Sunday, January 29, 2006

Putting 9/11 in perspective

My friend Marc ("Creature") over at State of the Day has written an extremely good post putting the horrible events of 9/11 into historical perspective (alongside Joseph Ellis in the Times). You can find his post here. I recommend that you read it in full, but here's a key passage:

Personally I believe the reaction to September 11th by the Bushes has more to do with politics and greed, than it does national security. And this belief is coming from a person who lives in downtown Manhattan, who saw the first plane flying ominously low in the sky, who watched as the throngs of ashen people streamed uptown as I returned downtown after an abbreviated morning at work, who watched from his living room window as the smoke drifted from the site for days, and who had to smell the acerbic stench of the day for weeks afterwards.

I live in Osama's bulls-eye and I have enough perspective to know that, while September 11th was a horrible day, the overreaction and disgusting politicalization of that day just adds insult to injury. George Bush, Karl Rove, and Dick Cheney should be embarrassed by their actions.

They should be, but they aren't. And their "disgusting" response to 9/11 is one of main reasons why Bush has been such an abject failure (and a dangerous, divisive one at that) as president.

posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at 12:11 AM

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5 Comments:

  • I don't know if you saw Jonathan Chait's article in the LA times, but he put it well- Bush misreacted rather than overreacted. He invaded a country that has nothing to with 9-11 and cut taxes-Chait points out that Churchill didn't cut taxes in 1940.

    By Blogger Jack Davis, at 10:24 PM  

  • Unfortunately, however, I think that at least some portion of the left has conflated Bush's reaction (misreaction or overreaction if you will) with the threat itself and deluded itself into thinking that there is no real danger. It's sort of like what happened after McCarthyism and Viet Nam--the left developed a reflexive anti-anti-communism. It seems to me that far too many on the left have ignored the danger of militant Islam or jihadism or whatever you want to call it because they don't want to give Bush any credence. I think there is a real danger to liberal values throughout the world from radical Islamism and ignoring that is simply sticking your face in the sand. So when people talk about Bush's politicization of 9/11, I agree totally, but I also think that we have to be careful not to understate the event either.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:55 AM  

  • Yes, there is a danger to liberal values throughout the world - but radical Islam is not a danger to the United States as a nation, and that is how Bush et al have reacted. I believe the reaction by this Administration poses more of a threat, in the long term, to those values we claim as US citizens - the exceptions claimed to legal redress, the potential violations of privacy, the painting of anyone who opposes them as unAmerican. Liberal values can be threatened by things other than IEDs.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:47 AM  

  • "but radical Islam is not a danger to the United States as a nation"

    If you mean that radical Islam won't destroy America, then I agree. If you mean it is not a serious threat, then I have to strongly disagree. It's a clear threat. We can debate how to confront it but we would be foolish to think we shouldn't confront it.

    The way the Bush administration has politicized 9/11 makes me sick. But the way certain members of the left pretend there is no real threat makes me equally sick.

    By Blogger Alan Stewart Carl, at 6:36 PM  

  • I agree with both of you, Marc and Alan. The left doesn't make enough of the very real threat posed by jihadist terrorism (or whatever you want to call it).

    You make some good points, however, Harry. The response from the Bush Administration -- the Patriot Act, domestic spying, torture, etc. -- has been truly awful... and awfully un-American. But the threat is still real, and Democrats need to come up with a viable alternative to dealing with it. Needless to say, I hope they do.

    (I haven't read Chait's piece yet, Jack, but he's always a good read. I'll check it out.)

    By Blogger Michael J.W. Stickings, at 1:50 AM  

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