As a follow up to an earlier post and a comment I received. Although conventional wisdom on the right points to 9/11 as a failure of previous policies of containment, appeasement and traditional terror fighting methods, this is a strawman. We are all familiar with the PDB presented to the preznit whilst on his hols in Crawford warning of a gathering threat and the determination of al qaida to strike at the American homeland. It was through the willful disregard of this and other warnings that 9/11 was such a catastrophe and surprise to this nation. It was however, no surprise to the intelligence community and indeed, a few lightbulbs must have pinged at the WH, even though they were quick to deny it and slow, if not reluctant to have the matter investigated. They remain, to this day, close lipped about the events leading up to that day and unwilling to countenance a true independent investigation. The truth can be a terrible, heartless foe.
The chatter and raw intelligence coming into CIA, NSA and all the other institutions internal and worldwide pointed to something 'large' about to happen. This administration acted with, what we now know as systemic, it's usual lack of urgency, ignoring the warnings, failing to alert it's own domestic law enforcement partners, hushing up inconvenient whistleblowers and concentrating instead upon it's policies of pampering and paying back it's corporate, crony sponsors.
The right is also quick to cite the London and Madrid bombings as further evidence of a fatal flaw in the prosecution of a conventional approach to fighting terror. Even though those two events happened after 9/11 and the entire world was on a high alert status. But that is how terrorism works - and matastacizes. The fact that 9/11 was such a stunning success assisted in the development and financing of further plots and schemes, some of which were prevented, others that, unfortunately, were not. The key to fighting terror is to learn from both your successes and your failures, there will be death and destruction but there will be containment and prevention and prosecutions and imprisonment and eventually the money trail will lead us to the true sponsors of international terrorism, they being the true perpetrators of these heinous crimes against humanity but, perhaps, we already know who and that truth is just too shocking. Spain and Britain - both familiar with domestic terrorism and it's long reach into the collective consciousness - in the aftermath of their respective bombings, did not immediately begin to formulate plans to invade a distant middle east country in revenge for the new carnage suffered on their shores. Both countries bestowed new and unprecedented powers on their domestic law enforcement and internal security agencies and within the letters of these new laws have had some staggering successes.
Every terrorist organization, as is well known, has to fulfill certain needs in order rise and flourish; a charismatic leader, an easily replaceable charismatic leader, reliable financial backers, an easily understood ideology, an easily demonized and recognizable foe, a few spectacular successes as a recruiting tool and the continued ineptitude of its foe to figure out what it is they are up to. As a simplified but demonstrable example of the destruction of the hydra-terrorist organization we can look to the Emerald Isle. With both domestic and international help Britain was able to identify cell leaders of the IRA and through observation, infiltration and intelligence was able, eventually, to identify the very top leaders of the organization - know your enemy. Through the same techniques they were able to identify NORAID as a front organization that funnelled money into the IRA coffers - ultimately, once funds were cut off or at least restricted the IRA was forced to rob banks and gas stations to fund its operations and arms acquisitions, not the best uses of it's men or materiel. By finally engaging and investing the Irish government in the peace process acts of violence were no longer tacitly approved as an inevitable part of the political struggle. The IRA found itself culturally and politically on the sidelines and was forced to politicize in order to be represented at the peace table. Through, initially secret, communications the British government was able to negotiate with Sinn Fein and present, as fait a'complete, the building blocks to Northern Irish self rule and ultimately self determination. It took many years, there were many road blocks and pitfalls but, instead of force an international - we must never forget the American will and resolve displayed in making this succeed - political framework was established and a political solution finally arrived at. History -aint it grand?
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3 comments:
You know, RC, we're all entitled to our own opinions, but were not entitled to our own facts.
It's frankly beneath you to be recycling urban legends like the hoary old saw that the President knew about the coming 9/11 attacks and let them happen. I suppose WTC #7 was brought down by a controlled explosion, too?
The Bush admnistration was in office for less than eight months, following a contested election, and with numerous vacancies in key defense and intelligence positions due to intansigence by a sour grapes Congress...but nonetheless, they were in office when the attacks happened, and thus bear ultimate responsibility.
The historical record does show that there was a big surge in chatter and noise in the days and weeks leading up to 9/11, and of course there was a PDB that referenced a 1998 report that stated that Al Qaeda was considering flying planes into buildings. So, I guess we should have locked down every airport in the country, and every international airport in the world--back in 1998.
The 9/11 Commission was a highly politicized show trial in my judgement, whose chief purpose was to whitewash the Clinton administration's negligence in dealing with the gathering threats of Al Qaeda, Saddam, Iran, N Korea, et al. Just what was Sandy Berger stuffing into his pants anyway?
Just remember, whenever something goes wrong, there's always someone who saw it coming. It doesn't matter if they predicted disaster 100 times in a row incorrectly previously, they'll get a Simon & Schuster book deal and a plum slot on 60 Minutes to promote it.
Richard Clarke screamed his brains out for 8 years in the Clinton administration. Nobody paid him much mind. He wanted the terror camps in Afghanistan taken out post haste. Oh, well, woulda, coulda, shoulda.
The fact is there had been a pattern of escalating attacks going on for decades. So, fine, place the blame on Bush for an attack that had been in planning for at least three years before he took office.
Your assertions, however poorly substantiated, actually refute the point you're trying to make. The reason you can't rely on "traditional terror fighting methods" is because, sooner or later somebody's going to drop the ball.
You're asking our security apparatus to perform an insane high-wire act 24 hours a day 7 days a week. And the fact is, with the inevitable proliferation of WMD, what you seem to be willing to risk is the death of perhaps millions and the loss of cities.
You can't guard everything. You can be right 999 times in a row, and the 1000th time they get through.
We must defeat the ideology and the tactics.
The IRA analogy that you keep trotting out is, uh, let's say misguided. It's like the difference between a common cold and ass cancer. One's not too serious and will go away on its own after awhile. The other requires an aggressive intervention or you're going to die.
In a way, I find your quaint faith in the nameless, faceless bueaucrat kind of touching. You just know that that poor schmo checking bags at Logan won't miss those box cutters next time, even though he's hung to the bejesus belt, just as long as there's a Democrat in the White House!
As for facts... you've been making it up as you go along for at least the last two years.
If there is a hoary old saw, it was probably manufactured by a republican, costs the nation a small fortune and when applied, in the field, fails miserably.
I believe it was a republican congress and they were so filled with anticipation for the oncoming feast at the trough that OBL could have stood on the steps of the capitol with a mega-phone in his hands screaming about the second coming of allah and they would nary have adjusted their napkins.
You have become deeply entrenched in a philosophy and ideology that was not only discredited by it's own authors but was always based on resentment for previous doctrines that may have been flawed but ultimately succeeded.
Use the mushroom cloud threat and fear card all you want, it aint gonna happen. The people ultimately controlling this thing could not afford such chaos, their desire is uncertainty not collapse.
Pubs held the House, Dems the Senate.
Any way you slice it, my man, nuclear weapons change the balance of power. Maybe the mullahs aren't mad enough to precipitate a nuclear exchange to bring about the return of the twelfth imam. But they could harbor a terror army in a nuclear safe haven that would make our current difficulties in Iraq look like a day at the beach.
"You have become deeply entrenched in a philosophy and ideology that was not only discredited by it's own authors but was always based on resentment for previous doctrines that may have been flawed but ultimately succeeded."
I honestly have no idea what you mean by this. My philosophy and ideology are pretty simple. I love America. I believe in American exceptionalism. From my admittedly limited understanding of history, I'd say we're pretty fucking exceptional.
America is the only country in the world based on ideas--pretty exceptional ideas--not on race, ethnicity, religion, or any of the other concepts that people have been slaughtering each other over for all of history.
Unlike many, my first impulse is not to blame America for everything that goes wrong in the world. I think we've been the greatest force for good in the history of the world, and that our ideas have been on the march for better than two hundred years, and every where they've taken root, people have flourished.
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happy hour...
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