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PREVENTING THE NEXT TERRORIST ATTACK BY LIBERATING IRAQ

By Steve Beren

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The real blame for the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks should be put on the terrorists themselves. These "fascists with an Islamic face," as Christopher Hitchens likes to call them, are intent on destroying our freedoms and killing innocent people.

Some people, on both extremes of the political spectrum, seek to place the blame elsewhere. Among these are the critics of the weaknesses of our pre-September 11 security, intelligence, and coordination of agencies. To be sure, improvement is needed in these areas, but some of the criticism is misdirected and overstated.

For example, in the days soon after September 11, when the Bush administration stated that most information pointed to Al Qaeda and the Taliban, some people on both sides were skeptical. Was the evidence really solid enough that we could be sure?, they asked.  Should we really launch a military action on such evidence?, they asked. Wouldn't it be better if we proved it in a court of a law rather than just trusted our government?, they asked.

However, the U.S. government and the overwhelming majority of the American people (liberal or conservative) wisely and correctly did not allow such a point of view to prevail. A military operation was launched against those responsible. Not for revenge, not out of anger, not for retribution -- but for prevention of similar attacks in the future.

As the military operation clearly was successful, some of the critics changed their tune. For the most part, they remained critical, but there angle of disagreement changed. Now, they asked different questions. Since we had some evidence linking Al Qaeda and the Taliban to other terrorist attacks, why didn't we act sooner?, they now ask. Since there were some broad general signs of possible terrorist attacks, why didn't take pre-emptive action before 9/11/01?, they now ask. Why didn't we coordinate our information better and use common sense to connect the dots?, they now ask.

There are many sources of terrorism -- the problem is not limited to Al Qaeda and the Taliban. The Bush administration has highlighted Iraq as one of the most evil regimes in the world, and their financial support of suicide bombing is well known, and the Iraqi government is obviously fully willing to use biological or chemical or nuclear weapons against U.S. and other democratic targets if they get the chance. Finally, the Iraqi people deserve liberation from tyranny just as much as the people of Afghanistan.

Now, the critics of the U.S.-led war on terrorism ask us to hesitate in launching a military operation against the Iraqi terrorists. They raise the same inadequate and illogical questions they raised when the Bush administration first linked Al Qaeda and the Taliban to the 9/11 attacks. They would have us wait, even though time is NOT on our side.

Later, after the "next 9/11" -- maybe a severe Iraqi-funded, Iraqi-backed attack on Los Angeles or Chicago or London or Washington -- these same critics will ask "why didn't we do more in advance? didn't we realize Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction? why did we hesitate?"

The extremist opponents of the war to defend freedom against terrorism can't have it both ways.

Fortunately, they represent a small minority of U.S. opinion.

"Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. By perseverance and fortitude we have the prospect of a glorious issue; by cowardice and submission, the sad choice of a variety of evils." -- Thomas Paine

 

Steve Beren (206) 325-6341 or (206) 931-1854
America Unites! Voices of Hope (America Under Attack)

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