted the mechanics of his election — ignored that.
Those who wondered of his qualifications — forgot that.
History teaches us that nearly unanimous support of a government cannot be taken away from
that government, by its critics. It can only be squandered by those who use it not to heal a nation’s wounds, but to take political advantage.
that government, by its critics. It can only be squandered by those who use it not to heal a nation’s wounds, but to take political advantage.
Terrorists did not come and steal our newly-regained sense of being American first, and political, fiftieth. Nor did the Democrats. Nor did the media. Nor did the people.
They promised bi-partisanship, and then showed that to them, "bi-partisanship" meant that their party would rule and the rest would have to follow, or be branded, with ever-escalating hysteria, as morally or intellectually confused; as appeasers; as those who, in the Vice President’s words yesterday, "validate the strategy of the terrorists."
They promised protection, and then showed that to them "protection" meant going to war against a despot whose hand they had once shaken… a despot who we now learn from our own Senate Intelligence Committee, hated Al-Qaeda as much as we did.
The President — and those around him — did that.
They promised bi-partisanship, and then showed that to them, "bi-partisanship" meant that their party would rule and the rest would have to follow, or be branded, with ever-escalating hysteria, as morally or intellectually confused; as appeasers; as those who, in the Vice President’s words yesterday, "validate the strategy of the terrorists."
They promised protection, and then showed that to them "protection" meant going to war against a despot whose hand they had once shaken… a despot who we now learn from our own Senate Intelligence Committee, hated Al-Qaeda as much as we did.
The polite phrase for how so many of us were duped into supporting a war, on the false premise that it had ’something to do’ with 9/11, is "lying by implication."
The impolite phrase, is "impeachable offense."
Still, the charade continues. Now there's been some backtracking and a switch in phraseology. We are now battling "Islamic Fascism". Apparently, the Administration thought that merely tying Al Qaeda to 9/11 wasn't enough and that people were beginning to question things a little too much. Best to equate Al Qaeda to the Nazis to put an end to that nonsense.
This is what's infuriating. We have lost the battle of ideas. By tagging things in a manner consistent with that of a 5 year old- and a rather stupid one at that, we are losing the battle for the hearts and minds of people around the world. We are the ones seen as bloodthirsty and arrogant and evil. We refused to stand up to Israel when they cut off water and power to Gazans. We avenged the deaths of 3200 Americans by unleashing a war that has killed 50,000 Iraqis despite Iraq having nothing to do with 9/11. We refuse to even consider for a moment the motivations of those we paint as "terrorists", let alone come up with a strategy to counter them. No, we just call them evil and state that the only way in which we will deal with them is going John Wayne on their asses.
It is a highly infantile manner of seeing the world. You are either with us or against us, black or white, right or wrong. There is no room in Bushworld for grey. And heaven help those who stand on the "wrong" side. You will be destroyed.
This is one of the real tragedies. We are all Americans. We despise what Al Qaeda did and want to do what we can to prevent another 9/11 from happening again. We agree upon the strategy but we have serious disagreements with the tactics. Yet, when we give voice to these disagreements, Herr UberFuhrer Bush and UnterFuhrer Cheney say we hate America.
Isn't this America? Isn't that the basis of our system- debate, give and take, the marketplace of ideas?
Not any more.
And that is why, every time Bush says something about "if we do(n't) do X, then the terrorists have won" and closes off all debate, I shake my head because what that poor sorry dumb bastard doesn't realize is that by doing so, he HANDS them victory. This is not leadership- this is dictatorship. Does it really matter to us who it is that makes it so we are not free in our communications or expressions; who it is that scrutinizes us for correctness, be it to the strictures of the Patriot Act or to Sharia?
Such is the dilemma facing us in this post-9/11 world. It is no longer a question of being free, but rather one of which flavor enslavement we are being served.
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Still, the charade continues. Now there's been some backtracking and a switch in phraseology. We are now battling "Islamic Fascism". Apparently, the Administration thought that merely tying Al Qaeda to 9/11 wasn't enough and that people were beginning to question things a little too much. Best to equate Al Qaeda to the Nazis to put an end to that nonsense.
This is what's infuriating. We have lost the battle of ideas. By tagging things in a manner consistent with that of a 5 year old- and a rather stupid one at that, we are losing the battle for the hearts and minds of people around the world. We are the ones seen as bloodthirsty and arrogant and evil. We refused to stand up to Israel when they cut off water and power to Gazans. We avenged the deaths of 3200 Americans by unleashing a war that has killed 50,000 Iraqis despite Iraq having nothing to do with 9/11. We refuse to even consider for a moment the motivations of those we paint as "terrorists", let alone come up with a strategy to counter them. No, we just call them evil and state that the only way in which we will deal with them is going John Wayne on their asses.
It is a highly infantile manner of seeing the world. You are either with us or against us, black or white, right or wrong. There is no room in Bushworld for grey. And heaven help those who stand on the "wrong" side. You will be destroyed.
This is one of the real tragedies. We are all Americans. We despise what Al Qaeda did and want to do what we can to prevent another 9/11 from happening again. We agree upon the strategy but we have serious disagreements with the tactics. Yet, when we give voice to these disagreements, Herr UberFuhrer Bush and UnterFuhrer Cheney say we hate America.
Isn't this America? Isn't that the basis of our system- debate, give and take, the marketplace of ideas?
Not any more.
And that is why, every time Bush says something about "if we do(n't) do X, then the terrorists have won" and closes off all debate, I shake my head because what that poor sorry dumb bastard doesn't realize is that by doing so, he HANDS them victory. This is not leadership- this is dictatorship. Does it really matter to us who it is that makes it so we are not free in our communications or expressions; who it is that scrutinizes us for correctness, be it to the strictures of the Patriot Act or to Sharia?
Such is the dilemma facing us in this post-9/11 world. It is no longer a question of being free, but rather one of which flavor enslavement we are being served.
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posted by Stevie Z at 11:55 AM
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