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The Osama Litmus Test
NY Times ^ | October 30, 2004 | DAVID BROOKS

Posted on 10/30/2004 5:38:01 AM PDT by neverdem

OP-ED COLUMNIST

The nuisance is back!

Remember when John Kerry told Matt Bai of The Times Magazine that he wanted to reduce the terrorists to a nuisance? Kerry vowed to mitigate the problem of terrorism until it became another regrettable and tolerable fact of life, like gambling, organized crime and prostitution.

That was the interview in which he said Sept. 11 "didn't change me much at all." He said it confirmed in him a sense of urgency, "of doing the things we thought we needed to be doing."

Well, the Osama bin Laden we saw last night was not a problem that needs to be mitigated. He was not the leader of a movement that can be reduced to a nuisance.

What we saw last night was revolting. I suspect that more than anything else, he reminded everyone of the moral indignation we all felt on and after Sept. 11.

Here was this monster who killed 3,000 of our fellows showing up on our TV screens, trying to insert himself into our election, trying to lecture us on who is lying and who is telling the truth. Here was this villain traipsing through his own propaganda spiel with copycat Michael Moore rhetoric about George Bush in the schoolroom, and Jeb Bush and the 2000 Florida election.

Here was this deranged killer spreading absurd theories about the American monarchy and threatening to murder more of us unless we do what he says.

One felt all the old emotions. Who does he think he is, and who does he think we are?

One of the crucial issues of this election is, Which candidate fundamentally gets the evil represented by this man? Which of these two guys understands it deep in his gut - not just in his brain or in his policy statements, but who feels it so deep in his soul that it consumes him?

It's quite clear from the polls that most Americans fundamentally think Bush does get this. Last March, Americans preferred Bush over Kerry in fighting terrorism by 60 percent to 33 percent, according to the Gallup Poll. Now, after a furious campaign and months of criticism, that number is unchanged. Bush is untouched on this issue.

Bush's response yesterday to the video was exactly right. He said we would not be intimidated. He tried to take the video out of the realm of crass politics by mentioning Kerry by name and assuring the country that he was sure Kerry agreed with him.

Kerry did say that we are all united in the fight against bin Laden, but he just couldn't help himself. His first instinct was to get political.

On Milwaukee television, he used the video as an occasion to attack the president: "He didn't choose to use American forces to hunt down Osama bin Laden. He outsourced the job." Kerry continued with a little riff from his stump speech, "I am absolutely confident I have the ability to make America safer."

Even in this shocking moment, this echo of Sept. 11, Kerry saw his political opportunities and he took 'em. There's such a thing as being so nakedly ambitious that you offend the people you hope to impress.

But politics has shaped Kerry's approach to this whole issue. Back in December 2001, when bin Laden was apparently hiding in Tora Bora, Kerry supported the strategy of using Afghans to hunt him down. He told Larry King that our strategy "is having its impact, and it is the best way to protect our troops and sort of minimalize the proximity, if you will. I think we have been doing this pretty effectively, and we should continue to do it that way."

But then the political wind shifted, and Kerry recalculated. Now Kerry calls the strategy he supported "outsourcing." When we rely on allies everywhere else around the world, that's multilateral cooperation, but when Bush does it in Afghanistan, it's "outsourcing." In Iraq, Kerry supports using local troops to chase insurgents, but in Afghanistan he is in post hoc opposition.

This is why Kerry is not cleaning Bush's clock in this election. Many people are not sure that he gets the fundamental moral confrontation. Many people are not sure he feels it, or feels anything. Since he joined the Senate, what cause has he taken a political risk for? Has he devoted himself selflessly and passionately to any movement larger than himself?

We are revealed by what we hate. When it comes to Osama bin Laden, Kerry hasn't revealed whatever it is that lies inside.

E-mail: dabrooks@nytimes.com


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: District of Columbia; US: Massachusetts; US: Texas; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bush; kerry; obl; ubl
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To: L`enn

Sir: I knew OSAMA. And you are no OSAMA Bin Laden.


21 posted on 10/30/2004 6:35:14 AM PDT by CBart95
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To: lillybet
Only the delusional , or duped will vote for Kerry now after seeing this video.
22 posted on 10/30/2004 6:36:05 AM PDT by Prophet in the wilderness (PSALM 53 : 1 The ( FOOL ) hath said in his heart , There is no GOD .)
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To: Pitiricus

yea..agree..Kerry win would be a disaster for the West indeed..


23 posted on 10/30/2004 6:41:53 AM PDT by hineybona
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To: Prophet in the wilderness

Agree also..BUT..You have to hear the jerk offs here in NY City ..almost taking Osama's side ..Any bush hater is a friend of theirs. To them , some of Osamas statements are proof of their own SICK theories about Bush..It's INSANE in the NY Metro area..


24 posted on 10/30/2004 6:44:54 AM PDT by hineybona
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To: neverdem; Constitution Day

This is an awsome piece! Forward this around!

possible NC bump.....? (your call)


25 posted on 10/30/2004 7:00:54 AM PDT by traviskicks (http://www.neoperspectives.com/johnkerry.htm)
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To: Rome2000

thanks for that picture of the NY Post cover. I posted it all over my website! www.neoperspectives.com

That piece by David Brooks in teh NYT is awsome.


26 posted on 10/30/2004 7:20:35 AM PDT by traviskicks (http://www.neoperspectives.com/johnkerry.htm)
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To: L`enn
One thing that struck me odd with this tape was the seeming lack of the "May Allah be Praised" lines that seemed to uttered after every sentence in previous tapes/videos. Anybody else notice that?

Interesting observation.

27 posted on 10/30/2004 7:50:58 AM PDT by syriacus (Nuance? 'Tis the gift to be simple..to be free..to come down where we ought to be.)
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To: hineybona
Kerry and the main stream media has got them under their spells, just like the whole nation of Germany was under HITLER.
Their hate for BUSH has made them blind.
I pray that GOD will prevail in this, and we will see GOD's hand of righteousness move.
We need to pray in Ernest, I have already prayed.I prayed to GOD about those lawyers ( 10,000 lawyers that KERRY has ) along the lines of the story in the BIBLE in II KINGS chapter 6. When the KING of SYRIA send a large group of troops to capture the prophet Elisha , you need to read that story.
Also, another story I prayed, is, when GOD told Gideon to fight a large force of troops of about 150,000 enemy troops, and GOD told Gideon to narrow down his troops to 300 men.
That story is in Judges chapter 7 ,,,,, in the verses 9 to 23.
In that story, GOD caused the enemy's troops to have bad nightmares and bad visions. Gideon and some of his men went to the tents of the enemy's champ the night before the battle and listened to some of the enemy troops talking. Gideon discovered, that GOD was true to his word, the enemy troops were talking about their bad dreams and visions.
On the day of the battle, GOD used Gideon, and only 300 troops to defeat a force of the enemy of 150,000 .
GOD caused confusion among the enemy and they panicked and were defeated. I have already prayed that prayer along those lines, that GOD will cause those lawyers to be in such confusion, and ( PANIC FOR NO APPARENT REASON, and that those KERRYS LAWYERS will lose their will to fight and go back home ).
WE NEED TO GET MORE PEOPLE TO PRAY THIS PRAYER NOW and UNTIL NEXT WEEK. PLEASE ? GET MORE PEOPLE TO PRAY THIS PRAYER. Some of the prayers of other Christians and me, GOD has already answered, and come true.
I have prayed months ago, that the DEMOCRATS , MSM , KERRYS CHAMPAIN , would be in such confusion and fall apart. I also prayed that every trick , trap, scam lie against BUSH would be exposed, and the traps that they have set for BUSH would fall back in their faces.
On the night of the last debate I prayed to GOD, that KERRY would mess up and put his foot in his mouth, and ? you saw what happened.
If you look at this champaign you'll see all the lies, tricks, scams, traps, they have set against BUSH, but, somehow ? BUSH has prevailed and is still in the lead.
I prayed that GOD would bring down the DEMOCRATS. I prayed that one day GOD will bring down and put a end to the Main Stream ( MAYHEM ) MEDIA, that has poisoned the minds of people their sick and perverted view of the world. Only the delusional mind, and the duped of those who are under KERRYS / LIBS spell who have already seen OSAMAS video are going to vote for KERRY. Some of them ( DEMOCRATS / LIBS ) are saying that GOD is on their side ( THAT MAKES ME LAUGH ). You heard the senator TOM Harken saying on the MATT DRUDGE page that GOD is on the side of KERRY ? I don't think so. As far as the BIBLE is concerned, GOD is on the side of the Christians , and Republicans who stand up for what is right. How can GOD be on the side of the DEMOCRATS ? the LIBS ? JOHN KERRY ? if they support ABORTION ? AND THE GAY AGENDA ? and support removing any reference of GOD from our daily lives ? The only GOD that they support is ( HUMANISEM and their FLESHLY DESIRES ). The main stream media has brainwashed so many people in this country , as if, when they sit in front of the TV ,, they are being put under a spell. Look how far our country has drifted from our founders morals and values. It has been in the last 45 years by main stream media that they have been showing that lie, and filth over and over on TV. The GOD of ISRAEL , DOES NOT !!! SUPPORT ABORTION or THE GAY AGENDA, the BIBLE condems it !! it's no wonder they want to ban the BIBLE, DON'T LET THEM FOOL YOU WHEN THEY SAY THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BAN THE BIBLE, THEY ARE LYING TO YOU. ( ABORTION and the GAY AGENDA IS PURELY DEMONIC )
28 posted on 10/30/2004 10:31:38 AM PDT by Prophet in the wilderness (PSALM 53 : 1 The ( FOOL ) hath said in his heart , There is no GOD .)
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To: neverdem

Osama finally comes out from his cave Outer Mongolia with his political endorsement. That boring speech had so many Michael Mooreon quotes, he must be getting the Old York Times delivered?? Yawn said that he had world leaders who were hoping that he would become President and now we know who he was talking about. Since he could have easily captured this murderer, he must have been in constant communication. After all, Yaawn Cut & Run Kerry is the most brilliant Armchair General and Monday Morning QB in the Country. Komrade Kerry knows everything about everything, just ask him a veritable Cliff Claven.

The first moment that Yaawn hears about Osama bin Hidin threatening the United States election and it’s people what is Yaawn’s response? Does he state we are unified in defeating this animal? No, he piles on the military, America and the President to score the cheapest of political points. This fits him like a T, he hates the military, America and the President with every vote he has cast or speech given. In unscripted moments, the true John Kerry comes out, the one we saw in 1971, he says that the military failed to catch Osama. Fact is, if Kerry, Clinton or Gore were presidents we would not have even been in Afghanistan. They all said that it was going to be another Vietnam and none of them had the spine to attack a sovereign country. So Osama would still be in his compounds outside of Kabul training terrorists for the next American attack.

We have the country’s most vile enemy attacking our President and our people and what is the first thing out of his mouth. “I would have captured or killed Osama!” What a piece of garbage to make an empty statement when this terrorist is threatening our women and children. First, track records for Rat CIC’s in war is very weak, but assuming he would have let the dogs loose and he ever got to the point our troops got to in Tora Bora, how you going to smoke him out? This is the most inaccessible land in the world. 20,000 foot mountains in the roadless areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan, tell us how YOU would catch him Yaawn??

Comrade Kerry is always the first to criticize our troops, but he never tells us exactly what he can do better. Our main mistake in Tora Bora was we became too sensitive to the terrorists and gave them a cease fire to surrender which is when they escaped. That is what Comrade Kerry would do in Iraq and is why Osama endorsed him. He is tired of raising goats in Outer Mongolia. He wants back in the game like when BJ clinton was treating him like a “nuisance” and is pining for a Kerry return to those days.

He misses the days when he could blow up or murder Americans at will and we would treat it like a police action. Threaten to hunt them down and kill them anywhere, any time yada, yada, yada and then wait for the next attack. He misses the days when the military option was not an option and our military was a meals-on-wheels brigade and no threat to Osama. Yeah, he is hoping and praying that Comrade Kerry will get elected and bring back the good ol days for terrorism when American blood flowed freely in the streets.

George W Bush changed all that! He told the military to sick-um and they did. Now terrorists are either dead or hiding for fear of their lives. Osama has not been able to attack this country once and is losing dozens of men a day. He knows that after GW is elected he is a dead man. He knows that the military is the finest and brightest military in the history of the world. He knows that GW will let the military adapt and destroy with an efficiency that he cannot match. He knows that his only chance of survival now is to get Yaawn elected. He knows that if President Bush is elected he will end up on the Ash Heap of History. Let’s pray America figures out what Osama has.

So in desperation he gives a rambling, long winded monotone speech that was laced heavily with attacks on the President and our military with wild claims from Michael Moore to fire-up his base. Pretty much a Yaawn Cut & Run stump speech who is now his number one fan, so Blood will run in America’s streets once again.

Pray for W and Our Election


29 posted on 10/30/2004 10:34:30 AM PDT by bray (Nam Vets Rock!!)
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