Why (And How) We Fight
The fevered rhetoric surrounding defense of the US heartland against terrorists is reaching new heights as we approach both the five-year anniversary of 9-11 and another mid-term election.To put the rhetoric in context, fire up your VCR or DVD player and watch Why We Fight. This award-winning 2005 documentary on the military-industrial complex is based on the farewell address of President Dwight D. Eisenhower (two terms, Republican, January 1961).
Read Why (And How) We Fight
Declassified Report: No Al Qaeda Link In Pre-War Iraq
A newly-declassified (but redacted) 400-page Senate Intelligence Committee analysis of pre-war Iraq reports no evidence of a link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. It concludes that Hussein "distrusted" al Qaeda and "viewed Islamic extremists as a threat to his regime."It includes a CIA determination that prior to March 2003, Saddam Hussein ''did not have a relationship, harbor, or turn a blind eye toward [Abu Musab al Zarqawi] and his associates.'' Instead, he "attempted, unsuccessfully, to locate and capture al Zarqawi." A US airstrike killed al Zarqawi this summer.
The document is a scathing indictment of the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), the document which presents a unified (some say political) front, reconciling or brushing over difference of opinion among various intelligence agencies. The NIE was used to justify attacking Iraq in March 2003.
Read Declassified Report: No Al Qaeda Link In Pre-War Iraq
Five Years Later, Americans Turn Skeptic
Five years ago, immediately after 9-11, American support for how the Bush Administration was responding to terrorism was nothing short of extraordinary. Today, support has plummeted, and more than a third of Americans believe their government was complicit in the events of that day.According to an ABC news poll, in October 2001, 92% of us approved "of the way Bush is handling the U.S. campaign against terrorism." Today, that number has dropped to 53%. The numbers mirror those in a CBS and a Gallup poll.
In October 2001, 71% of us believed "the United States is doing all it reasonably can do to try to prevent further terrorist attacks." Today? Only 38%. And one-in-three of us believe we are less safe from a terrorist attack than we were five years ago. (ME, +- 3%)
Read Five Years Later, Americans Turn Skeptic, President Approval Rating - Terrorism
Five Years Later, Global Goodwill Squandered
Five years ago, I was focused on September 12th -- I had a date with major surgery. When Mike woke me on September 11th to tell me about the Twin Towers, my first thought was for my best friend from high school, who worked on Wall Street. (She was OK, although she was exiting the Twin Towers about 8.30 am.) My second was, "Will my surgery be cancelled?" (It wasn't.)I escaped most of the media overload of that day, since I spent the next four days (or was it five?) in the hospital, heavily sedated for pain. No TV, no newspapers, no magazines -- I couldn't concentrate.
What I did not miss, however, was the overwhelming support for my country from others around the world.
Read Five Years Later, Global Goodwill Squandered
