In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
Kerry Criticizes Bush Record on Terrorism
WASHINGTON, March 15 — Senator John F. Kerry attacked President Bush on national security issues today, asserting that Mr. Bush has played politics with the battle against terrorism and that the bombings in Spain show how ineffective his policies have been.
"When it comes to protecting America from terrorism, this administration is big on bluster and they're short on action," the Massachusetts senator and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said. "But as we saw again last week in Spain, real action is what we need. The Bush administration is tinkering while the clock on homeland security is ticking. And we really don't have a moment of time to waste."
Bush is basically running on one argument "I'm tough against terrorists." Which is obviously bogus, it is safe to say he's tough on people who try to kill his daddy, but not on people who are an actual threat to American security. No? Ask yourself how many soldiers are in Iraq versus how many are searching for bin laden and securing Afganistan.
Kerry knows Bush's "strength" is just smoke and mirrors... hopefully he'll be able to get the word out:
Today, Mr. Kerry showed again that he was unwilling to be pre-empted by President Bush on security issues. He said the times demanded "truly dedicating ourselves to homeland security, not using it as a political prop."
Mr. Kerry asserted that President Bush and his aides had even demanded that the Department of Homeland Security regularly set up "photo opportunities" to show Mr. Bush in flattering settings.
"Ladies and gentlemen, America doesn't need leaders who play politics with 9/11 or see the war on terror as just another campaign issue," Mr. Kerry said a moment later. "Our nation's safety is too important. And if I am president, we will work toward victory in the war terror, knowing that those on the front lines of this battle are heroes, not political props."
And maybe the word is getting out:
Editorial: The real enemy/It's terrorism, not Iraq
When President Bush took office, an imminent threat against the United States indeed existed, but it wasn't from Saddam Hussein. It was from terrorism worldwide -- most immediately from Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaida.
The Bush administration was apprised of that threat by the outgoing Clinton administration and presented with a plan of action for taking the fight aggressively and soon to Bin Laden. The White House all but ignored the warning. Instead, counterterrorism funding was cut and, as former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill has disclosed, the president and his national security team focused on removing Saddam Hussein from power.
Then came Sept. 11, 2001, the Bali bombings, the attacks in Istanbul and others, numbering almost 30 in all. Now comes the horror of the attack on Spanish trains Thursday to again illustrate just how important a worldwide, coordinated focus on terrorism is -- and how wrong America's focus on Iraq was.
...
Imagine a different scenario: Instead of unleashing a radical neoconservative foreign-policy agenda focused on Iraq, what if the Bush administration had spent its first months taking the terrorism threat seriously and building a very strong international coalition that included France, Germany, Russia, China, India, Spain, Britain, Italy and others?
What if such a coalition had sought to take preemptive action not against Iraq, but against known terrorist groups that had already bombed U.S. embassies, attacked the USS Cole, and so on? What if that coalition had followed every lead, every link, every money transfer and arms purchase? What if the coalition had sought to root Al-Qaida out of its Afghan base? Would that coalition have been capable of preventing 9/11? Would it have led to discoveries that might have foiled the attacks in Bali, or Istanbul or Madrid?
Those questions can't be answered, and the answer could be no. But this much is certain: The Bush administration didn't try. Emphasis Mine.
- rob 2:20 PM - [PermaLink] -
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