I have never supported Bin Laden BUT he has outsmarted our Administration...The most powerful military in the world has trouble going after our biggest threat...
In what way?? Because he's been successful at hiding and not getting caught??
Have you ever thought that maybe we know where he is already and don't want to catch him yet because he represents a wealth of intelligence information?? (I have no idea if that's the case or not).. But you seem to make is sound as if we're not even trying to foil terrorist plots against America (despite the likelihood we've foil any number of them since 9/11)..
But Scott, you DON'T SECURE our homeland by erecting an iron curtain around our borders. And you don't do it by creating a police state.
And essentially, when folks like Hackworth talk about our having "failed to properly secure our homeland" that's what they are referring to... clamping down even more and plugging the holes in our borders, airports, and ports.. Being DEFENSIVE rather than OFFENSIVE... And you NEVER win a war by being on the defensive..
It's like fighting an octopus in a tank of water. You can target each and every tentacle lashing out at you, and more than likely you stand a good chance of exhausting your resources and possibly injuring yourself. But if you focus on taking out the brain, or better yet... draining the tank of water that permits that octopus to thrive.. Well then,.. that's a whole other strategy.
And implementing regime change in Iraq (keystone of the region), threatening/implementing the same in Syria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, and establishing an approach that provides a VIABLE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC alternative to what Bin Laden has in mind will kill that octopus.. Or at least weaken it so much that it's ability to lash out is greatly diminished..
The whole region has been on a march towards increasing militancy for several decades Scott. Heck, I expected Egypt to be an Islamic Republic by now, but Mubarak has surprised me with his resiliency (I did a political risk analysis on Egypt when I was working towards an MA back in the late '80s). And I've tried to follow the whole trend of Islamic militancy since then... So this is NOTHING NEW..
But WHAT IS NEW is that the demographic trends in the region now have become more favorable to Islamic militancy, as young impressionable minds are shaped either by anti-semitism, anti-westernism, or blatant anti-US rhetoric. You can ignore the fact that 50% of Saudi Arabia is under 18, but Bin Laden isn't.. And neither are the Wahabbis who have the ability to brain-wash them..
So don't worry about "antagonizing our enemies" Scott.. Get in there and compete for the hearts and minds of the Arab street with greater resources than Al-Qaeda or any other regional power (like Saudi Arabia's Wahabbis) can do... Show the Arabs that they can have their religion and have a modern economy and personal opportunity.
In otherwards, the way to safeguard our homeland is to bring the Arab world into modern political and economic synch with the rest of the globe. Safeguard our homeland by showing the "arab street" that maybe Allah ISN'T on their side, but on the side of moderates and modernists who don't believe in repressing women, cutting off hands and heads, and participating in slavery.
It's going to be messy.. and not everything is going to go right. We may even have another terrorist attack upon the US. But the cost of having delayed taking these steps back in 1991 when we the hand-writing was on the wall..
Btw, you can't begin to know how I enjoy debating with YOUR opinion, as expressed in your own words, rather than the constant barrage of pundits you have often hidden behind..
Hawk@don'thavetoagreewithyoutorespectyourstickingyourneckout.com |
