(Blog Post) Here’s a thought experiment: When you watch excerpts of the Obama-Cheney great debate over national security, try to imagine how these issues would play if America should be hit by another 9/11-level terrorist attack. Full Story »
Posted by Derek Hawkins
Mr. Ignatius hits a home run of this opinion piece. While Cheney is going around doing his usual fear-mongering spew, Obama is like the captain at the wheel, steering through choppy waters while being as cool as the other side of the pillow.
While I've read article after article, both liberal and conservative, I haven't seen any evidence that he knows what he's doing to America. Eight years of living in fear is enough. Let the people enjoy some kind of relief, even if there is another attack.
What distinguishes this opinion piece (from others like it) is that it accomplishes its goal without debris. There is not a single passage in this article could be removed without causing a hole. This wasn't a Bento Box like many opinion pieces attempting to make a point but without courage. This is was 3 course meal with the Chef bravely coming to the table at its conclusion. Ignatius supports his claim with great skill and aplomb.
Dick Cheney has become the graffiti artist of the neo-con extremists - tagging history with neon-colored and self-serving previews of a potential criminal defense. His own.
That’s what scared me about Dick Cheney’s sneering, sarcastic attack on the new administration’s national-security policies: He is turning up the heat of ... More »
Ignatius points to some worthwhile insights about terrorism in this piece, including the observation that when fighting a political war, public opinion -- make that world opinion -- is important. He is probably correct in stating that this MAY be a long war. It certainly would be a long war under Bush, but Obama's election is a game changer, especially in the ME. Attacking Obama's America won't make Jihadis the same kind of local hero that attacking Bush's America did. As for the efficacy of torture, Ignatius ignores the costs of false confessions extracted under torture, which sent the FBI and CIA on hundreds of wild goose chases. The most egregious example of a costly false confession is that of ibn al-shaykh al-Libi, ... More »
Ignatius has again taken a clear & concise evaluation to a valid conclusion. He is the opposite of Cheney in this. He also shows with equal clarity that Obama is doing a finer job of protecting the nation than Cheney could imagine doing. This reporting is why the Wash. Post is still a valuable newspaper.
The comments to the Post are revealing. There are a lot of people, thoughtless enough to follow Cheney. But there are also a lot of people able to think and able to see through the fog of fear Cheney attempts to spread.
Yes. The author takes a look at the big picture & states his case without showing any bias. He has a bit too little faith in the American people in my estimation, since I feel that even in another attack, it is now common knowledge that our national security is weakened by paranoia and using the medieval tactics of fanatics. Also, I don't believe that we would lose any useful info by not resorting to harsh interrogation (it IS torture) tactics & his one example is a poor of proof that we might.
The hard core wing nuts on the right believe anything Cheney says because they are as paranoid as he is (well maybe not quite - he is clinically insane) but they are a disappearing minority. I believe that people understand better now that taking a less belligerent & hubristic stance reduces the level of rage against us & some people won't be deterred, no matter what we do.
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