My 9/11 Update
Every year, I avoid doing/writing anything on (or about) 9/11. I had my say in 2001 (mirror here).
I hate the entire maudlin retrospective “event” each year: The roll call of lost colleagues and friends; the tragedy porn that the media rolls out; I especially detest the terror tourism down at the WTC site.
But as a life long New Yorker, I am still angry over how the 9/11 event was mishandled — the ignored warnings, the invasion of the wrong country after, the bastardization of what the USA stands for, the lack of accountability for all these major errors of incalculable incompetency.
A few people complained about Doug Casey’s critique yesterday about Bush as president. One asked, “Why today of all days to post this?”
Perhaps this will explain it. I wrote the following on Election Eve 2004:
On September 11th, George W. Bush was presented one of those rare and horrible historical moments. The terrorist attacks united the country and the world around the President: His approval rating skyrocketed to 90%. Even the French Prime Minister announced, “Tonight, we are all Americans.”
The historical opportunity was laid at the feet of the President. With a unified country behind him and a sympathetic world willing to cooperate with him in just about every imaginable way, he could have achieved monumental greatness: He could have asked for great sacrifices from the populace, and they would have willingly made them. At that moment, any reach across the aisle would have been fruitful on a number of vexing issues. A bipartisan approach to any political problem at home – cutting pork out of domestic policies, reforming Social Security, renovating the tax code – could have been accomplished in a bipartisan spirit of strengthening the economy and defending the country. He might have even done something about our education system so, in truth, no child would be left behind.
One would imagine that a man elected under what can be charitably described as “inauspicious circumstances” – with nary a mandate in sight – might have taken the 9/11 tragedy as an opportunity to move to the center, putting aside partisan political differences, and governing “all the people.” To be, in fact, truly a “uniter,” not a “divider.”
Alas, it was not to be.
When people ask why I dislike the presidency of George W. Bush, it was that colossal failure to rise to greatness on that occasion, and indeed, to engage in a series of decisions that not just in retrospect, but at the time, simply reflected terrible judgment.
Unlike many others, I only blame W in small part for ignoring the warning pre-9/11. But for the catastrophic series of decisions that followed, I hold him 100% accountable.
Indeed, my feelings about 9/11 have morphed from sadness over the tragic loss of loved ones into frustration and beyond. Even now, the anger rises over the unwillingness to hold the past administration accountable for their many sins.
Many of you asked, and now you know . . .
>
Previously:
A Personal Recollection From a Day of Horror (September 12th, 2001) http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2001/09/a-personal-recollection-from-a-day-of-horror/
The Tragedy of the Bush Administration (November 2nd, 2004)
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2004/11/the-tragedy-of-the-bush-administration/
Baby Bush: The Worst President in History?
Doug Casey, September 11th, 2009
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/09/baby-bush-the-worst-president-in-history/
Reflection on 9/11
David Kotok, 9/12/09
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/09/reflection-on-911/
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September 12th, 2009 at 11:11 am
These are my sincere views, and if you don’t want to read them, skip to the next post, or go to ZeroHedge. But as long as I have been posting on this site, I have called it as I saw it, and not sugarcoated anything.
If that doesn’t work for some people, well, so be it.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:15 am
I absolutely agree…very well put….and I hold the current administration accountable for not changing course as well as not holding the previous administration to the standard that they should be held to…
rt
September 12th, 2009 at 11:21 am
I wholeheartedly and sincerely agree with your every sentence. I said as much yesterday. You hardly owe anyone an explanation or justification of your views. However, I thank you for posting again and do take comfort that we are not alone in our feelings.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:30 am
it deserves posting again and on a regular basis. maybe every 9/11. amen
September 12th, 2009 at 11:31 am
much as karen points out: “You hardly owe anyone an explanation or justification of your views. However, I thank you for posting again and do take comfort that we are not alone in our feelings.”
Keep on keepin’ on, BR.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Although Bush deserves all the condemnation that history can bestow, the entire DC establishment deserves our contempt and approbation for their failures leading up to and after 9/11. Here I am thinking of the 9/11 Commission, which in the spirit of “bipartisanship” decided not to name Condaleeza Rice specifically responsible for her failures as NSA, even though that was their conclusion. These geniuses expected everyone to read between the lines and for Rice to quietly resign.
No matter what happens, these Villages will make sure their sorry asses are covered, no matter their party affiliation. Who has been held accountable for all the failures of the last decade?
The people who died on 9/11 surely deserved a better legacy than this.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Taylor is right: Even before Bush, it was oh so important that we put everything else that mattered aside to focus our energies on impeaching a President over an affair.
The insane posse in Congress who pushed for impeachment over a blow job shoulder some blame as well . . .
September 12th, 2009 at 11:49 am
BR
Well said. I am a registered independent and have voted for both parties as well as third party candidates. Ever since the W presidency and now reinforced by the O, I have concluded that our political and economic elites have lost any sense of proportion and they are no longer patriots. The corruption of crony capitalism pervades.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:52 am
You are right on, Barry. Unfortunately, we have a similar situation with our new president. He too has been handed an unprecedented opportunity, not only to reform the financial system but to end war. In both cases, he gets an F minus. He came in with the good will of the entire world. Pakistan, for example, loved him and their people were willing to do whatever it took to please him. Instead of taking the bull by the horns, Mr. Obama unleashed a rein of terror via unmanned drone attacks inside the country of Pakistan, all based on the sketchiest of intelligence. Among the notorious, gratuitous attacks Mr. Obama authorized were the following three: an attack on a so-called militant house that killed one person (unlikely to be a militant), and second attack two hours later on the rescue workers and medics at the scene of the attack that killed thirteen and wounded many more, and then finally two days later, Mr. Obama unleashed a third set of Hellfire missiles on a funeral of tribesmen and women and children mourning the people that Mr. Obama had killed earlier. In that attack, he killed a minimum of seventy people. Mostly illiterate tribesmen and women and children in probably the forth or fifth poorest area of the entire world. So, unfortunately, a man who was handed a peace mandate unprecedented in the history of the world, not only did not rise to the occasion but destroyed it, and perhaps did more damage to the world peace movement than any man in history.
September 12th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Peter Schiff, one of the noisiest on Gold prices says US Government will need bailout. Soon.
http://investingcontrarian.com/?p=175
Fresbee
Fund Manager.
September 12th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
@ fenner
Of all the things O is fucking up….you’re pinging him on Pakistan??
The way I see it fenner is that if one chooses to live with terrorists in their midst then one should expect the occasional “grenade” to get tossed their way.
Pakistan is a cesspool of intolerance, hate, and fundamentalism. What exactly makes you think they “loved” the new president? And what difference does it make??
This is the sort of thing that we should have been doing since 2002…instead of the the Iraq clusterfuck.
Fuck Pakistan. You harbor terrorism…you get bombed.
September 12th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
There’s so much polarization now, and I say that as someone most would consider as hard Left. My side can be just as crazy, as witness the teabagger who got his finger tip bitten off recently or the hideous murder of the pro-Life protester in Michigan by yet another deranged lone gunman.
Too often, people just want to attack the other side as being fascist / commies / whatever rather than listening to what they say.
9/11 did unite us. Briefly. But then, as you say, the opportunity was lost. A friend who volunteered with a peace organization in Sri Lanka to end the civil war always said, if all the sides say they want peace, but conflict keeps going on, then look carefully at what’s happening, because the players probably really don’t want peace because they profit (money, power) from the conflict.
A 9/11 incident that really hit home with me. I know two people who volunteered to help clean up at the WTC after 9/11/ One was an adventurer who’d been all over the world, the other was a retired NYC pathologist. They both said the same thing in the same words, “We saw things no one should ever have to see” and didn’t want to talk about it any more.
September 12th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
to me, Bush’s greatest moment was standing on the pile of rubble at Ground Zero with the megaphone, when the construction worker yelled “we can’t hear you,” and Bush replied, “But i can hear YOU…” that was the moment where I was very glad it was him, and not Al Gore standing on the pile of rubble. Also, throwing out the first pitch at the World Series…
September 12th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
amen BR. anytime i can detect that people are expressing themselves via a political filter, i tune out. i hate the state of our politics.
“But i can hear YOU …” right now i’m making plans to invade Iraq.
ok, i lied. i’m a hypocrite.
September 12th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Christopher, You’re right, since the 911 terrorists were mainly trained in Florida, most spent but a day or two if any time at all in Afghanistan or Pakistan and the vast majority of Taliban had and have little sympathy for Al Queda as they are dealing with day to day survival and are illiterate, almost all terrorists of 911 harkened from Saudi Arabia, then you are absolutely right, if you harbor terrorists we should bomb you, right. And so by your rationale, we should have first started with Florida or perhaps Saudi Arabia. Al Queda is internet based, my friend, they don’t need to hang out among illiterates where there is no internet connection whatsoever, duh!, and certainly no flight school, (duh, duh!) and a population of people where the starvation rate is around 30%. (duh, duh, duh!) Yeah, why not toss a grenade or two into the areas that harbor and train terrorists!!!!! Oh, if you’re so hot on Afghanistan why don’t you sign up and go fight “the good fight.” Get right over there and get yourself some Al Queda guys with their blackberries trying to plan the next attack.
September 12th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
When reflecting on those events, I recommend keeping in mind the information available at the links below:
http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=david_frasca
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/moussaoui/zmsamit.html
September 12th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
MRegan, Thanks for those links!
September 12th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
LOL
This is why I try to avoid these discussions. The jumping to conclusions part that eventually leads to one wanting to strangle the shit out of some anonymous turd online.
LOL
Hey man….if Florida or Saudi is harboring terrorists….I say bombs away!! Do you have any evidence that is currently the case??
Pakistan doesn’t give a shit who our president is….Hell…they don’t care who their president is….
There is ample evidence that the Pak/Af border is where many of these camps continue to exist.
The civilians know where they are ….and the smart ones stay as far away as possible.
Because they know that bad things happen to terrorists.
September 12th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
You are too kind to George W. Bush in this post.
He did squander the nation’s unity in the wake of 9/11, as you point out. But it was quite a bit worse than that. He and his administration desecrated the graves of those murdered that day, debasing them into a symbol, a cudgel, to build support for the long-sought, irrelevant, ruinous invasion and occupation of Iraq.
They turned 9/11 into the Reischstag Fire. They can never be forgiven.
September 12th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I think it’s important to understand that neither W nor O are in control of the War Machine. It has goals and a logic very separate and contrary to those of the State. Our economic behavior has become reduced to a function of the WM. Our status as citizens of a State is being transformed to that of a possession of State.
September 12th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
LOL
Dance like a butterfly sting like a bee. Do you honestly think they all get together to talk about what they’re planning on doing in some big pow wow up in the hils? I think you’ve been watching a bit too much Hollywood. Why don’t you study how the 911 terrorists came about, you know on those flight simulators up there, and perhaps you’ll see, going to where people are nearly starving to death and there is NO INTERNET is not where terrorism is hatched. But I guess people like you, Bush and Obama will continue to harbor your childish fantasies about how the “bad guys” operate these days.
Without a doubt the vast majority of terrorists are in fact within Saudi Arabia, so bombs away, huh?
September 12th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
MRegan
I agree that there is indeed a War Machine but I do not agree at all that Obama is not in control of it. How? He’s the commander in chief. 67% of this country wanted out of Afghanistan when he took office. Why couldn’t he have withdrawn forces. Most Taliban are moderate. Most Taliban wanted to negotiate with the US. Many who have now joined the Taliban are not even religious, let alone fanatics. They want the foreign invaders out. If another country were occupying our country, I would be an insurgent too. I would join whatever force was trying to get them out. If the House and Senate were controlled by the Republicans, I would say, yes indeed, Obama has less control. But he could easily have withdrawn from Afghanistan. There is little doubt that if the Taliban took over again, they would not allow any so called Al Queda operative in again. No Taliban that I know of has ever attacked an American except in their own homeland, and except for the reason that we have invaded them. Osama Bin Laden lived all over the world. He even visited the US.
September 12th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Bush was the best president ever- Afghanistan and Iraq- incredible strategery- and when he told American’s to “go out and buy something”-
one of the prouder moments of our country-
speaking of which- i saw a repeat of Dana Carvey’s stand-up special last night- if anyone get’s a chance to watch that- too damn funny- a lot of Bush-isms-
BR-
we’re with you man- all this phony patriotism and “let freedom ring” stuff- i wish we were a bit more stoic than that- but it’s this country’s nature to make everything a “heartfelt” moment- sappy sentimentalism is this country’s specialty- and- yes it’s nauseating-
let’ push on already- let’s stop beating 9/11 to death-
yes- it was a tragedy- emphasis on was- this whole terror offensive should be done quietly and discreetly- to locate potential threats- very Israeli like- no chest beating required
September 12th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
http://www.jfednepa.org/mark%20silverberg/moussaoui.html
“The reason that 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudis was because bin Laden and Khalid Sheik Mohammed (his then Chief of Operations – now is U.S. custody) recognized that the Visa Express Program allowed Saudis the easiest access to America.”
“The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves if we are underlings.”
September 12th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
@fenner
Your first lines are interesting to me: “I agree that there is indeed a War Machine but I do not agree at all that Obama is not in control of it. How? He’s the commander in chief. 67% of this country wanted out of Afghanistan when he took office. Why couldn’t he have withdrawn forces.”
I think that the explicit control mechanism-Civilian control through a CIC- is a fancy doo-hickey that helps us to believe we are steering the ship. Your question “Why with all the support couldn’t he…” holds the kernel of the answer.
Here’s a question I have been asking myself: “Why did the USG publish and disseminate radical jihadist texts in that area of the world from the seventies to the nineties?”
September 12th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
MRegan,
Are you talking about the fact that Robert Gates’ was deeply involved with arming the Mujahideen in the 80′s and early 90′s? That had to do with Russia. He also was helping to fund Mr. Bin Laden. He was also, by the way, very against negotiating with Gorby, he and Cheney attempted to keep the Cold War going and were stridently against the Bush Senior/Scowcroft/Baker camp.
September 12th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
I agree with everything you said 10000%
I’m so glad this blog exists.
September 12th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Ronald Reagan praised mujahideen as “freedom fighters”, and four mainstream Western films, the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights, the 1988 action films Rambo III, The Beast and the 2007 biographical movie Charlie Wilson’s War, portrayed them as heroic.
September 12th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
You didn’t sugar coat anything. The Dubya presidency was the low point in American history. We turned a world that looked to us for leadership into a world looking at us with abhor. It turned me, a lifelong republican, completely against that party and what it has come to stand for. I still believe in small government, low taxes, and that path for prosperity for all. Where to find it in today’s politics I just don’t know. Ron Paul is a lone voice in the wilderness and even he has trouble formulating a plan to reach his goals. The liberterian party is just too reckless and disorganized. The democrats are the only game in town. Though I’m more than a little bit shocked at Obama’s business-as-usual choices in his first year. Yet another opportunity squandered IMO.
And I hear Rush Limbaugh is the Republican spokesman and Dick Chaney is considering a run in 2012. The lunatics have left the roost and are swooping back down for a second go. The world just can’t get much more ridiculous than that, can it?
September 12th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
F-
I am referencing the dissemination of textbooks.
September 12th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
dick cheney is not going to run in ’12-
never happen-
just because some dumb fucks bring it up- don’t make it so
September 12th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Barry says:
“Unlike many others, I only blame W in small part for ignoring the warning pre-9/11. But for the catastrophic series of decisions that followed, I hold him 100% accountable.”
There’s a saying that goes, “Every snowflake falls exactly where it should.”
Barry, I believe you are allowing your own preconceptions to distort reality. Bush did EXACTLY what he was put in power to do, increase the wealth, power, and influence of the corporate-government elite.
How could it be any other way?
September 12th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
So who’s your pick ahab – Carl Rove? Or perhaps one could rehabilitate Scooter Libby and put him on the ticket? Or Palin maybe? Perhaps you prefer Rush Limbaugh?
Pick a lunatic!
Personally I prefer Cheney-Palin – “the heart ‘n the tart”.
Has a nice ring to it.
September 12th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
republicans- the “family values’ theme is like a big heavy weight dragging them down-
i mean really- who’s family’s values?
a bullshit talking point that means zero-
and every time they trip on their dick- they are labeled as hypocrites- well- no kidding- because they are-
that’s why Barnie Frank can survive and Republican with the same issues- male prostutes and whatnot- cannot- because Frank wasn’t talking the family values game while doing something 180 degrees in conflict with it-
“live by family values- die by family values”-
can’t remember what politician said that- but i always remembered as about as rock solid truth as it gets
September 12th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Petraeus will be on the ticket.
September 12th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Hear! Hear! Thanks for voicing my own thoughts on the whole fiasco. Instead of stepping up to greatness and turning that tragic event into a launching point for true reform and progress, Bush and his cronies appealed to the most base of human reactions; fear, bigotry, xenophobia, etc. They then use that to advance their own avaricious goals and betrayed the American people’s trust. They lived up to the worst of the 1984 image of government and power.
September 12th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
And yes, Obama is disappointing in soooo many ways as well. The crony, greedy, cowardly ways of our government continue on, as “Rome” burns.
September 12th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Stanley McCrystal apparently agrees with my above analysis but the close links part is almost hilariously absurd.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gOXo7WvE7S3U5zC88Rc6DGBSr9bwD9AL5UVG0
September 12th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
aitrader-
no clue- but no way on this planet it will be Cheney- but another thought-
the Republicans also need to get out of the foreign war game- colossal waste of time and money- and lives- never was what this country was about-
defend ourselves- sure- but invading countries- stupid-
i don’t think true conservatives believe that either- think Ron Paul and Pat Buchanan
September 12th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Seconded. Other elements which bear repeating:
We are living under a Bush budget, NOW. The structural trillion dollar deficits were left to Obama by BUSH.
The “tax cuts” were designed to expire. The reason is to give them the illusion of fiscal sobriety, by BUSH.
The financial regulatory functions of gov’t were weakened in many ways – not only fiscally – by BUSH.
The people who are screaming at our current Commander-in-Chief – during a time of war – called people un-patriotic – during a time of war – under BUSH.
The Supreme Court has radicals that will muck up the protection of rights for a generation were put there by BUSH.
The wingnuts who want business to do whatever they want, conveniently forget those policies are what got us into this mess by BUSH
September 12th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
VennData:
Great article in Mother Jones
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/09/bushs-third-term
September 12th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
“Petraeus will be on the ticket.”
I don’t know what to think about that yet. I’ll have to study up on him, but undoubtedly it will be tough to really know where he stands politically because when you serve you keep that to yourself, usually, and follow orders, for the most part.
It’s hard to find a good person to run because the power structure is so deeply entrenched and the process is ruthless and grinds you down.
September 12th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
VD-
and where is the left now on the war? where is code pink and the demonstrations? why is all good now?
the silence is deafening-
talk about hypocrites
September 12th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
if Bill Clinton could run again- i would vote for him in a second-
so he liked to dabble on the side- who cares- he wasn’t sending the army into sovereign countrie’s for bullshit reasons-
i often wonder what would the world be like if Al Gore won the election- the dude was a bit wooden but i bet the world would be different- and i bet we would be further towards energy independence- and i know we wouldn’t be in Iraq or Afghanistan-
that whole terror thing was played all wrong- special forces- quietly capturing suspected terrorists and putting them on trial-
why the chest beating- why the invasions
September 12th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
@ahab
I agree with your view of Bill Clinton. One of the best presidents in recent memory. But his wife gives me the willies. Just don’t trust a word out of her mouth.
I wish Diane Feinstein would run. She’s a first class lady and would make a great president. I dated her step-daughter long ago. They (politicians) don’t get much better IMO.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
>> and where is the left now on the war?
Which war? Obama said we should pull out of Iraq and put more into Afghanistan. A majority of people elected him. And he seems to be following his earlier statements. No? Please explain what I’m overlooking.
By the way, while I disparaged Dubya, I recognize the term “sunken cost”. Going into Iraq was sunken cost. I was actually supportive of the “surge”. Since we “broke it”, we incur(red) an obligation to fix, er, mitigate it. Congruently, I’m in favor of a slow withdrawal, to give those left behind a better chance to avoid wider civil war.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
fenner,
That David Swanson article is really making the rounds — Tom Dispatch, Mother Jones… There was talk about it on The Daily Bail, too. Swanson is a credible lefty and with him saying “Bush term III” — it will get noticed. ‘Bout time, too.
Also, you’re right for pinging Obama on Pakistan. As a father of three, it pisses me off to no end that the “peace” candidate blew up some women and children in Pakistan on his third day in office. With a remote control plane. May as well have voted for McCain.
Never waste a crisis? The crisis of the Bush years are being thoroughly wasted already — not least in regard to bailing out the banks and their bondholders.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
ai-
thx for the info on feinstein- not familiar with her really- but i do know she is in her late 70′s- it would be tough to get elected-
agree 100% on hillary- who knows though- ‘ol bill would have been in the background- and i wonder what her response would have been re the banks and the bailouts and the failure to investigate fraud at all levels in the banking industry-
don’t count her out for another run for in the primarys if O is having trouble keeping the party together
September 12th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
I have no intentions to defend GWB or his decisions but this:
“A bipartisan approach to any political problem at home – cutting pork out of domestic policies, reforming Social Security, renovating the tax code – could have been accomplished in a bipartisan spirit”
is an extremely optimistic assessment of that situation. I believe the technical term is “bullshit.”
September 12th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
wunsacon,
I’ve heard that line from Obama fans a hundred times — of course he *said* Afghanistan was the place to be, but you of course realize that many people thought this was mostly campaign tough talk, so that he wouldn’t appear wimpy next to Clinton. Then again, the vast majority of voters have no idea that Obama made promises to escalate the war in Afghanistan (and/or Pakistan). Most Americans want our military home from both wars — Obama played to that sentiment, but he has no intention of being any different from Bush. Yes, a (scant) majority of voters elected him, but if you knew what was going on and you really did want a peace candidate, you didn’t have a choice of president. Both were pro-war.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
ahab, on the prior thread, you said you expected the reinflation to fail. But, when? There were a few years of big gains between 2003 and 2007, especially in foreign markets. If we’re in for another round, I do not want to sit on the sidelines. I want to (try to) ride along up the hill and bail before the car goes over the cliff.
Indeed, if it’s a long way to the nominal top (courtesy of potentially massive currency devaluation), then one loses out big-time in real terms by waiting at base camp. As a simple peon, I can’t afford to watch my modest stash be devaluated away.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
wunsacon-
i now where you’re coming from- that is what O said-
last i checked though- American’s are becoming increasingly opposed to the war in Afghanistan- but my real question-
where is the fevered pitch– the demonstrations- code pink – hollywood activisim- since O was elected that has been almost non-existent-
war’s are still going on- why not the demands for immediate troop withdrawals, cutting off funding, etc-
then the sense of urgency seems to have faded away
September 12th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Right on, Barry. Nothing more needs to be said on this, IMO
September 12th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
>> where is the fevered pitch– the demonstrations- code pink – hollywood activisim- since O was elected that has been almost non-existent-
My theory: the people protesting were angry at the person/people who got us into there (and botched the overall effort — “a war too far”) but are giving the new guy time to adjust policy. Am I merely “projecting” and they’re hypocrites like you suspect? Dunno… (I went to one anti-something rally a few years ago, felt really out of place, and left…didn’t stick around to take any polls or exchange contact info.)
September 12th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
ahab, gotta go to the salt mine…be back later…
September 12th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Clawback,
Have got a daughter and a son approaching the age of enlistment, and so yeah, I’m concerned. But ask any of the Cruise Missile Liberals and many of the Republicans if they would send their daughter or son over there, and all of a sudden, they’re not talking about how “Obama promised to send troops over there anyway.” If there was a draft, as I wish there were, this war would be over faster than you can say the word Obama. And if his daughters were up for the slaughter, he’d be voting against himself.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
In the run-up to the 1980 election, Jimmy Carter (for all his faults as a leader) said that America’s #1 challenge was its growing reliance on foreign oil. He said we would have to find ways to use less or different energy to avoid a increasingly dangerous reliance on an unstable part of the world. Reagan won that election by pooh-poohing the notion that America needed to compromise about anything anywhere. The next 20 years and three presidents saw the country ignoring Carter’s warning at its own peril, come home with a sudden shock of recognition on 9/11.
Bush II tried his hardest to keep that vision of unimpeded American supremacy alive, at a terrible cost to the country and the world. That we re-elected a man hopelessly unqualified for the task of leading this country in 2004 speaks volumes about the desire of Americans to cling to a reality that no longer pertains. Let us hope it takes nothing worse that the current economic crisis to bring home to the American public the reality that we no longer can afford to have it all now.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
wunsacon,
Certainly some are hypocrites — but that’s probably too harsh for describing the rank-and-file anti-war people. I think the election of Obama just muddied the waters on this for most people, but even more so, I think most of those same people just aren’t fixated on the wars anymore — for a number of reasons. I know people, for instance, that just haven’t gotten their heads around the idea of Obama as a war-making president. They’re just so hyped up about the idea of “Obama” that even thought it’s not rational, they don’t bring the same analysis and logic to the war situation that they did under Bush. Maybe they’re just “giving the new guy time” as you say, but I’m thinking they might not ever come around to being critical. It’s still so easy to blame Bush when trying to explain why you’re continuing Bush’s policies.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
fenner,
“Cruise Missile Liberals” — is that copyrighted? I’ll be adding that to my arsenal post haste.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Barry,
I found this post more than disturbing. There is something else.. the way you feel when someone is making an ass of themselves in a very public way…its tinged with pity. Bush was supposed to take 9/11 as an opportunity to reform social security? Is there any man or woman in or out of politics, who you could imagine standing before the joint session after 9/11 and claiming that the message of this day is that we need social reform? Well, to be honest I can think of one… Richard Gere, who did something comparable at a contemporaneous 9/11 event in the city. But this makes my point, I think. Also, I see references to what Bush knew and when he knew it. I am getting this uncomfortable feeling…so let me get this off my chest. Do you believe the those towers could really have collapsed without some help from saboteurs?
This same BS could have been and surely WAS spread around after Pearl Harbor by pacifists and other professional dopes…. I will leave it to others to dig up examples…. We certainly could have tried to cut a deal with Japan, and spent all that money on biscuits instead of bullets. That didn’t happen, and we won that war without too much interference from the hand-wringers. Is the difference that we had a good leftist president then, or that the press spread US propaganda instead of that of our enemies? Maybe its just that the density of dopes has gone up exponentially in the interim?
September 12th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
wunsacon @2:17
tough question-
in the end- and why i think it will fail- is that there is no consumer demand- i think consumer’s are against the wall- and will continue to default on all kinds of debt- revolving,installment and RE- and sadly- those that have lost their jobs or are underemployed- have no jobs that pay a living wage to return to- thus the continual extension of jobless benefits that has occurred-
so there will be no “real” demand- and the USG can step in and try to keep the balls in the air- but by doing so must deficit spend for what seems like eternity at this point-
money will run out- and it will be nigh impossible to get another stimulus passed because people are becoming skeptical and angry-
if our currency is debased completely- i don’t think that bodes well for stocks either-
when will this happen? that is the $1,000,000,000,000 question-
any other views out there? especially on the when and the debasement of currency-
i remember b22 had some good observations on this
September 12th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Before I read through the responses I’d just like to say this:
Though we are quite in agreement on economic matters, I am a conservative Christian that disagrees with you on many issues and I have told you so many times.
This one is not one of them.
One of the greatest failings of the modern conservative movement is its inability to admit when it was wrong. The desire to circle the wagons is only making their circle smaller. That provides for even less protection in the long run. I am beginning to believe that conservatives created, or at least enflamed the rebellion of the ’50′s and ’60′s due to rigidness alone. I just hope we learn in time so that we aren’t lost in the wilderness for another generation. The Western world can no longer afford a one party state
September 12th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I’ve maintained for a long time that there won’t be any recovery. The plumbing underpinning the global economy is permanently broken. It is all flusing downwards. Obama’s moves have only accelerated the decline. Recent government spending is a short term blip upwards but it will result in a faster ride down. Beyond the collapsing residential & commercial real estate and their resultant loan defaults, we have record unemployment, and world trade at a near standstill. Due to things done by the Dubya, our esteemed host’s opinion notwitstanding, the world has little faith or patience with the good ol’ US of A. Russia, China, and the Euro zone are all pushing for a new reserve currency. The IMF just made its first move to address that with 250 billion in freshly printed SDR “money”. This will result, IMO, in fractures throughout the global currency exchange system. The US has just erected barriers against Chinese tires. The Chinese have said they will retaliate. To add insult to injury they also said they won’t support further large scale US debt purchases and are diversifying into gold, commodities, and other currencies.
Anyone who doesn’t see history clearly rhyming to an alarming degree with the Great Depression I is in la la land IMHO.
September 12th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
aitrade @ 3:01
pretty much in agreement across the board-
what is your response to wunsacon’s question though – tough question-
“you said you expected the reinflation to fail. But, when?”
September 12th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
It’s hard to see where inflation might take hold. The Fed has been desperately trying to push price levels upwards since last October’s crash. They recently made some light moves to sop up some liquidity, probably as a back-door gesture to the Chinese to keep them buying treasuries. I don’t buy into the inflation camp, even though I do see that the Fed has, somewhat desperately, been pushing it.
For the moment I am firmly in the deflation camp. Price levels are deflating to the tune of 1-2% annually currently. I believe deflation will accelerate. The 2 trillion the US gov has dumped is a fraction of the deflationary effect of collapsing credit and loan defaults.
My best guess is that the moves mentioned toward a new reserve currency will facture the world into trading blocks ultimately. When that happens is anyone’s guess. If I were pressed then I would say in two year’s time give or take. When this happens there will be a flight to whatever looks safe. In my view the dollar will still be king of the hill and we will see a surge in dollar strength. What lies beyond this is a wild guess. My view is that things will become very dicey very quickly.
September 12th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Fantastic thread. There are so many points here I want to respond to that I’d be up half the night doing it. My favorite line:
I have concluded that our political and economic elites have lost any sense of proportion
Wow! That really crystallizes the decade and maybe the last 20 years of politics and the big picture (of the world, not here) for me
They are really trying to run fast enough to keep the public in shock so that they can’t think long enough to get angry. It is like a guy who has hit your thumb with a hammer. In order to take your mind off that, he stomps on your foot. In order to take your mind off that, he bites your ear off. In order to take your mind off that……. and that is kinda where we stand today. At least the public is finally grasping the trend though
September 12th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Common Man 3:23
I feel your pain — the thumb, the foot, the ear.
aitrader 3:01
A recent paper by John Taylor, among others, suggests that the “multiplier” on the stimulus is already less than one, and that by 2013 or so it will be negative — which supports your “short blip” prediction. Romer, et al., assume that there will be little or no crowding out, and they also assume that consumers hae no expectation of higher future taxes. The scary thing is that the paper by Taylor, et al., doesn’t even consider the fact that we are already up to our eyeballs in debt.
September 12th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
martin66
Carter certainly had his failings as a president, but he did have the courage to tell us the truth and not just what we wanted to hear. We’ve been annihilating politicians ever since who dared to try to actually deal with problems with hard choices that might involve sacrifice for long term good (nobody wanted to hear it; childish, really). Only those who’ve been willing to spend and spend and bring home the bacon have been rewarded. Combine that with the two party stranglehold on our country’s politics and it’s no wonder we are where we are, I guess.
September 12th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Barry, I have always admired your guts. Thank you for posting your lucid thoughts on such a controversial topic.
I fear we’ve drained trillions of dollars into wars and anti-terrorism programs that do not make us safer. We may have damaged our economy and our children’s futures as a result. At least we are finally, after eight years, starting to come to terms with the long, national nightmare that was Bush II.
Here is my post on terrorism, titled, “The Unusual Suspects”:
http://willworkforjustice.blogspot.com/2008/06/terrorism-socialism-and-danger-of.html
As I explain in the post, some simple, cost-effective programs may create more actual safety than war. International terrorists may destroy other countries, but thus far, the major attacks against America have come from European residents, not Middle Eastern residents.
I am still wondering why, after seven years of failure, the 2008 election was so close. It should have been a landslide in terms of the popular vote. It wasn’t. The fact that the election was close shows that almost half the country was still willing to preserve the status quo. That’s not a good sign.
September 12th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
A bipartisan approach to any political problem at home – cutting pork out of domestic policies, reforming Social Security, renovating the tax code – could have been accomplished in a bipartisan spirit of strengthening the economy and defending the country. He might have even done something about our education system so, in truth, no child would be left behind.
If you had spent the kind of time around politicians that you have around traders and finance, you would be much less likely to write something like that. The Democrats and their principal supporters will never compromise on any of these issues because this is their oxygen.
September 12th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
The paper I mentioned is by John F. Cogan, Tobias Cwik, John B. Taylor, and Volker Wieland.
Worth a read if you’re interested in how the “stimulus” will play out — certainly offers an alternative to the sunshine and lollypops served up by Romer, Summers, Goolsbee and the other orthodox Keynesians on the Obama team (BTW, the Wieland, Taylor, Cwik, Cogan paper is Keynesian, too, which should give pause to those who aren’t enamoured with Austrian criticisms of fiscal stimulus).
http://www.volkerwieland.com/docs/CCTW%20Mar%202.pdf
September 12th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
He’s a war criminal who started a senseless war that has led to hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths in Iraq so far.
September 12th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
jc-
sadly- the congress and the world gave ol’ W the green light-
for what reason? who knows- because Sadam Hussein was the least of our worries- totally contained-
so- even now- i don’t understand the real motive-
September 12th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
O-I-L
September 12th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
from mish-
“The typical American household made less money last year than the typical household made a full decade ago.
To me, that’s the big news from the Census Bureau’s annual report on income, poverty and health insurance, which was released this morning. Median household fell to $50,303 last year, from $52,163 in 2007. In 1998, median income was $51,295. All these numbers are adjusted for inflation . . .Given that we are likely to have Structurally High Unemployment For A Decade, this trend of stagnant or falling wages can last much longer than most realize
and it looks like the USG will have to start decreasing salaries due to a declining CPI- instead of adjusting for inflation- it will be adjusting for deflation
September 12th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
sorry- 3rd paragraph is mine- should be a quotation mark at the end of the second paragraph
September 12th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
JC, which president is not a war criminal with your reasoning?
Some recent residents I could think of
Carter – Did he order any military intervention or bombed a country?
Reagan – yes (Grenada??)
Bush I – yes
Clinton – yes (endless bombing of Iraq, Serbia, Somalia, Afghanistan to name a few countries)
Bush II – yes
Obama – yes (He started killing in Afghanistan/Pakistan soon after he as sworn in)
September 12th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Sorry, Clinton was involved in Somalia in different capacity. The country I was thinking was Sudan, a medical factory. The best president in recent memory, huh?
Oops, I forgot the chinese embassy……
September 12th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
New Yorkers remember 9-11. While Bush cowered in his Bunker for 5 days, Firemen, Policemen, Rescue Workers, National Guardsmen and thousands of ordinary volunteers performed the heroic work of maintaining basic public services of a civil society. On the Saturday after the Tuesday attack, when public safety had been restored, Bush, with bullhorn pressed against his mouth, to great Heartland acclaim, danced over the graves of the murdered.
September 12th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
aitrader-
so if it is oil- how did we benefit?
September 12th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
I am completely with you on your sentiments. For some reason the tragedy porn really really gets to me.
September 12th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
We kept 11% of known global oil reserves on the market and priced in dollars. We also removed a potential threat to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. I’m not condoning the war. It was a complete fumble and clusterf*** from start to eventual finish. I’m just stating the facts as I see them.
September 12th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Come to think of it. Clinton was even a bigger POS than I thought.
At least Bush’s wars were congress approved. Both rats and pubies voted to authorized Bush’s wasrs, Clinton not so much.
September 12th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
@ahab: Incomes are soooooo 1990′s though.
September 12th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
It is hard to believe what Bush did in the wake of 9/11, or even Katrina unless one considers that the post disaster actions were part of a preconceived doctrine. Never let a crisis go to waste as they say.
September 12th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
manny-
“we don’t need no stinkin’ incomes’ :-) to tell you the truth Manny- if i didn’t have a decent stack of money to fall back on these last few years . . .
i would probably be back at the IRS busting people for taxes- cash is dwindling though- so hope business picks up soon-
madman-
elaborate- what’s your point? i am not sure what you are trying to say-
is it that all politicians suck and bomb shit?
or that republicans are no worse than democrats?
what are you trying to say my man
September 12th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
recent war criminals in this order:
Bush II
Nixon
LBJ
(Likely place of Obama, though he could easily move to #1 spot and cannot move any lower in this list)
Reagan
Bush I
Clinton
September 12th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Ahab,
Both parties stink to high heaven. But I am always amazed to find these people who think rats or better than pubies or vice versa.
Old habits die hard I suppose.
September 12th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
fenner,
Just curious, where would you put Lincoln, FDR and Truman in your list?
I would still put Clinton a little higher. This guy not only killed shit load of people abroad but did unconstitutionally. Without a constitution, the presidency is nothing.
September 12th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Go Green…recycle Congress!
September 12th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Barry thank you for reminding me that we are not alone. With the mainstream media touting the Klan rally in DC today it’s sometimes easy to forget. I also finished reading “Bailout Nation” but you are too kind to legions of dishonest people even if they were fooling themselves and believed like the Gramms that they weren’t dishonest and greedy in general.
To KidDynamite had Al Gore been standing at Ground Zero a lot of first responders who didn’t die on 9/11 would be alive and/or healthier today. Thank You Christie Whitman for doing George’s dirty work.
September 12th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
As a NYer and someone that lived and worked in and around the WTC and WFC for many years, the fact that 8 years later there has been so little progress in rebuilding is maddening. Someone pointed out yesterday that the Empire State Building took 410 days to build and something like $41 million (not inflation adjusted). If ever there was an argument to nationalize something, it seems like we should nationalize the rebuilding of the WTC complex.
I think President Obama has not brought the change that many expected. I now live within 30 miles of a major Army installation and every time the flag at school is at half-staff (which has occurred with increasing frequency over the past 3 mths) it’s hard to answer my 6 yr-old who wonders aloud – “but I thought President Obama was going to end the wars?” Little kids don’t understand the nuances of international politics, but they can grasp the concept that some of their classmates’ moms and dads are still in harms way.
September 12th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
The Bush Jr administration screwed up big time by invading Iraq and not concentrating on getting Bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda terrorists. Eight years later, Bin Laden is still free after murdering 3,000 people. We have thousands of American soldiers and maybe 100,000 Iraq citizens dead for no reason (other than for oil or Bush didn’t like Saddam). History will judge Bush Jr. as an “idiot”, not a “uniter or a “divider.”
Our Govt investigation agencies (FBI & CIA) should have prevented 9-11 from happening, but their inept management didn’t listen to their employees in the field (who knew something was about to happen, i.e., terrorists training to “fly” but “not land” in USA flight crew simulators). Also, these two agencies didn’t communicate with each other (they each had pieces of information but didn’t share it).
But you have to go further back in time to figure out what enabled the 9-11 attack to happen in the first place. You have to back to the Reagan administration which provided thousands of hand held Stinger missiles to the Taliban (Mujahidin at the time) thus helping them defeat the Russians. If the Taliban didn’t get the Stinger missiles to shoot down Russian helicopters and other aircraft, the Russian’s probably would have won. The Russians would have set up a puppet Afghan Govt, but at least there would have been a strong Afghan Govt to control the country. But, once the Russians pulled out of Afghanistan, there was no Russian or strong Afghan Govt to prevent Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda terrorists from planning and training for the 9-11 attack. And, the Reagan administration just walked away from Afghanistan after helping the Mujahidin defeat the Russians.
Basically, 3,000 people died in Manhattan on 9-11 because the Reagan administration interfered in a satellite Russian country. And now we have (or will have) thousands of American soldiers dying in Afghanistan, when it should be a Russian problem. We continue to see the consequences of unwise unilateral presidential decisions. Our founding Fathers set up the Govt to share power, to prevent too much power from getting into one group’s grasp. Presidential power needs to be throttled back to where it belongs or stupid (criminal) decisions will continue to occur in the name of “world peace”.
September 12th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Jimi’s version of The Star Spangled Banner, perhaps more farsighted than anyone imagined:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2bGUeDnqPY
September 12th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
might have taken the 9/11 tragedy as an opportunity to move to the center
This makes no sense.Bush was and is a centrist(center-right).That is a large part of why he sucked so bad
Centrists voted with Bush for the Iraq War, NCLB,agribusiness-welfare,Medicare Part whatever, and of course TARP.
Hell, Obama voted with Bush for war funding and TARP.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Ducky,
You hit the nail in the head. Bush was basically Nixon wing of conservatism, i.e. a centrist.
No Child left behind
Prescription drug
Homeland department
Come on, this guy increased more government than Carter and Clinton combined. That tells a lot about his conservatism. People perceive his hard line positions in War matters as being conservative, but that’s totally misguided. Look our history, it was never a conservative position to invade countries and expand military powers.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Bush was a “neo-con”, plain and simple. He followed most of the tenets of the neo-con playbook, so he was a neo-con. Let’s not complicate this discussion.
September 13th, 2009 at 12:15 am
blablablabla i guess you guys never lived in one of this country were you know that your life is worth peanuts. Or no this is the new mode of thinking, kind of everybody is nice and don’t hurt anybody even if he HURTS you… tic tac tic tac somebody hurt you then make sure he will never do that again but don’t kill him.
So if peace happens in 10 to 15 years in middle east started by BUSH what will you say, what will the people of middle east will say.
Will they say you guys are BAD because:
1- you killed a DICTATORS.
2- you gave me more freedom.(sure the path to freedom is DIFFICULT, something that US forget about)
3-I have the choice to either check on the goat in the field like did before or sing on TV to be the star in my country.
Somebody has to take care of the bully and i hope that there will be another BUSH to take care of the next Hitler, Saddam, Kim, Staline, Pol Pot and many more.
By the way if this discussion is because US want to WAR a lot and a lot of time to make sure I and you can type on a stupid kboard and write alot about the fact that people that make that happen are bad. I am sure that al qaeda will let you write like that just like in Iran.
Pierre
September 13th, 2009 at 4:42 am
well this is the thread .. anyone who follows these threads religiously .. may have put someone in the spot
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/09/how-to-save-newspapers-journalism/#comment-214348
late to the this here thread .. had a large job yesterday (nice for a change) .. but started my day with a loaned to me copy of “The Man Who Knew” by PBS Frontline on John O’Neill.
That day I was laid off from my old job, and was watching as Katie and Matt were wondering how an air traffic mistake guided a jet into the WTC1, quickly refiguring. Within 2 hours I was one of them that went and bought my 1st gun (mandatory hold for 2or3 days), a scoped rifle. I had a feeling that this was earth shaking and a good boy scout should be prepaired. I was blogging similar to here on a video system chat board. Desktop editing was new and quirky and I remember writing we could donate blood.
Being from downstate Illinois and distanced from the event since the Sears Tower was not hit, it was a time before I started to seriously wonder about the event. Was introduced into researching 9/11 a bit deeper by a local CPT group and a Google search pick bought me “Painful Questions” by Eric Hufschmid – a pretty good book with photos, diagrams, maps and analysis with an accompanied video. Besides the numerous tv replays of the day unfolding, I’ve attended a weekend convention, lectures and film releases. I met William Rodriguez (janitor w master key) at a lecture in Peoria. Fact on him (her), scheduled to appear on The View but pre-empted by GWB in the rose garden, and Rosies last day. Another good encyclopedia/almanac style book “9/11 Synthetic Terror” by Webster G Tarpley.
Major whoa moments:
Pentagon gate surveillance sequence frames (inacturately time-stamped 9/12/01_17:37:19)
WTC7 the 3rd straight down quick collapse at 5:20pm
GWBs WH squelching investigation (the Hearings)
flight training in Florida – stalled plane left on tarmac – squelched facts there
Chinas Mandarin Hotel fire (remains standing)
and I would be remiss if I failed to forward this tribute / work:
WTC SmartPages phonebook compilation
http://www.unblinking.com/arc/2001-09b.htm
September 13th, 2009 at 6:34 am
“but their inept management didn’t listen to their employees in the field” .. I disagree .. listened & twisted into a plan … remember the USG is big / obscure ftmp / and tasked in camps … I also disagree that a Russian takeover in the Middle-East would have been good .. I’m for police actions and leave ….
which leads to where my postern thread thoughts were going .. auden5 @ 3:43p that link was a keeper .. last week we had a museum bus come to our library on POWs of Germany WW2 nazi reprogramming here in the states .. I never knew the fact (I graduated HS) we brought 370K here to feed and house from Germany .. search traces dotorg .. imo a Martha Stewart insider-trading 1940s style barracks stay .. which is the way to reprogram imo
to another inside thread – Obamas WH .. my copy of Pinocchio has him becoming real on the 19th page
and the comments on world order … words by a seated Catholic Rev. in local ink on paper Open Forum – “The Golden Rule, in its positive formulation, as handed down in the Jud-Chr tradition is: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Therefore, if your neighbor is lacking some good (thing), don’t surrender your own possession of that good merely for the sake of having no advantage over your neighbor. Instead, be creative and generous in finding ways to extend that same good to your neighbor in need. If the airplane loses cabin pressure, you are instructed to put on your own oxygen mask first, and then those of your children. Not because you love your children less, but because you can best help the needy from a position of strength. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Despite much misleading information to the contrary, American health care is still the envy of the world. Don’t’ surrender our current health-care delivery system for “healthcare reform” in which basic medical treatment would be rationed, abortions and contraceptives would be publicly funded (either overtly or covertly), and the federal government would regulate end-of-life decisions. Don’t tolerate any healthcare reform plan that would abrogate the very first ethical principle of medical treatment: “Do no harm.” Improvements can be made without throwing out the baby with the bathwater. In a word, just say “No!” to Obamacare in all its nebulous and nefarious forms.”
… that statement was the another caught me in a Wow moment .. I understand the concept .. quite animalistic with a rational twist isn’t it .. if you’ve got yours be thankful and protect it
(I need to add to you internationals that the paper had to stop printing heartfelt testimonials about our small town suburbs losing their church structures to downsizing and cost efficiency)
September 13th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Mr. Ridholtz:
I don’t disagree with your frustrations and criticisms of Bush and his administration surrounding their roles in the events preceeding and following 9/11. I might also suggest, that the spectacle of watching New York and Federal politicians, as well as the affected families’ survivors, argue over money for what seemed like an eternity, did much for exposing the darker aspects of human nature. It really was an ugly ending to an unspeakable human tradgedy.
September 13th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Barry,
I love your blog and generally think you are spot on with your commentary. However, I respectfully disagree with your views on 9/11 and its aftermath. To even slightly criticize George Bush for ignoring pre-9/11 warnings is absurd. At the end of the day, intelligence analysts are human beings and evaluate risk just like traders. They use the information they have at hand and estimate the likelihood of something occurring and the severity of the imact if it does occur. As the commander-in-chief, George Bush sat atop these analysts who did not think anything like 9/11 was possible.
Furthermore, arguing that George Bush should have used 9/11 as an opportunity to fix Social Security or revamp the tax code is flawed. Following 9/11, people feared for their safety, not whether they would have Social Security benefits–and the majority of Americans were behind Bush when he sent troops into Afghanistan and Iraq.
I am a former military officer who served in combat in the Middle East and a native New Yorker. I similarly lost loved ones and I share your feelings of frustration and sadness, but 9/11 and its effects cannot be blamed on a single president and his administation.
~~~
BR: As I noted, I blame him more for what came after than missing the many warnings before. But the President is the top of the org chart, and the buck has to stop somewhere.
The point is not SS or Taxes, but rather, to rise to the occasion to use the collective good will and cooperation for benevolent purposes. MAKING THE UNITED STATES FINANCIALLY STRONGER AND MORE STABLE IS PART OF OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE.
Invading the wrong country was not the right response . . .
The point of
September 13th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Bravo, Barry.
My wife and I, born and raised in the shadows of the Towers, watched the NY1 recollection of that day.
Still stunning, still deeply painful.
When they showed the footage of W speaking to the nation, I felt betrayed and infuriated knowing the actions that follow his words.
September 14th, 2009 at 10:10 am
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-08-12/the-gops-misplaced-rage/full/
September 14th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Until every American reads and understands the Hadith, the Suna and the Koran instead of allowing others to define themselves we will be clueless about our enemies…