Let’s think about that for a minute. The last time I checked those guys who attacked us are sitting snug in their Pakistan safe haven while America spends its blood, treasure and credibility stirring chaos in a country that bin Laden meant to chaosify himself if we hadn’t done it for him. Bin Laden attacked America dreaming that it would tie us down in a bloody war of occupation. He had an outside hope, kind of a three-wall bank shot, that we’d manhandle civilians badly enough to inflame the muslim world.
We could stay in Iraq or we could leave. Either way we have a wrecked army, no credibility and just the kind of chaos in Iraq that bin Laden couldn’t dream of accomplishing without our help.
It’s hard to deny that Republicans and radical Islamists have a symbiotic relationship that bin Laden would sorely miss. When al Qaeda wants to sell the idea that the west is at war with Islam, what could help more than prominent administration figures reflecting and reinforcing the terrorists’ medieval rhetoric almost word for word? Synchronicity! It’s sadly comical that the rightwing screamosphere and their political allies still have not figured out that you don’t effectively oppose someone by joining the fight on their terms.
More than rhetoric, the GOP-al Qaeda marriage of convenience really hinges on fear. Terror, after all, is the point of terrorism. It’s simple psychological fact that fear is a terrible state of mind for decision making. If you want an enemy to make a rash decision that catastrophically hurts their position the best thing you can do is scare the hell out of them. Bin Laden planned to draw America into an Afghan war that could wrap up America’s activities abroad as effectively as he’d done to the Soviets, or just drive out of the mideast altogether, by provoking us into lashing out in fear.
He pretty clearly screwed that pooch on that bet, but after the Afghan setback hits just kept on coming for Osama bin Laden. How could he know that the Bush GOP also thrives on fear in America? Iraq was like manna from heaven. Abu Ghraib a gift. Terrorists don’t really hate America for our freedoms (they usually cite Israel and our support of dictators like Murbarak and the Sauds) but our open, easy-assimilating society is still a problem. Unlike European muslims who live under a constant cloud of suspicion and daily reminders of their own alien-ness, those in America often mix into the melting pot before the ink dries on their green card. Our accomodating attitude makes it much harder to take the radical clash-of-civilizations message seriously. Losing that edge over Europe (thanks, Michelle Malkin!) is great for fundies and very bad news for Muslim, how do you say, liberals.
What is the ultimate policy agenda of fear? Surveillance, unrestricted police power, torture, rigged trials and unlimited detentions. As the famous National Review cruiser put it,
“The liberals don’t believe in the constitution. They don’t believe in what the founders wanted – a strong executive,”
In reality hyperpowered executives usually make stupid or self-serving decisions that don’t serve the national interest in any way. That’s why the founders didn’t trade one king for another. We can even test the point – having had its way without the faintest hint of oversight the Bush admin has acted as the ultimate Strong Executive for six plus years. How is that rightwing utopia working out for us? Every Bush initiative I can think of has turned out no better than if we’d assigned the same job to six or seven functionally retarded chimpanzees. Fear breeds unrestrained executive power, unrestrained power leads to boneheaded ego–driven decisions, graft and endless embarrassing screwups.
So FOX wants to know who al Qaeda supports in the election. The answer should be obvious. They’re terrorists. Al Qaeda wants fear to win.
Four more years.
***Update***
Heh. Indeed.
Dug Jay
Yawn.
Tim F.
Insightful as always, DJ. You can go back to downloading porn now.
Quiddity
Where is that “Mission Accomplished” banner these days? Anyone know?
Mr. Warmth
Do conservatives believe in a strong executive if the President is a Democrat?
BJ
Not true. The chimpanzees are likely to have gotten something right by accident by now.
jake
Tim F. eloquently points out one of the many ways the pResident has made it damn near impossible to tell satire from U.S. policy.
Barney buried it on the South Lawn.
Halteclere
Interestingly, at Obama’s Dallas rally I saw a couple Muslim women (they were wearing the traditional head scarfs) in the crowd, including one woman who was in the bullpit right in front of the stage. That woman was standing next to a guy with a fire-red mohawk.
Only at a Democratic rally.
AkaDad
And I always thought the founders wanted co-equal branches of Government. I stand corrected.
ThymeZone
Well, four years ago their mantra was “We won, get over it.”
Okay, we are getting over it, but it is going to take a long time, a lot of cleanup, a lot of money, a lot of repair to ruined lives and families. But we’ll get over it.
The process has started, and takes a big leap the first week in November.
They tried to ruin the country, and I have to say, gave it a good shot. It won’t be easy, but we are going to fix it.
calipygian
On a related note: if the Founders had wanted people to enjoy Habeas Corpus rights, they would have written them into the Constitution.
Now excuse me while I wipe the Cheeto dust from my fingers and go run for another 2 liter of Coke.
Tim F.
That’s exactly what I am saying. You won’t see any head scarves at a Republican rally. We’re supposed to be in a climactic war of civilizations. Rightwingers say so. Al Qaeda says so. The two sides conveniently reinforce each other. Having an American president who ordinary Muslims like and respect, and who respects them back, completely takes the wind out of al Qaeda’s sails. Their messaging is wrecked. That helps us a hell of a lot more than fear and chaos.
srv
If AQ ever had a repeat capacity, or has one now, there will be an attack this year. And that will be their vote for John McCain.
Unlike other terrorist organizations, they really don’t want us out of anywhere anymore – they want a crusade.
As does China. They don’t have to worry about the neocons ranting about them anymore and they can just sit back and watch it bleed us dry. Beijing and Qom are laughing at us, at least until Pakistan collapses.
jake
Running is for liberal fascists who are obsessed with fitness and health, just like the NAZIS!
Rick Massimo
Oh for Christ’s sake, let’s ask al Qaeda who should win American Idol! Let’s give Osama a seat in Congress! Let’s run everything by them! Because if we make any significant decisions in the running of this country from any other mindset than quaking fear of al Qaeda, al Qaeda wins!
I was under the impression we decided our own elections in America. I was also told back in 2004 that the support of foreign heads of state for John Kerry was an intolerable intrusion of foreign opinion into our sacred elections.
Apparently, that depends on what the definition of “intolerable” is.
Davis X. Machina
Do conservatives believe in a strong executive if the President is a Democrat?
It’s only a foul when the other team does it. When your team does it, it’s either the refs blew the call or it’s a silly rule.
Modern movement conservatism has all the intellectual content of, say, being a Packers fan. Throw away the Oakeshott, and the Burke, and the Federalist Papers, and get a big foam ‘We’re #1″finger instead.
That’s all you need.
dslak
Does IOKIYAR answer your question?
Dave_Violence
They don’t want anyone in the White House. They don’t want there to be a White House, so the question has no meaning.
Rick Taylor
Wow. They’re utterly shameless. I shouldn’t be surprised by now, but I am.
Scotty
My democratic house rep. Michael Arcuri was hit up with a personal attack add very similar to this add. Its been running on TV the last few days. Quite lame, quite inaccurate.
Scotty
And apparently I don’t know how to spell ad. Again, quite lame.
rawshark
Fixed for accuracy.
A government of the people by the people and for the people is incompatible with a government featuring a strong executive. A strong executive is what they had. Read the Declaration of Independance, they didn’t much care for a strong executive.
There are no unchecked powers granted in the Constitution.
Innocent Bystander
Bush/bin Laden remind me of those couples that are socially dysfunctional, but mutually self-re-enforcing in their behavior. They each other to continue wrecking the lives of everyone around them.
Innocent Bystander
Whoops, should preview before posting-
They need each other to continue wrecking the lives of everyone around them.
jrg
Who cares which candidate Bin Laden likes? WTF? Is Bin Laden the new Chuck Norris or George Clooney?
If OBL released another video tape, right before an election, endorsing the candidate he did not want to win, or whipping us up for more war, are people in the U.S. dumb enough to fall for it again?
How many tens of thousands of Americans murdered and maimed in New York and Baghdad does it take for the morons on the right to figure out what’s going on with the GOP and terrorism?
Republicans have milked 9/11 like a tit for years, and I’m fucking sick of it.
ec1009
“If OBL released another video tape, right before an election, endorsing the candidate he did not want to win, or whipping us up for more war, are people in the U.S. dumb enough to fall for it again?”
MAYBE
Gay Veteran
“The liberals don’t believe in the constitution. They don’t believe in what the founders wanted – a strong executive,”
more proof (as if any more was needed) of the total moral and intellectual bankruptcy of the right-wing
Nikki
Perhaps I’m wrong, but didn’t the House Republicans walk out in protest of the contempt charges against Bolten and Miers and not in protest of allowing the PAA to expire?
croatoan
President Bush: “America has a message for the nations of the world: If you harbor terrorists, you are terrorists.” Unless you’re Pakistan.
The Grand Panjandrum
I guess we better put the bananas in the right place if want this guy to get anything right, eh?
Birdzilla
They favor BARACK OBAMA becuase he is one of their own
jake
Or Saudi Arabia. And no nukes or WMD allowed for the Axis of Evil types. Unless they actually have nukes or WMD and a really big army.
Asti
I’m not afraid, are you?
Chuck Butcher
Oh yes, the fear mongering in support of authoritarianism, truly a despicable act. Really, in the Framer’s period this bunch would, at nicest, get tarred, feathered, and a ride on a rail out of town, hanging might even enter the picture. But gee, as long as we’re on the subject of pursuing perceived security at the expense of liberty, let’s have a show of hands of all those opposed to infringing the Second. Oh, it’s not one of your pets so the Democratic candidates get a free pass on it? How about RICO? Any objections to a fear based piece of legistlation from the past?
Really, an honest challenge to you about your principles. Do they really exist or is this just partisan huffing? If you doubt my credentials as a left Dem, you can go check. I call bullshit on at least several of these commenters. It Only Kounts If It Is Your Pet Liberty. Authoritarian shit smells just as bad from the left as the right.
atlliberal
The fact that Bin Laden is still alive and Al Queda still exists at this point proves the utter failure of the neocon approach to fighting “the war on terror.” Seems to me Bin Laden will be hoping for a 3rd Bush term which doesn’t bode well for Senator McCain.
Who knew that if you ignored the people who attacked us and invaded a country that had nothing to do with the attacks that it wouldn’t turn out well?
calipygian
Hey Bird
zillashit, you forgot one thing: Barack Obama’s middle name is HUSSEIN!And he is the product of a union between a white mother and a MARXIST FATHER!
Now go get me another bowl of Cheetos!
demimondian
Which part of the second, Chuck? The part about “a well regulated militia”, or the rather tortured interpretation put on The Fourteeth to suggest that it made us all part of the militia?
J. Michael Neal
Or America.
atlliberal
OK Chuck how’s this for honest?
I used to argue about the second amendment with my ex-brother in law. Being a liberal I would argue that reasonable restrictions on the use of weapons is acceptible. He used to argue that it was to protect us from the government that we have the right to bear arms. At the time it was inconcievable to me that our government with all of the checks and balances built in could become so oppressive that we would have to rise up against it. It was simply unimaginable to me.
It is not unimaginable to me anymore. After the last 7 years I can see clearly how the government could become so oppressive that the people would have to fight to take it back.
So you can thank George Bush for changing my position on gun control. That said I still don’t think every whacko should have access to any weapons they want, and reasonable license requirements and background checks are necessary.”A well regualted militia” does not mean everyone has a right to a rocket launcher.
bootlegger
That wasn’t OBL in the video just before the ’04 election. It was Rove in a fake beard.
TenguPhule
Oh good. When does the CIA drop a Hellfire missile on the Bush Junta’s Ranch…ideally while the whole clan is in it?
Birdzilla
SQUAWK SQUAWK WATCH YOYR MOUTH CLIYGIAN OR I,LL CARRY YOU AWAY TO MY NEST SQUAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK