Kerry self-destructs
John Kerry said some remarkable things about fighting the war on terror in a New York Times Magazine article this weekend. The money quote:
"'We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they're a nuisance," Kerry said. "As a former law-enforcement person, I know we're never going to end prostitution. We're never going to end illegal gambling. But we're going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn't on the rise. It isn't threatening people's lives every day, and fundamentally, it's something that you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life.'"
Comparing acts of terror to prostitution and illegal gambling? Terrorism is a nuisance? As an analogy, it's a bit of a stretch, and that's being charitable in the assessment of the comments.
For far more detailed analyses of these remarks, check out The Kerry Spot, Hugh Hewitt, and The Volokh Conspiracy. Also, the Bush campaign has put out an ad highlighting the remarks. The ad can be seen here.
The remarks, to me, do not reflect a serious assessment of the reality of terrorism as an act of pseudo-war by a non-state actor. I don't think bin Laden and associates are going to be frightened by indictments (the indictment of bin Laden during the Clinton administration did not seem to be much of a deterrent on September 11, 2001). Cruise missiles and Special Forces are an entirely different matter.
"'We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they're a nuisance," Kerry said. "As a former law-enforcement person, I know we're never going to end prostitution. We're never going to end illegal gambling. But we're going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn't on the rise. It isn't threatening people's lives every day, and fundamentally, it's something that you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life.'"
Comparing acts of terror to prostitution and illegal gambling? Terrorism is a nuisance? As an analogy, it's a bit of a stretch, and that's being charitable in the assessment of the comments.
For far more detailed analyses of these remarks, check out The Kerry Spot, Hugh Hewitt, and The Volokh Conspiracy. Also, the Bush campaign has put out an ad highlighting the remarks. The ad can be seen here.
The remarks, to me, do not reflect a serious assessment of the reality of terrorism as an act of pseudo-war by a non-state actor. I don't think bin Laden and associates are going to be frightened by indictments (the indictment of bin Laden during the Clinton administration did not seem to be much of a deterrent on September 11, 2001). Cruise missiles and Special Forces are an entirely different matter.
posted by Hal | 1:29 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home