tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429848419628957272.post3786972788600074200..comments2010-11-16T18:51:01.021-08:00Comments on A Different Perspective: He Kept Us Safe?Lyndon G. Fursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14511532121551263250noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429848419628957272.post-44199273021067508202009-01-27T07:37:00.000-08:002009-01-27T07:37:00.000-08:00It isn't really fair to say that Bush's response t...It isn't really fair to say that Bush's response to 9/11 failed to keep us safe because it didn't stop a completely different type of attack that occurred mere days later. It takes more than a few days to implement preventative measures.<BR/><BR/>Having said that, there's ample evidence that the Bush administration had <A HREF="http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0409041pdb1.html" REL="nofollow">ample forewarning of 9/11"</A> but pooh-poohed the terrorist threat and thus failed us. However, the fact remains that it's fundamentally impossible for a free society to secure itself against all major threats, no matter who is president.<BR/><BR/>My biggest gripe with the "kept us safe" meme is that it ignores the fact that al-Qaeda made a strategic decision not to target the United States. According to <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/09/opinion/09pape.html" REL="nofollow">this article</A>, a high level AQ strategy document intercepted in 2003 indicates that AQ deliberately chose to target our allies instead in order to cut off their support - hence the attacks in Madrid and London. AQ's goal for the United States, as stated by bin Laden, is to <A HREF="http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/01/binladen.tape/" REL="nofollow">bankrupt us</A> essentially by getting us to follow the policies Bush has been following. At this point, that strategy seems to be working just fine. <BR/><BR/>I like what Obama is doing in terms of focusing on the Palestinian issue and reaching out to the Islamic world, but his "surge" in Afghanistan/Pakistan strikes me as the completely wrong approach, and his domestic spending - excuse me, "stimulus" - doesn't inspire much confidence in his ability to avoid the bankruptcy threat. You don't avoid bankruptcy by tax-and-spend or borrow-and-spend, you avoid it by cutting spending and getting yourself on a sound financial footing. Even if it means tightening the belt some.Bramblyspamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10757494299526723285noreply@blogger.com