Date: September 12, 2006 3:40:56 PM PDT
Subject: [cia-drugs] President Bush’s Reality
ex=1315713600&en=675f8dc1aefe729a&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
New York Times
Opinion
Editorial
President Bush’s Reality
Published: September 12, 2006
Last night, President Bush once again urged Americans to take
terrorism seriously — a warning that hardly seems necessary. One
aspect of that terrible day five years ago that seems immune to
politicization or trivialization is the dread of another attack. When
Mr. Bush warns that Al Qaeda means what it says, that there are
Islamist fanatics around the world who wish us harm and that the next
assault could be even worse than the last, he does not need to press
the argument.
After that, paths diverge. Mr. Bush has been marking the fifth
anniversary of Sept. 11 with a series of speeches about terrorism
that culminated with his televised address last night. He has
described a world where Iraq is a young but hopeful democracy with a
“unity government” that represents its diverse population. Al Qaeda-
trained terrorists who are terrified by “the sight of an old man
pulling the election lever” are trying to stop the march of progress.
The United States and its friends are holding firm in a battle that
will decide whether freedom or terror will rule the 21st century.
If that were actual reality, the president’s call to “put aside our
differences and work together to meet the test that history has given
us” would be inspiring, instead of frustrating and depressing.
Iraq had nothing to do with the war on terror until the Bush
administration decided to invade it. The president now admits that
Saddam Hussein was not responsible for 9/11 (although he claimed last
night that the invasion was necessary because Iraq posed a “risk”).
But he has failed to offer the country a new, realistic reason for
being there.
Establishing democracy at the heart of the Middle East no longer
qualifies, desirable as that would be. Where Mr. Bush sees an infant
secular Iraqi government, most of the world sees a collection of
ethnic and religious factional leaders, armed with private militias,
presiding over growing strife between Shiites and Sunnis. Warning
that American withdrawal would “embolden” the enemy is far from an
argument as long as there is constant evidence that American presence
is creating a fearful backlash throughout the Muslim world that
empowers the fanatics far more than it frightens them.
Fending off the chaos that would almost certainly come with civil war
would be a reason to stay the course, although it does not inspire
the full-throated rhetoric about freedom that Mr. Bush offered last
night. But the nation needs to hear a workable plan to stabilize a
fractured, disintegrating country and end the violence. If such a
strategy exists, it seems unlikely that Mr. Bush could see it through
the filter of his fantasies.
It’s hard to figure out how to build consensus when the men in charge
embrace a series of myths. Vice President Dick Cheney suggested last
weekend that the White House is even more delusional than Mr. Bush’s
rhetoric suggests. The vice president volunteered to NBC’s Tim
Russert that not only was the Iraq invasion the right thing to do,
“if we had it to do over again, we’d do exactly the same thing.”
It is a breathtaking thought. If we could return to Sept. 12, 2001,
knowing all we have seen since, Mr. Cheney and the president would
march right out and “do exactly the same thing” all over again. It
will be hard to hear the phrase “lessons of Sept. 11” again without
contemplating that statement.
Next Article in Opinion (1 of 9) »
Related Articles
* THE VICE PRESIDENT; Cheney Returns to a 9/11 Forum for Iraq
Defense (September 11, 2006)
* C.I.A. Said to Find No Hussein Link to Terror Chief (September
9, 2006)
* Blair to Give Up Post as Premier Within One Year (September 8,
2006)
* Times Select Content Senator Backs The War in Iraq And
Rumsfeld In a TV Debate (September 4, 2006)
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
Please let us stay on topic and be civil.
OM
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