Over at the KNS Crosswire site, I found the following comment in WKM's review of Bush's speech:
I want Bush to address the agenda that he outlined in his acceptance speech four years ago. He didn't follow through with any of it so that's it. You had 4 years. Thanks and goodbye.
And then in SKB's review, I found this from another commentor:
Everytime I hear "911 changed everything" I want to slap someone. Letting fear of terrorism colour every decision one makes is a capitulation to the terrorists, not an act of courage.
Both of these comments reveal the root cause of the Democratic Party's increasing irrelevance. To them, 9/11 didn't happen. It was no different than an earthquake, or the hurricane bearing down on Florida as I type this. It was a tragedy, a disaster, but it didn't really change things. After a few months of grief and mourning, they went back to business as usual, never noticing that the world had changed around them.
If 9/11 was a wake up call, then these liberals hit the snooze bar.
It's been said that those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it. I would suggest that this is one lesson that's too expensive to have to learn again.
Acknowledging that the world has changed is not living in fear; it's the first step to prevent living in fear. Awareness of the capabilities of our enemies must inform every decision we make or we are being irresponsible, and nowhere is that awareness more vital than in our President. Our priorities have shifted; we have been attacked, and we must not only defend against that attack, we must prevent as best we can any future attacks. That's the primary job of a federal goverment, as spelled out in the Constitution.
Any political party that does not acknowledge this fundamental shift in priorities in unfit to lead, as they are demonstrating a fundamental disconnect with reality. Democrats, from John Kerry on down, are obsessing over a leaky faucet while the house is on fire.
Posted by Rich at September 3, 2004 11:36 AM | TrackBackUnless my memory is failing (which is not beyond the realm of possibility), I remember Pres. Bush himself or someone in his administration saying shortly after 9/11 that if we let that tragedy change everything we believe in, then the terrorists have won. Is this not what the commentator said that you take exception to? I think the commentator was merely implying that other things have not disappeared from the national agenda. Even in a war, we still have to hold to the ideals and "idea" of the USA.
Sorry for the late post - I just read your blog today.
Posted by: texas frank on September 7, 2004 5:47 PMThat's a good point, frank, except that I don't believe that taking a proactive stance on preventing terror attacks is really the same as "changing everything we believe in."
The point being made by the President and his administration was that if we let fear rule our lives, then the terrorists had already won a significant victory. If we backed away from the values and ideals that made America great in order to either appease or defend against terrorists, then again, they would have won a victory. It is here, by the way, that the liberals have the strongest case to make against the President, in my opinion. With the Patriot act, among other measures, I believe that President Bush and his administration have taken drastic actions against our liberties in order to fight the terrorists. In that sense, every erosion of our privacy as citizens is a terrorist victory. My only hope, and it is a faint one at this point, is that, like the Assault Weapons Ban, the Patriot Act sunsets.
However, getting back to your point, to go on the offensive against the terrorists, to hunt them down in their own lands, to deny them safe haven anywhere on the planet, while simultaneously removing the conditions that breed terror, I don't consider that a terrorist victory. As an example, consider the case of a kid who gets beaten up by the school bully every day. Eventually, he gets tired of being hurt, and learns to defend himself. The next day, he puts the bully into the hospital. Now, there are some who would believe that the bully won a victory, by bringing the other boy down to the same level of violence. I doubt very seriously, however, that the bully, sitting in traction in a hospital bed, feels very victorious.
Nor would his erstwhile victim feel like he'd lost something.
And welcome to my blog. Comment anytime on any post. Comment spam gets kinda thick, but I try to keep it weeded out.
Posted by: rich on September 7, 2004 11:22 PM