Comments on: Twelve miles west, seven years later

By: Michael Lonie

Michael Lonie — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:19:52 +0000

If the “life-long Republican” thinks Obama will prosecute a hunt for bin Laden more successfully than the Bush Administration has or than a McCain Administration would he’s an even bigger fool than he appears to be. Obama thumps his chest and talks about invading Pakistan to pretend he’s gung ho on military affairs. He does not seem to realize that the logistics of our forces in Afghanistan move through Pakistan. Al Qaeda has already tried to cut the line of supply and been stymied because of US diplomacy with tribes in the Tribal Areas near the Khyber Pass. Invade Pakistan? Obama is sending us up by saying that. More evidence that he knows nothing of military matters and cares less.

Now since Petraeus took over Central Command American clandestine incursions into the Tribal Areas have increased dramatically, to about one a day. Pakistan can endure clandestine incursions where an overt invasion, such as Obama suggested, would be fiercely resisted (as any country would resist such an invasion). These incursions will expand in a McCain Administration, but not, I think, in an Obama one. And they must be kept clandstine.

Obama will return to the law enforcement strategy of fighting terrorism that worked so poorly in the 90s under Clinton. That put a whopping 29 jihadists in jail, as opposed to the thousandss that have been killed and captured by the Bush strategy. The law enforcement strategy is what brought us 9/11. And we will get renewed terrorist attacks on us by resuming it. Don’t forget all the Dem hysteria over the intelligence measures used to fight the jihadists. They have spent years trying to tear them down, and will finish the job of neutering our intel if they get into the White House. How will that help find bin Laden? Answer, it won’t.

Here is an evaluation by a man who understands strategy and served a year in Iraq as a high staff officer.

http://townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2008/09/10/bin_ladens_slow_rot

The upshot is that if you want somebody who will actually prosecute the war vote for McCain. If you want somebody who will give you talk and no action vote for Obama. The Dems, after all, regard the War Against the Jihadist Terrorists as a distraction from the really important stuff, like creating an army of “community organizers” paid by the taxpayers to pursue the Alinsky program (which is what all those “Corps” Obama proposes are meant to do.)

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:29:44 +0000

A co-worker of my wife’s at the time, was a volunteer fire fighter with the Lake Ridge, VA fire department. He was on the scene while the fires were still burning and was one of the folks that hung the flag on the side of the building. He worked 12 hour shifts for about a week, while continuing to work his day job. Said he couldnt sleep, so he might as well work…

I’ll never forget that day…

By: Drew

Drew — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:22:36 +0000

Russ, there are those with first-hand experiences who strongly disagree. Please read this detailed account from a life-long Republican:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/09/11/hunting_binladen/print.html

By: russ

russ — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:37:27 +0000

Thanks for sharing that, Meryl. I was working in south Jersey at the time, and many of us crowded around the few televisions in the office when we heard about the first plane hitting. Of course, everyone was convinced that it was just an accident – until the second plane hit. Then we watched people jumping, and shook our heads, certain that the buildings themselves would stay up.

To the best of my knowledge, I don’t know anyone who died that day, although my sister knew quite a few of those who worked on the top floors, and her daughter’s softball coach was among the victims.

Like you, I am a lifetime Democrat who is about to vote for a Republican for president for only the second time. I don’t believe that much of the nation has yet awoken to the reality of this war, and in particular the Democratic party is strongly in denial on this point.