Terrorism - It's the new Communism
A few decades back, a presidential candidate drummed up voter support by claiming to be tougher on communism than the opposition. It looks like the same formula is going to apply in the upcoming election as well, except that the variable "communism" has been replaced by "terrorism." Need proof? How 'bout Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole saying that a vote for Kerry is a vote for Osama (in so many words). In his mind, and the mind of many other voters, Bush is the man to trust when it comes to homeland defense, and Kerry is just some pinko-commie who'd love to shake hands with Osama (never mind that Kerry was pro-war and pro-patriot act).
So, is Bush tough on terror? If he is, why has did he stall an investigation into 9-11 intelligence failures? Why hasn't he exerted the proper pressure on Saudi Arabia, the bankroller and birthplace of many of the 9-11 hijackers? Why has he let the Taliban retake a full third of Afghanistan? Why did he go easy on Pakistani officials who traded nuclear technology with North Korea, Russia, and God knows who else? Check out Paul Krugman's altogether too brief column in today's New York Times for some more reasons to believe that Bush is soft on terrorism.
A few decades back, a presidential candidate drummed up voter support by claiming to be tougher on communism than the opposition. It looks like the same formula is going to apply in the upcoming election as well, except that the variable "communism" has been replaced by "terrorism." Need proof? How 'bout Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole saying that a vote for Kerry is a vote for Osama (in so many words). In his mind, and the mind of many other voters, Bush is the man to trust when it comes to homeland defense, and Kerry is just some pinko-commie who'd love to shake hands with Osama (never mind that Kerry was pro-war and pro-patriot act).
So, is Bush tough on terror? If he is, why has did he stall an investigation into 9-11 intelligence failures? Why hasn't he exerted the proper pressure on Saudi Arabia, the bankroller and birthplace of many of the 9-11 hijackers? Why has he let the Taliban retake a full third of Afghanistan? Why did he go easy on Pakistani officials who traded nuclear technology with North Korea, Russia, and God knows who else? Check out Paul Krugman's altogether too brief column in today's New York Times for some more reasons to believe that Bush is soft on terrorism.