re: That is the difference, isn't it? In those days the emphasis was on cooperation and working together.
Absolutely. And, I think, being rational. Bush & Company used 9/11, and the subsequent uncertainty, to sustain a high level of fear in the public, so that he could push his agenda. The governments in those days tried to minimize the fear, the "terror", so that the terrorists didn't "win".
I was a soft Bush supporter until a couple of days after 9/11, when I realized my mistake. Listening to him, it dawned on me that he cared more about his agenda than the American people. That he was a ideologue rather than a pragmatist or patriot. Frankly, I think that is character flaw that lead to all the bad (for the US) decisions he has made in the last four years.
I often wonder if he didn't go after the al Qaeda leadership at Tora Bora because he didn't want to capture or kill them. If we had, the "war on terror" would have largely been over. With every bin Laden tape, Bush get's more solid domestic political support.
In 5-10-15 years the "war on terror" era will pass, and people will laugh at how irrational we were. It's not so funny right now.
John |
