Posted on 12/20/2002 6:21:38 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Sen. Murray asks students to ponder bin Laden’s popularity
The Associated Press
VANCOUVER, Wash. — Why is terrorist leader Osama bin Laden so popular in some parts of the world?
Perhaps, said Sen. Patty Murray, it’s because he and his supporters have spent years building goodwill in poor nations by helping pay for schools, roads and day-care facilities.
At an appearance before a high school honors class, Murray, D-Wash., offered what her spokesman called an intentionally provocative challenge for students to ponder.
"We’ve got to ask, why is this man (bin Laden) so popular around the world?" Murray asked during an appearance Wednesday at Columbia River High School. "Why are people so supportive of him in many countries that are riddled with poverty?"
The answers may be uncomfortable, but are important for Americans to ponder — particularly students, Murray said.
"He’s been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day-care facilities, building health-care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We haven’t done that," Murray said.
"How would they look at us today if we had been there helping them with some of that rather than just being the people who are going to bomb in Iraq and go to Afghanistan?"
Chris Vance, chairman of the Washington state Republican Party, called Murray’s comments offensive.
"It is absolutely outrageous and despicable to imply that the American government should learn a lesson from the madman who murdered thousands of American citizens," Vance said. "I know Senator Murray has a habit of sticking her foot in her mouth, but this goes way beyond a simple gaffe."
Murray’s comments "sent the message to these students that the United States somehow deserved or brought on the September 11 terrorist attacks," Vance said. "I think all decent people can agree that we most certainly did not, that this was an unprovoked attack of terrorism."
Vance called on Murray to retract her comments and apologize.
An expert on terrorism, who co-wrote a book profiling bin Laden and al-Qaida, said Murray’s comments, published yesterday in The Columbian newspaper, were mostly on the mark.
"That’s kind of a generalization, but mostly accurate," Michael Swetnam, chairman of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in Arlington, Va., said yesterday.
Since about 1988, bin Laden, believed to be the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, has been on a mission to build schools, roads and even homes for widows of those killed in the fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan, Swetnam said.
There is even a rumor that bin Laden helped build an Afghani orphanage, although Swetnam said he has been unable to confirm that.
"Mostly he did underwrite — and so did many Arab charities — several fundamentalist Muslim schools throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan that teach a very, very, fundamentalist, right-wing version of Islam that preaches hatred for the West," Swetnam said.
Bin Laden’s version of Islam tells Muslims that "people in the West are trying to attack your religion (and) oppress you, and the only way to fight that is to rise up against the United States and its crusader buddies, Israel and Europe," Swetnam said.
Murray, in her remarks to students, said she doesn’t know where she comes down on the question of whether to try to counter bin Laden. Building infrastructure in Third World countries would "cost a lot of money, and we have schools here and health care facilities here that are really hurting," Murray said.
"War is expensive, too," she told the students. "Your generation ought to be thinking about whether we should be better neighbors out in other countries so that they have a different vision of us. It is a debate I think we ought to have."
Murray, the state’s senior senator, supported sending U.S. troops to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and al-Qaida. But she was among 23 senators who voted against a resolution authorizing President Bush to use military force in confronting Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The state’s junior senator, Democrat Maria Cantwell, voted for the resolution.
An expert on terrorism, who co-wrote a book profiling bin Laden and al-Qaida, said Murray’s comments, published yesterday in The Columbian newspaper, were mostly on the mark.
"That’s kind of a generalization, but mostly accurate," Michael Swetnam, chairman of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in Arlington, Va., said yesterday.
This jibes with the Chretien view of the world that rich Saudis crashed into the WTC because of the poor of the world, not due to religion. Funny, Osama never mentioned this in his speeches.
She's part of the lefty "I wished they hated us because ________" crowd.
I've got to ask you Senator Patty, what makes you think OBL is so popular around the world? Also, why would you describe somebody who is a mass murderer of U.S. citizens as popular if you have no proof of his popularity?
According to John Carlson on his KVI radio (570 AM) talk-show program today, this is a lie -- but dishonesty is what I long ago came to expect of the oh-so-politically-correct Seattle Times. He said he's been getting calls from teachers around the state saying she made this statement in their schools too.
In The Peoples' Soviet of Washington, it's generally a feat for a Democrat to lose an election.
the only good thing i can say about the last 2 weeks is that republicans actually hold people accountable for the things they do....it may take time, but this will eventually sink in to the masses. There really is only one political party left in the country, the republicans. the dims are nothing more than a dysfunctional family all fighting for their share of the inheritance. watch what happens when the moneys gone.
I can't believe anyone would say anything this STUPID.....
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