Bin Laden Wins

Richard Cohen, writing in the Washington Post,  informs us today that Osama bin Laden has won - big - in his attacks on America.

From bin Laden's standpoint, this has been a glorious victory, made possible, it has to be said, by the totally unforeseen incompetence of the Bush administration. It was so intent on going to war in Iraq that it would not finish the job in Afghanistan. So, to bin Laden's absolute amazement — I am guessing here — the United States took on his enemy, the secular and ungodly Saddam Hussein, whom bin Laden himself would gladly have murdered. It has to be a wonderful thing when your enemy vanquishes your enemy.

On "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Dick Cheney said that if he had it to do all over again, he would still go to war in Iraq — "we'd do exactly the same thing," he said. Why? Is the man incapable of learning from experience? We now know from umpteen reports that there was no link between bin Laden and Hussein. We now know, the Weekly Standard notwithstanding, that Mohamed Atta did not meet in Prague with someone from Iraqi intelligence. We now know that Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction and that the Iraq war — which has cost America more than 2,500 lives, 20,000 casualties, the respect of the world and billions of dollars — is for naught. Talleyrand said of the Bourbons that they forgot nothing and learned nothing. It will be said of Cheney that he forgot everything and learned nothing.

How did bin Laden get so lucky? How did he get so fortunate in his choice of enemies? The Bush administration not only validated his wildest dreams — dreams that even some of his aides thought were unrealistic — but went even further. By using torture, by the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison, by employing "extraordinary renditions" of suspects to countries where they could be tortured, by insisting on going it almost alone in Iraq, by telling the international community to shove it, by declaring a war for an idée fixe – this fierce obsession with Hussein goes back a long way — the United States has made itself reviled in much of the world.

The Islamists have demonstrated - repeatedly - that they read the Western press to see how they are doing. They engage in a fierce propaganda war on a daily basis against the West  in general and America in particular. They literally repeat back leftist and defeatist rhetoric they see in the media, hoping for a positive feedback effect, where the amplitude of the feedback keeps driving the system into total failure. Go look at what that sort of failure does by searching the web for what happened to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (I won't link it, you'll have to work a bit for this one).  

So in a way, Cohen is right. When bin Laden reads the defeatist, irresponsible, foolish and myopic statements of someone like Cohen, he will believe he has won. He's already beaten Cohen. That didn't take a lot, one suspects.

Fear No Evil

It is already past midnight on the East Coast as I write this. September 11th has become September 12th and the day of remembrance has come to a close. There is one last thought about the day I'd like to link to before the date changes where I live. Jule Crittenden wrote this in the Boston Herald back in August. It seems fitting to link it on this day.

There are men out there who want us dead. This is undeniable. They want to see us all dead. Each and every one of us. They don’t know our names, they don’t know what our thoughts are about their grievances. They don’t know what our actions are and how we’ve lived our lives. They don’t care. They just want us dead.
 
I wish I had a sweet, comforting post-Sept. 11 lullaby to sing the ones I love to sleep when they experience fear of these evil men. But I don’t. Lullabies combat false monsters. Real monsters require something different.
 
Psalms, like lullabies, give comfort. But they don’t mask or deny the threat. They embrace it, and show the way to strength and ultimately comfort from within. What might a psalm say to anyone whose 9/11 fears have been reawakened 
 
Strong, ruthless men and women go long hours without sleep for you. They do everything they can to keep you safe. They are your shield. They will kill for you, and die for you.You can take comfort from that knowledge and draw strength from their example.
 
But that is not enough. There is something you have to find within yourself. It may be that one day, our shield will fail, and the insidious foe that operates from beyond our borders and even within them will penetrate that shield and kill some of us again.
 
You must decide for yourself that you will not let them deter you from your path. If they rise against you, you must be prepared to meet them. Prepared to be ruthless in defense of what you love. It may mean that you will die. We all do someday. As a friend of mine who knew what he was talking about once said, it’s not a matter of whether we will die, but how we will die. And when the time comes, the best we can hope for in this life, the one thing we might be able to control, is that we die well.

Please read the whole thing. And remember those who perished on this day five years ago. Think also of those who help keep you safe,

Ahem.

I believe this sounds a bit familiar. Gee, I wonder why? Oh, it may be because I said pretty much the same thing several times, most recently today.

ATLANTA — Riding a wave of discontent over the economy, Iraq and gas prices, Democrats are hoping to win enough seats to retake the House of Representatives this November. But their success could also hinge on their ability to keep the seats they already have — and doing so could prove difficult in two key races in Georgia.

Democratic U.S. Reps. Jim Marshall of Macon and John Barrow of Savannah are facing hearty challenges from a pair of former Republican congressmen with name recognition and the ability to raise big money. Bolstering their chances are new district boundaries drawn up by the first GOP-dominated Georgia Legislature since Reconstruction.

The outcome of the races could have broad national implications. The Democratic Party needs a net gain of 15 seats to obtain a majority in the House. Its candidates are posing serious threats to Republican incumbents in states such as Indiana, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

But Republicans have also identified a handful of vulnerable Democratic incumbents, and are hoping to pick off a few of them to thwart a Democratic return to power.

"Everyone's focused right now on where Democrats can gain seats, and properly so — it's a Democratic year," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "But if Republicans can steal even a few seats from Democrats, it will probably eliminate the chances of a Democratic takeover.

"Georgia has two of these races — I really don't think there is another state where there are two Democratic seats that are at least somewhat vulnerable."

Carl Forti, communications director of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Marshall and Barrow were among 10 House Democratic incumbents his party considered beatable this year.

Others include veteran Iowa Rep. Leonard L. Boswell, a septuagenarian who has had health problems and who is facing a well-funded Republican challenger; Rep. Melissa Bean, an Illinois freshman whose victory was aided by the lackluster campaign of her 2004 rival; and Rep. Chet Edwards of Texas, whose district includes President Bush's Crawford ranch.

In Georgia, as in much of the South, the Democratic Party has been dramatically losing ground in recent years. Since 2004, Republicans have controlled both chambers of the state Legislature and the governor's office.

The problem with counting chickens before they are hatched is that some eggs never make it to hatching.

A Novel Excuse

The Raccoon ate my homework.

I've heard some truly creative excuses for missing homework assignments over the years. I've even used a few back in the day. But this one kicks butt! A girl in Largo, Florida had to tell her teachers that she missed her assignments because a mama raccoon and her entire family crashed through the ceiling and stole her books. Well sort of.

LARGO, Fla. - Stephanie King had to tell her music teacher that a raccoon was to blame for her missing homework. "I explained that the raccoon fell from the ceiling in my bathroom and it ran into my bedroom," the 13-year-old seventh grader at Osceola Middle School told the St. Petersburg Times.

"Animal control came out to get it and they couldn't catch it and they said we couldn't go in my room."

Stephanie's grandmother vouched for her story Friday with school officials. "I told them she can't get her homework, her books, because everything is locked in the bedroom," Natalie King said.

The female raccoon and its babies crashed to the Kings' bathroom floor Wednesday night. Until that moment, the family didn't know the roof was leaking, much less that a family of raccoons was living in their ceiling.

Now the animals are trying to deprive our children of an education!

Presidential Address

Well, since I watched the ABC presentation of The Path to 9/11, perforce I also watched the address by President Bush. Objectively, I think he did a pretty good job on the speech. It was not political in nature, although I am sure some of the usual suspects are going to interpret it that way. It did reinforce a couple of things that I think Bush has not been good at making a strong enough case for up until very recently.

On 9/11, our nation saw the face of evil. Yet on that awful day, we also witnessed something distinctly American: ordinary citizens rising to the occasion, and responding with extraordinary acts of courage. We saw courage in office workers who were trapped on the high floors of burning skyscrapers — and called home so that their last words to their families would be of comfort and love. We saw courage in passengers aboard Flight 93, who recited the 23rd Psalm — and then charged the cockpit. And we saw courage in the Pentagon staff who made it out of the flames and smoke — and ran back in to answer cries for help. On this day, we remember the innocent who lost their lives — and we pay tribute to those who gave their lives so that others might live.

….

Our nation is being tested in a way that we have not been since the start of the Cold War. We saw what a handful of our enemies can do with box-cutters and plane tickets. We hear their threats to launch even more terrible attacks on our people. And we know that if they were able to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction, they would use them against us. We face an enemy determined to bring death and suffering into our homes. America did not ask for this war, and every American wishes it were over. So do I. But the war is not over — and it will not be over until either we or the extremists emerge victorious. If we do not defeat these enemies now, we will leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons. We are in a war that will set the course for this new century — and determine the destiny of millions across the world.

….

We're training Iraqi troops so they can defend their nation. We're helping Iraq's unity government grow in strength and serve its people. We will not leave until this work is done. Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq, the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists would leave us alone. They will not leave us alone. They will follow us. The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad. Osama bin Laden calls this fight "the Third World War" — and he says that victory for the terrorists in Iraq will mean America's "defeat and disgrace forever." If we yield Iraq to men like bin Laden, our enemies will be emboldened; they will gain a new safe haven; they will use Iraq's resources to fuel their extremist movement. We will not allow this to happen. America will stay in the fight. Iraq will be a free nation, and a strong ally in the war on terror. (emphasis added)

….

We are now in the early hours of this struggle between tyranny and freedom. Amid the violence, some question whether the people of the Middle East want their freedom, and whether the forces of moderation can prevail. For 60 years, these doubts guided our policies in the Middle East. And then, on a bright September morning, it became clear that the calm we saw in the Middle East was only a mirage. Years of pursuing stability to promote peace had left us with neither. So we changed our policies, and committed America's influence in the world to advancing freedom and democracy as the great alternatives to repression and radicalism.

With our help, the people of the Middle East are now stepping forward to claim their freedom. From Kabul to Baghdad to Beirut, there are brave men and women risking their lives each day for the same freedoms that we enjoy. And they have one question for us: Do we have the confidence to do in the Middle East what our fathers and grandfathers accomplished in Europe and Asia? By standing with democratic leaders and reformers, by giving voice to the hopes of decent men and women, we're offering a path away from radicalism. And we are enlisting the most powerful force for peace and moderation in the Middle East: the desire of millions to be free.

We simply cannot continue the failed policies that led us to the place we are now. I get a lot of left wing commenters (who are ever so much more likely to leave comments - isn't that odd?) who like to blame old policies and condemn the war in Iraq and then demand we go back to the same, tired, stupid, failed policies that brought us to where we are today.

I just can't wait for the comments on this post from some folks. (Banned commenters: don't waste your time or mine.)

Well, It Wasn’t Art

I actually watched The Path to 9/11. Was it historically completely accurate? No. Was it a wonderful film? No, it was flawed in many ways. (Of course, it is very difficult to say what it would have been like if ABC hadn't hacked around on it as a result of the all out assault from the left and the Dems). But it did show a couple of things that indicate why the reaction from the former Clinton officials was so extreme, despite it failing to rise to the level of art.

They did essentially nothing for eight years while the US was the subject of an all out war by al Qaeda. This isn't any new information to political or news junkies. But it may have been an eye opener for those who don't share those particular and peculiar bad habits (myself very much included in that lot). THAT, I suspect, is why the Clintonistas went berserk on this film.

I've been reading all day a whole bunch of different takes on the film. It is not historically accurate is on lament. Well, no. Movies about history seldom are exactly perfect - or they would be too long and stultifyingly dull. I am also not a proponent of the left's "fake but accurate" school of reality, but a carefully done historical movie can be both entertaining and minimally informative. But if you believe any historical movie is TRUTH, you are not playing with a full deck. What is frightening to the opponents of this film, I suspect, is what a lot of people will do when a movie raises questions in their minds.

They will do some research. Or begin asking questions. That would be devastating to the carefully crafted storyline some people have been crafting.

A Deviation From The Norm

I'm usually careful about the language used on this blog, both from myself and from commenters. However, every once in a while there is simply nothing that will describe a given situation without the use of at least some form of profanity. This would be one of those occasions:

Asshats

That is all.

UPDATE: Except that A Blog For All has more that is worth reading. The fireman he describes has vast self control. I don't think I would have that much.

Malta, 9/11/1565

From Lt Col P at Opfor:

The fifth anniversary of September 11th 2001 is upon us. It is fitting that the day should see both a solemn remembrance of the dead and the renewal of a cold-hearted resolve to win the war that was declared on us.

There is however, another September 11th that we should also remember, and from which we can take heart in our own struggle. It is September 11th 1565; the scene was different and so were the actors too, but the nature of the battle was all too familiar. On that day, a small force of European knights and the entire population of Malta dealt Ottoman Turkey a decisive defeat, and in doing so probably saved western civilization.

In May of that year, a Turkish invasion force landed on the island of Malta, held only by a combined force of knights, their hired soldiers, and the mobilized population of the island. The Turkish aim was to seize the strategically located island and clear the way for the expansion of the crescent flag of Islam into the western Mediterranean and western Europe. The Turks, under Sultan Suleiman the Great, also sought to exterminate the last vestige of a crusading order that was still proving to be a dangerous foe.

Read the whole thing for a bit of a history lesson.

A Roundup On 9/11

From the left side of the blogosphere by James Joyner, who deserves an "above and beyond" citation for doing all the heavy lifting. Overall, left-leaning reaction is astonishingly negative and downright bitter. I will not even excerpt this, it kind of needs to be read in its entirety.

Daley Vetoes Chicago Living Wage Law

Chicago mayor Richard Daley wielded the first veto in his 17 year tenure as mayor against the anti-business (and frankly anti-Wal-Mart) "living wage" ordinance the city council passed in July. I'm guessing there was a lot of political maneuvering before he did so. The law originally passed with one more vote than it would take to override the veto. Knowing a bit about Chicago and Illinois politics, my guess here is that he already has secured at least a couple of promises to switch votes.

Supporters said the measure would guarantee employees a "living wage," but in a letter to City Council members released Monday, Daley said the ordinance would drive businesses from the city.

"I understand and share a desire to ensure that everyone who works in the city of Chicago earns a decent wage," Daley wrote. "But I do not believe that this ordinance, well intentioned as it may be, would achieve that end."

The ordinance was approved by the council in late July and requires so-called "big box" stores to pay workers at least $10 an hour plus $3 in fringe benefits by mid-2010. The rules would only apply to companies with more than $1 billion in annual sales and stores of at least 90,000 square feet.

The minimum wage in Illinois is $6.50 an hour and the federal minimum is $5.15.

Chicago has been at the epicenter of a debate about the wages at large retailers ever since the city rejected a proposal by Wal-Mart to open a store on the South Side, prompting the company to open a store just outside the city limits.

Daley very likely did some very, very intensive horse-trading on this one. Interesting series of events for Chicago.

A Lesson In Pragmatism

James Joyner comments about the situation in Rhode Island with the national Republican party supporting a Senator who is arguably the least reliable Republican in Congress, Lincoln Chaffey. Joyner notes the extraordinary announcement by the national party that they would concede Rhode Island rather than back Chaffey's challenger, Stephen Laffey.

This is quite bizarre to those who think politics is mostly about ideological purity but perfectly reasonable to those who understand that pragmatism often reigns supreme.

Laffey would, without question, be preferable to Chafee in every way except one: He can’t win.

As noted here before, Chafee, annoying though he may be, is the most conservative Republican the party can possibly get in Rhode Island and still have a chance to win the seat. While Chafey votes like a Democrat most of the time, he at least can be counted on to vote for a Republican as Majority Leader and thus make it more likely that the party can retain its majority, including the chairmanships of the committees.

This is one of the things that the left does not seem to understand. They are playing enforcer and demanding ideological purity. They set Connecticut into play for no other reason and have made an enormous distraction in this election cycle as a result. The Republicans are better at pragmatism overall.

Anti-Incumbency?

Even though the AP is spinning heck out of this particular news story, mentioning Republicans as often as possible, I think it indicates something different. They note that a lot of people are very unhappy with Congress and incumbents in general.

NEW CASTLE, Ky. - Dissatisfied with Congress, voters would probably hang a "Help Wanted" sign on the U.S. Capitol if given the chance. "They're not doing their job," says Scott Newland, 39, an independent voter who backed President Bush in 2004.

The factory worker had harsh words for congressional Republicans and Democrats as he helped close his sister's New Castle deli one recent evening. "You need people that care. They don't care."

Such angry sentiments echo up and down the Ohio River Valley as it cuts through Republican-held congressional districts in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio — politically pivotal House seats in an election year in which Democrats hope to end 12 years in the minority.

At lunch counters, post offices, city parks and downtown streets, voters in this region and nationally are quick to voice their frustration with the GOP-controlled Congress, and their desire for more responsive replacements for the current crop of lawmakers.

It's a general disgust that may lead to firings of some politicians on Nov. 7. People already have hinted as much in Republican and Democratic primaries.

Keep in mind that several incumbents have been turned out of office in primaries, from both parties. This is one reason I cautioned against trying a "throw the bums out" strategy. No matter how much the press tries to mention the phrase "Republican controlled Congress", it does not change the fact that voters are getting roundly sick of both parties not being able to work together effectively. There was a poll over the weekend that voters expected gridlock if one house went to a Democratic majority. I also note that several supposedly safe seats are suddenly in play.

That's really not a good indication for either party, I suspect.

North Korea Supplying Hezbollah?

Cypriot authorities have seized a cargo ship bound for Syria that was carrying truck-mounted air defense radar systems from North Korea. The action came after a tip from Interpol about suspected arms smuggling.

The shipment was billed as weather-observation equipment on the freight manifest of the Panamanian-flagged Grigorio 1 and officials said the Syrian government had asked Cyprus to release the seized consignment.

"To my knowledge their name doesn't appear anywhere on the manifest as the consignee, but they have got involved," a senior shipping industry source in Nicosia told Reuters.

He said the vessel had been tracked over a long period of time.

The ship was carrying 18 truck-mounted mobile radar systems and three command vehicles. "The radars on the 18 trucks appear to be part of an air defense system," a police spokeswoman said. Pipes also found on board were irrigation pipes, she added.

Senior government officials said the Foreign Ministry would decide what to do with the cargo in consultation with legal authorities.

Customs became involved because of the apparent discrepancy on the ship manifest, which spoke of meteorological equipment.

The questions that come to mind right away are who is paying for this equipment and what is the final destination? It seems unlikely that the Syrian government needs equipment like this, since they already have air defense capability. So where was it headed? One suspects it was bound for Hezbollah.

US Proposes Regional Talks On North Korea

The US government is trying to arrange a meeting of North Korea's neighbors and other regional powers in an attempt to put some pressure on Pyongyang to return to the six party talks they have refused to attend since last year.

Such a meeting could put more pressure on North Korea as the communist state refuses to rejoin the six-party talks aimed at ending its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

The move comes amid concerns the North may be preparing to test a nuclear bomb to further heighten tensions created by its test-firing of a series of missiles in July.

Chun Yung-woo, the chief South Korea nuclear negotiator, said the U.S.-proposed session would be like one that 10 countries held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the sidelines of an annual security forum in July to discuss North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.

The 10 countries consisted of all parties to the six-nation nuclear talks except North Korea — China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the U.S. — plus Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Canada and New Zealand.

"For now, the U.S. is thinking of holding a meeting similar to the one held in Kuala Lumpur," Chun said after talks with his U.S. counterpart, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill. "But not all of the related countries have responded."

The administration is trying to do what its critics keep complaining it doesn't do enough - negotiate. The problem is, of course, that one can only negotiate when they other party agrees to attend the meetings.

“A Saturnalia Of Murder And Destruction”

Christopher Hitchens, writing in the Opinion Journal, describes what 9/11 means to him. He has some harsh words for the, as he calls them, "bored, cynical neutrals" who fail to understand the nature of the threat the world faces.

The time for commemoration lies very far in the future. War memorials are erected when the war is won. At the moment, anyone who insists on the primacy of September 11, 2001, is very likely to be accused–not just overseas but in this country also–of making or at least of implying a "partisan" point. I debate with the "antiwar" types almost every day, either in print or on the air or on the podium, and I can tell you that they have been "war-weary" ever since the sun first set on the wreckage of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and on the noble debris of United Airlines 93. These clever critics are waiting, some of them gleefully, for the moment that is not far off: the moment when the number of American casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq will match or exceed the number of civilians of all nationalities who were slaughtered five years ago today. But to the bored, cynical neutrals, it also comes naturally to say that it is "the war" that has taken, and is taking, the lives of tens of thousands of other civilians. In other words, homicidal nihilism is produced only by the resistance to it! If these hacks were honest, and conceded the simple truth that it is the forces of the Taliban and of al Qaeda in Mesopotamia that are conducting a Saturnalia of murder and destruction, they would have to hide their faces and admit that they were not "antiwar" at all.

One must have a blunt answer to the banal chat-show and op-ed question: What have we learned? (The answer ought not to be that we have learned how to bully and harass citizens who try to take shampoo on flights on which they have lawfully booked passage. Yet incompetent collective punishment of the innocent, and absurd color-coding of the "threat level," is the way in which most Americans actually experience the "war on terror.") Anyone who lost their "innocence" on September 11 was too naïve by far, or too stupid to begin with. On that day, we learned what we ought to have known already, which is that clerical fanaticism means to fight a war which can only have one victor. Afghans, Kurds, Kashmiris, Timorese and many others could have told us this from experience, and for nothing (and did warn us, especially in the person of Ahmad Shah Massoud, leader of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance). Does anyone suppose that an ideology that slaughters and enslaves them will ever be amenable to "us"? The first duty, therefore, is one of solidarity with bin-Ladenism's other victims and targets, from India to Kurdistan.

This one is a must read, I think.