BY JAMES TARANTO
Thursday, September 11, 2003 3:31 p.m. EDT
About Last Night
Thanks to everyone who came to our Harvard Club symposium last night, and thanks for all the kind words about this humble column. Perhaps the biggest compliment came from those who traveled long distances to attend, coming from as far away as Toledo, Tallahassee and Tucson. It was a great time, and we may well do it again.
Two Years Later
Everything may have changed on Sept. 11 two years ago, but not necessarily in the ways one would have expected. American politics is the most striking case in point. Given the bipartisan unity that prevailed in the immediate aftermath of the attacks on America, one had reason to hope for a revival of the early Cold War adage that "politics stops at the water's edge." And indeed, except for the lunatic fringes of the Democratic left, this seemed to be the case for better than a year after the attack.
The turning point seems to have been the 2002 election. Having lost control of the Senate, the Democrats lost control of themselves. The party is now dominated by 21st-century Copperheads who exult in every setback and refuse to acknowledge any success--all because they have convinced themselves that it is the "Bush administration," rather than their country, that is fighting the war.
"The story of the summer is that the American people refused to be panicked by the media, the Democrats and the Europeans," writes Mark Steyn in The Spectator:
Indeed, the awesome divide between the postmodern sophists and everybody else is the real legacy of 11 September. As the day itself recedes into the past, the splinter it opened up in the settled international order gets wider and wider to the point where 9/11 is a fault line through reality itself. Depending on which side you stand, success is failure, victory is disaster.
The fatuity of those sophists infuriates blogress Sheila O'Malley, who describes her reaction to a recent PBS documentary harping on American "hubris":
They spoke of symbols. They spoke of globalization (and they all took the position, as if there were no possible fair-minded question about it, that globalization was a bad thing). They spoke of symbols of globalization. They spoke of hubristic symbols of globalization. . . .
Kudos to you if you are able to float so loftily above the dirt and grime of REAL EVENTS, and see everything in an abstract way, see everything as a symbol. Great for you for being able to be so cut off. Not all of us can do that, and I, for one, do not WANT to do that. Those buildings were part of my skyline. I took classes there. I went there every week. I knew the security guards, and the woman who sold me orange juice. I took the Path train into the buildings. They were not SYMBOLS. There was nothing abstract about them. They were buildings in downtown Manhattan, filled with people.
During the section where they talked about September 11 . . . I realized how we never ever see the footage anymore. Footage of those planes going in, of people plummeting, has disappeared. I mean, I know this with my mind, obviously, but to really realize how those images have vanished, how . . . I have lost touch with . . . the horror of the visual . . . So again . . . after so much time . . . watching . . . I re-lived what happened that day. I re-discovered it. Not with my mind. But in my body. That familiar cold horror. No tears. Horror way too deep for tears. Rage. The people falling, one, then another, then another . . . somersaulting through the empty air. Husbands, wives, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles. . . .
Seeing those images again made me outraged at those of us who chide others to get over it. I am stunned that anyone could ever look at the carnage on that footage (and I saw the whole damn thing with my actual eyes)--and somehow . . . not be changed. Get OVER IT? What? Are you out of your goddamned freaking mind? What is the MATTER with you?
Compare this with a post this morning from hyperpartisan Democratic blogger Josh Marshall. He opens with a moving reminiscence of waking up to the attacks two years ago, and then describes watching a wrenching CNN documentary:
I hadn't seen or didn't remember the close-ups, the zoom-ins of people on the upper floors leaning out the windows and waiving shirts or clothes into the air, trying to grab the attention of helicopters circling nearby, hoping for help. . . .
There is something unbearable about seeing people clinging to hope when, you know, there is no hope. Their fate is sealed; they just didn't know it yet. Those were the pictures that even today made me grit my teeth and twist up my face.
But for Marshall, this is all a lead-in to the usual Bush-hating talking points:
As the documentary moved toward the aftermath, I wondered whether those thoughts of mine would seep into the present to color what's happening today.
They didn't.
What I felt wasn't continuity but the jarring contrast, the cheap, obvious lies, the hubris, the tough-talk for low ends, not so much the mistakes as the tawdriness of so much of what's happened, especially over the last eighteen months.
Writing in The Nation, someone called Jonathan Schell, who is the "Harold Willens Peace Fellow of the Nation Institute," makes explicit the case against victory:
[Sen. Joseph] Biden says we must win the war. This is precisely wrong. The United States must learn to lose this war--a harder task, in many ways, than winning, for it requires admitting mistakes and relinquishing attractive fantasies. This is the true moral mission of our time (well, of the next few years, anyway).
"Vietnam provides an example," Schell adds. "Vietnam today enjoys the self-determination it battled to achieve for so long." In fact, after Congress--dominated by Democrats elected in the wake of Watergate--cut off aid to South Vietnam in 1975, it was overrun by the communist North, which imposed a totalitarian system of government. That's an odd idea of "self-determination."
Democrats, apart from fringe characters like Dennis Kucinich, don't go as far as Schell does. But many of them do seem to yearn for George W. Bush to fail--an outcome that also requires America to fail.
We're Winning
The Washington Post's Jim Hoagland has a sensible survey of the aftermath of Sept. 11:
Terrorism operates from a template. It is intended to provoke paralyzing fear, anger and humiliation and to break the will of a population on which atrocities are visited. But the reaction to terror once the initial outrage and horror fade is far less predictable than the terrorists imagine.
Some societies do break apart on existing fault lines, as Lebanon did in the 1970s and as the car bombers of Baghdad and Najaf hope Iraq will. But other nations adjust and contain the terrorist threat, as Britain did against the Irish Republican Army, as India has in Kashmir and as the United States now does in the greater Middle East.
There is, of course, a crucial difference when the world's only remaining superpower is doing the responding. America's actions reshape the international environment and force other nations to adjust, whether they want to or not. Bush's brash, no-nonsense leadership style added to the sense of injury felt at the United Nations and elsewhere as he moved inexorably to invade Iraq last March.
Hoagland isn't uncritical of the Bush administration, observing that "this is a moment when more disciplined political leadership and more skillful diplomacy from Washington can bring dividends and should be pursued."
The Toronto Globe and Mail notes that America's war on terror is much wider than just Afghanistan and Iraq:
Below the surface are dozens of operations, some secret and some simply unnoticed, conducted by the CIA, the FBI, the diplomatic corps and small, elite military squads. They have been aided by changes to U.S. laws after Sept. 11 that allow Americans to do things once forbidden--such as assassinating foreign figures.
And much of the war is being fought by foreign governments that are willing and able to do things Americans wouldn't or couldn't.
The article, by Doug Saunders, includes a list of other areas where the U.S. is operating, including Southeast Asia, the Horn of Africa and Latin America. Saunders also notes that the term "World War IV"--which Eliot Cohen introduced in a Wall Street Journal essay back in November 2001--"has caught on, both among the stern-faced guys on the ground and in Washington's hawkish policy circles," even though "the White House officially objected to the phrase as senseless, even offensive."
The Democrats have turned Osama bin Laden into the topic of a schoolyard taunt (You haven't caught bin Laden, nyah nanny nyah nyah!). Reader Bill West remarks: "If we kill bin Laden, the Dems will say, 'What took you so long? Now, let' go home.' " Meanwhile blogger Dan Darling writes that "in the two years since the 9/11 attacks the US and its allies have systematically disrupted the cell that ordered the attack, a solid chunk of al-Qaeda's European infrastructure and middle management, as well as all of the key leaders involved in planning the attacks." Darling provides an extensive list of al Qaeda big shots who've been nabbed.
And what about Iraq? Much remains to be done, of course, but the defeatist whining we've heard recently is at best highly premature. Amir Taheri notes that Iraq is vastly better off than it was just six months ago:
Iraqis now enjoy a measure of political freedom they did not know before. Iraq is the only Arab country today where all political parties, from communist to conservative, and passing by socialist, liberal and " green", are operating freely. Visitors to Iraq will be impressed by the openness and of the political debate there, something not found anywhere else in the Arab world. Also, for the first time, Iraq has no political prisoners. Almost 150 newspapers and magazine are now published in Iraq, offering a diversity not found in any other Arab country.
What's more, "a free Iraq is already affecting the political landscape of the Middle East." Taheri notes encouraging political developments in Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and many other nations. "Despite the current difficulties in Iraq, The United States, Britain and other democratic nations should keep their eyes on the big picture."
Goodwill Industries
Perhaps the most fatuous post-Sept. 11 cliché is the notion that America (or "the Bush administration") has "squandered" the "goodwill" the world felt for America in the wake of the attacks. The idea seems to be that popularity is more important than national security. Probably without meaning to, John Hassell of the Newark Star-Ledger offers a parody of this argument:
In the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks nearly two years ago, America became a mailbox, receiving letters of condolence from all corners of the globe. Even Moammar Gadhafi and Mullah Mohammed Omar of the Taliban, no friends of the United States, sent their sympathies.
Today, after U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the launching of an ambitious enterprise to reshape the politics of the Middle East, things are very different. Polls show a deepening resentment of U.S. power worldwide, even among traditional allies. America's mailbox is again full, this time with hate mail.
Does anyone really yearn for the approval of such reprobates as Moammar Gadhafi and Mullah Omar? Anyway, we would rather be alive and hated than dead and popular. If the rest of the world likes Americans only when we're dying, the rest of the world can go to hell.
Attack? What Attack?--I
A Web site called "Signs of Protest" includes links to a "gallery of protest photographs from this year's anti-war rallies and marches" and to an "excellent article about the 'invisible' protesters." (Would that they were inaudible too!) It also has links to such far-left sites as MoveOn.org and Common Dreams, as well as to the "Draft Wesley Clark" site.
What's really interesting, though, is the "Welcome" graphic that appears atop the page. It shows a picture of the Statue of Liberty; off to the left is the skyline of downtown Manhattan, dominated by two soaring towers. Last time we checked, though, those two towers did not exist. Apparently these idiots actually want to claim the Sept. 11 attacks never happened.
Attack? What Attack?--II
The Cincinnati Post reports on a very satisfying verdict in an Ohio court:
Attorneys Daniel Burke Jr. and Thomas Raisbeck thought they had presented a good defense for their client, 19-year-old Jerome Brown, during his murder trial--until Brown's father took the stand.
They were relying on testimony from James Brown, since imprisoned, that he was at his Trotwood home watching professional football with his son most of Sept. 16, 2001, and into the early hours of the next morning--the time when prosecutors claimed Jerome Brown was stealing Timothy Powell Jr.'s car in Madisonville and shooting him to death.
"James testified that he remembered that Sunday very well because he (and his son) watched football all day," said Burke. "As you may remember, and as the jury remembered, that was the Sunday after 9-11, and they canceled football that weekend. The jury didn't believe that (alibi) story after he lied about the football game."
This Just In
"More than 2,800 people died in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks which were widely blamed on al Qaeda and sparked the U.S. 'war on terror.' "--Reuters, Sept. 10, 2003
What Would We Do Without Experts?
"Experts: Terror Still Poses Threat"--headline, Gainesville (Ga.) Times, Sept. 11
What Would We Do Without French Experts?
"Bin Laden Tape Is Old Material - French Expert"--headline, Reuters, Sept. 11
What Would We Do Without Trauma Experts?
"Trauma Experts: Sharing and Caring Best Response to Terror"--headline, WebMD.com, Sept. 11
What Would We Do Without Many?
"Many Say Luck Has Played Role in No More Attacks"--headline, Charleston (S.C.) Post & Courier, Sept. 11
It's Been Almost 16 Hours
"Sept. 11 Began Long Ago"--headline, New London (Conn.) Day, Sept. 10
First Gray Davis, Now This
"New York Recalls Sept. 11 Amid New Terror Alert"--headline, Reuters, Sept. 11
Last Straw for Jerusalem
As we noted last year, Islamic terrorists have been waging war against America since at least 1979, when Iranian "students," with the support of the new Islamist regime, invaded the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Sept. 11 was only the final straw, an attack so vicious and destructive that it was impossible for any sensate American to deny the need to fight back. May 12 seems to have had a similar effect on our friends the Saudis, and now it appears that Sept. 9 may prove to be the last straw for Israel.
In the wake of two horrific suicide attacks on Tuesday, "Israel's security Cabinet on Thursday decided in principle to expel Yasser Arafat," the Associated Press says, citing an otherwise unconfirmed report on Israel's Channel Two television. "Channel Two said the ministers ordered the army to come up with a plan to remove the Palestinian leader, but that this could take days, if not weeks."
An editorial in the Jerusalem Post urges the government to go further:
The world will not help us; we must help ourselves. We must kill as many of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders as possible, as quickly [as] possible, while minimizing collateral damage, but not letting that damage stop us. And we must kill Yasser Arafat, because the world leaves us no alternative.
No American should shed a tear for Arafat. IMRA reports that the official TV station of his Palestinian Authority broadcast a sermon Friday by a Gaza imam who declared that "the United States will remain our primary enemy" and added: "O God, help our kinfolk in Iraq defeat their enemy."
Arafat won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1994.
Hate Wanted
An ad for an "anti Bush videographer" appears on the Craig's List job-listing service:
Immediate need for a person who
1. Hates George W. Bush
2. Knows how to operate a video camera and microphone set up
3. Has good equipment
4. Will definitely be available from Thursday to Sunday... or at least a couple of those days...
Compensation: to be negotiated on per project basis
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
Reposting this message elsewhere is NOT OK.
this is in or around Riverside Church
Riverside Church is a left-wing hotbed on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The person or outfit seeking help is identified only by the e-mail address fortypercentoff@aol.com. Searches on Google and Yahoo turn up some interesting results, including a link to a now-defunct "Commie Ring" site called GenericTrotskyism.com. There are also a series of Craig's List advertisements seeking, among other things, "funky models" for an "anti Bush fashion show," an "anti Bush silkscreener," and an "anti Bush cyber activist."
This is another good reason to re-elect President Bush: Just think of all these jobs that would be eliminated if he were out of office.
What Would We Do Without Analyses?
"Analysis: No Winner in Dem Debate"--headline, FoxNews.com, Sept. 10
What Would We Do Without AP Analyses?
"AP Analysis: Dean Under Political Scrutiny"--headline, Associated Press, Sept. 10
You Heard It Here First
"All this assumes, of course, that [Wesley] Clark is serious about seeking the presidency. But what if he's merely after the No. 2 spot? . . . What if Howard Dean were to win the Democratic nomination? Dean's views on national defense can be most charitably described as flaky, and in order to avoid being laughed off the political stage, he would probably want to pick a vice presidential candidate with some military credentials."--Best of the Web Today, June 19
"Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean has asked retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark to join his campaign, if the former NATO commander does not jump into the race himself next week, and the two men discussed the vice presidency at a weekend meeting in California, sources familiar with the discussions said."--Washington Post, Sept. 11
Is Our Children Learning?
During Tuesday's Democratic debate, Howard Dean claimed to be "the only white politician that ever talks about race in front of white audiences." The Associated Press reports that John Edwards disagrees:
"What he said last night was devisive and devisive is exaactly what we're trying to overcome. . . .," Edwards said in a telephone interview.
Devisive? Exaactly! Unyted wee staand, devided wee faall!
Terror Attack Kills Terror Apologist
Remember Anna Lindh? She was the Swedish foreign minister dubbed the "Scandinavian Taliban" for her terrorist apologetics. She's shown up occasionally in this column, first in January 2002 for her quote: "I think this discussion about equating [Yasser] Arafat with terrorists is both inappropriate and stupid. It is a very dangerous policy."
Then, in November, she denounced America for killing six al Qaeda terrorists in Yemen: "If the U.S.A. is behind this with Yemen's consent, it is nevertheless a summary execution that violates human rights," she said. "Even terrorists must be treated according to international law. Otherwise, any country can start executing those whom they consider terrorists."
Lindh, 46, died this morning. In a horrific irony, she herself may have been the victim of a terrorist attack: "She was knifed in an upscale Stockholm department store Wednesday by an unknown assailant," reports the AP, which in another dispatch describes her as "an outspoken human rights advocate." Lindh's tragic death is proof, as if any were needed, that "understanding" the enemies of civilization will not stop them from killing you if they get a chance.
(Elizabeth Crowley helps compile Best of the Web Today. Thanks to Janice Lyons, Victor Skowronski, Edward Schulze, Barry Kaplovitz, Jeffrey Shapiro, Barak Moore, Bob Dudolevitch, Hershel Ginsburg, Richard Gregory, George Latanzio, Jaclyn Duysters, Ed Diaz, William Schultz, Mike Ubis, Wayne King, Isaac Younger, Robert Koontz, Jennifer Ray, Jerome Marcus, Tim Leydon, Marshall Smith, Michael Segal, John Ermic, Joey Tyson, Robert LeChevalier, Hampton Stevens, Ed Lasky, Darren Gold, Joel Goldberg, Norman Spector and Ken Shirriff. If you have a tip, write us at opinionjournal@wsj.com, and please include the URL.)
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