The usefulness of 9/11
The anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks is conveniently positioned in early fall, about two months before the biannual elections.
By Shmuel RosnerNEW YORK - The terrorists surely did not intend it to be so when they selected September 11, 2001 to carry out their evil plot, but this date has come to mean much more than a painful memorial, and a date expressing unity and patriotism: It has come to serve as a tool in the hands of politicians. This is likely to continue until the end of George W. Bush's tenure in office.
It is a date conveniently positioned in early fall, about two months before the biannual elections. In 2002 these were midterm elections that favored the party of the commander-in-chief in wartime. In 2004 Bush managed to beat John Kerry, and the memory of the crashing Twin Towers also helped to do that. And here we are, in 2006, and Bush is once more exploiting the date that has benefited his standing the most. Appropriately, the dominant event surrounding the fifth anniversary is media-related and has to do with perceptions: It is the fight over the ABC television movie on 9/11.
ABC invested a year in a huge production of its docudrama "The Path to 9/11" and this loathsome genre - drama that impersonates a documentary but allows itself the right to invent "facts" - again proved successful in stirring controversy. So much so that the most senior figures rallied to prevent its airing, or at the very least, to force the network to alter the problematic scenes.
It is the members of the previous administration - Bill Clinton, secretary of state Madeleine Albright, national security adviser Sandy Berger and many others - who were shocked by the way they were presented as being responsible for the many years of failure to deal with the threat posed by Al-Qaida. They were rightly shocked; their responsibility is sufficiently great without having to invent dialogue and situations. This is a question of personal prestige, but even more, a matter that seriously affects the party. The airing of such a mini-series, on the eve of elections, may strengthen among voters precisely the image that the rival party would like to bolster: that the Democrats are "soft" on terrorism.
The first part of the mini-series was due to be broadcast yesterday, having undergone changes following intense pressure on the network. However, despite the changes, the issue has left a bitter taste in many peoples' mouths. Last week the Bush administration published its "updated" strategy for fighting terrorism, which lacks real substance; the magazines are full of articles titled "What would have happened if ...?" and "How will 9/11 be viewed 20 years from now?" - the kind of pieces written at a time when there is nothing important left to tell.
In any case, the questions worth dealing with do not concern the past but the future, and the discourse surrounding them is still at the stage of provocation, once what was self-evident has already been investigated and published to death. In the September/October issue of Foreign Affairs, John Mueller, a professor of political science at Ohio State University, writes that "the threat presented within the United States by Al-Qaida is greatly exaggerated."
In the September issue of The Atlantic, James Fallows suggests a new strategy for the war against terror: Declare the war over. In any case, the worst thing terrorists can do to America is draw it into an exaggerated, irrational response to the threat they pose. Of course, Iraq is an obvious example, but so is the wiretapping program.
This is September 11 five years later: a political tool in the hands of the Bush administration, and a cushion for patronizing pronouncements for its opponents. The war against terror is not what it used to be - and it is sometimes hard to believe those who are running it. During the campaign that led to his election as president in 1952, Dwight Eisenhower sat in a television broadcasting station and allowed his face to be made up. "Look at me now," the make-up artist told Eisenhower, "I used to be a paratrooper who served under your command in France, and look at what I'm doing now. And you - you used to be a five-star general - and now you're just a politician!"
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Well, as a retired 4 engine-jet training captain, with US and British airline transport ratings, the parts I could not do myself were.. first.. to find and then fly along the secret corridor between US and Canada where there is no NORAD nor FAA radar, and then to plan a descent to the Pentagon or WTC, with no radio beacon or distance measuring equipment at those locations, then without continuous radar vectoring for height and direction, to have planned that precise descent, and then final turn, at the right height and location, to hit the targets. Also, I would not have known, as the young inexperienced pilots KNEW, that I would NOT BE INTERCEPTED. Never mind that I had no ticket, no boarding pass, was not on any passenger list, not caught by the check in videos, and walked into the cockpit through a locked door, and overcame two burly Yank pilots. Easy, Osama guided me with his laptop from his cave in Afghan, while busy shutting down the half trillion $ USA defence system.
Rosner completely misses the point,Bush is Bin Laden's dream opponent and reacts exactly as AlQeida had in mind.
Fair enough, we are all pathetics. Now, if someone gives me some REAL explanations to the 2 underneath points, I give 10.000 euros (12.000 US dollars) : 1- Bring me an experience airline pilot capable of doing the flying maneuver on the Pentagon with a Boeing : there are NONE ! 2- Explain me how WTC 7 building which only had a few burning blames and was not touched, can be brought down the way it was. Now you think again about what you just wrote and you will find out who is pathetic. As I said previously, Americans are very naive (stupids ?), now i understand why : they are too natonalist and pretend knowing everything, even the truth, except they don't even know where Paris is (this is true...) ! Don't even ask for Dubaï...
..."Americans are very naive... Are they stupid ? I don`t know... Probably not that stupid, but they are certainly not as smart as they think they are. In this circumstances, it will be very dangerous to have such nation which has 50.000 nuclear warheads in their arsenals to lead our world to uncertain future for our kids.
..."We will get rid of the Republican majority in November..." Do you really believe that to get rid of GOP majority in Congress will make any different of US Policy towards Muslims nations? Just curious.
9/11 was perpetrated by terrorists. The remembrance of such an event is not political. The U.S. did not pick the date, the terrorists did, Shmuel. And last I checked, it's the US that sides with your country - don't bite the hand that feeds you. It was not an inside job - moron. It figures you're French - Yankelowitz. Is it a lost cause Ron? What's the alternative? Did the Vietcong have aspirations to take over the world and make everyone convert to their subversive religion? No. Mark, same tired liberal diatribe. Yes, Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11. Yes we found no WMD's - but they did at one time - remeber the Kurds? Are you absolutely sure they're not in Syria? You're looking at the trees and not the forest - Islamic/Arab fascism is the problem. Indrajaya, yes, terrorists have to be stopped by MILITARY POWER. Seeing as they can't actually embrace peaceful means to get their message across - you have to fight fire with fire. Please wake up y'all.
AT LEAST NOW, HOPEFULLY, THEY UNDERSTOOD THEIR MISTAKE.
Excellent analysis from Ha'aretz which I never thought of. They are giving the key to the answer : 911 was an "inside job". If any pilot with at least 10.000 flying hours can do the same job on the Pentagon with a Boeing, I am offering 5.000 Euros. It is technically NOT possible unless you are flying a fighter jet. Americans are very naive... Are they stupid ? I don't know. But i never believed that someone hidden in a cave could have planned such an operational task like this one which is a highly sophisticated operation. And look at WTC 7 ! Gee this is business. A building collapsing like an autodestruction with only a few flames... This is Hollywood !!! Come on... Let's play Mickey mouse... Wake up and grow !
2 Tragedies , From Open war to Terror war . From soldiers to civilians . To Establish Laws that deals Against Terrorists and Terror States . To Improve Security Measures that Prevent Civilians Casualities from Terror. To Increase Emergency Prepadeness cause it takes only one successfull Blow . Int'l cooperation is a must in this turn of this new millenia against this kind of war. Ideologic , Religious , Secular or Financial Terror must also be dealt with . Increase awarness of Public Opinion to this Danger .
Since no one in the bush administration believes in accountability, I would like to extend a sincere apology to Israelis and all citizens of the world for my country's grossly exaggerated response to the attacks of 9-11, for squandering the unity and sympathy from our allies around the world, and for lighting a fire that now rages out of control in our world. We should have been strong enough and proud enough to suffer our losses without resorting to the arrogant and un-American methods of revenge and retaliation against the Muslim world and anyone who disagreed with the present administration. We will get rid of the Republican majority in November and with it, we pray to usher in a new era. God Bless America and Shalom, Israel!
Americans have historically lagged support for their own defense. Only 40% supported independence from England in 1776, less than 50% wanted to go to war with Germany even after being bombed by the Japanese and now many tire too quickly when confronted with evil. Another attack on our soil I am afraid will clarify their thoughts.
I'm a veteran of the Vietnam war so I have the credentials to identify a lost cause when I see one. I've been telling folks for the past three years that the only way to end this war is reinstate the the draft. The war would be over in two weeks. And, if this happens, those of us with children of military age should refuse to allow their children to serve until we see Jenna and Barbara Bush jumping out of a C-130 over western Irag in full combat gear with "stop loss" orders not to come home until the mission is accomplished.
Bush and his people spent the past week maligning anyone who disagrees with War in Iraq as terrorists appeasers, and sympathisers. Many have served in the Iraq war or have kids who have served or are currently serving. We've been compared to Nazi and Stalinist sympathizers. There is ZERO connection between the September 11, attack and the Iraq war, except for the Bush administration's inept strategy: overthrow the Iraqi government, don't defend the people of Iraq, and make sure there aren't enough troops to even defend the border. He in effect invited the jihadis to come party in Iraq. Bush uses September 11, as a campaign tool, nothing else. Maybe it would be different if he, or even one of his principle advisors, had a family member at risk in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
While there were undeniable facts that Osama Bin Laden was the real perpetrator of 11/9 attack, there were also some reasons to believe that Mossad, CIA and FBI knew the plan but lets it being executed by Osama's suicide mission teams. After the failure of Camp David 2000 negotiations on Israel-Palestinian conflict, Israel and US has came into conclusion, "those terrorists" and their cause has to be silenced once and for all by MILITARY POWER. Yes, 11/9 attacks was too big to ignore and should be a real CAUSE for that.