Emboldening the Enemy
By now you have probably heard that Al-Qaeda has released another videotape, this time calling for a holy war against Israel. To me and many others, this tape is a sure sign that Al-Qaeda is worried about it's influence in the Muslim world. With everyone focusing on Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda has had to play second fiddle. And even their influence in Iraq is on the wane, evidenced by the fact that much of the violence in recent months is sectarian in nature. This videotape shows they are desperate to reassert themselves on the world stage.
Which is why it was so asinine that in his address to Congress (which might as well have been written by Bush speechwriters), Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki parroted the administration's line that all of Iraq's troubles are due to terrorism. Ignored was the reality that Iraq is spiraling toward civil war (which some say is already the case). Our new ally has apparently picked up the art of spin quite well from this administration.
The problem lies in the duplicity of this rhetoric. The Bushies are trying to have it both ways. On the one hand, they boast about how Al-Qaeda is weakened, demoralized, and on the verge of collapse (we just need to hang in there, so vote Republican). Yet they also want to claim that Al-Qaeda still remains so much of a threat that we must relinquish our rights in order to remain safe. You can't have it both ways. One point of the conflict with Al-Qaeda is to not only impair their capacity to inflict another 9/11, but also to weaken their ability to inspire others to join their cause. Every time Bush and Co. heap undue credit upon them, it simply encourages them to fight on.
But then again, maybe that's the point.
Which is why it was so asinine that in his address to Congress (which might as well have been written by Bush speechwriters), Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki parroted the administration's line that all of Iraq's troubles are due to terrorism. Ignored was the reality that Iraq is spiraling toward civil war (which some say is already the case). Our new ally has apparently picked up the art of spin quite well from this administration.
The problem lies in the duplicity of this rhetoric. The Bushies are trying to have it both ways. On the one hand, they boast about how Al-Qaeda is weakened, demoralized, and on the verge of collapse (we just need to hang in there, so vote Republican). Yet they also want to claim that Al-Qaeda still remains so much of a threat that we must relinquish our rights in order to remain safe. You can't have it both ways. One point of the conflict with Al-Qaeda is to not only impair their capacity to inflict another 9/11, but also to weaken their ability to inspire others to join their cause. Every time Bush and Co. heap undue credit upon them, it simply encourages them to fight on.
But then again, maybe that's the point.
Post a Comment