Posted on 12/21/2002 10:03:05 AM PST by Doctor Raoul
Sen. Murray blistered over bin Laden remark
By Katherine Pfleger and Alex Fryer
Seattle Times Washington bureau
WASHINGTON — In a lunchtime discussion this week, Sen. Patty Murray told a group of high-school students to think about how Osama bin Laden's generosity to the poor may have helped him win support around the world.
Maybe, the Washington Democrat said, the United States should consider following his lead.
The statements sparked criticism yesterday from Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Spokane, and Washington state Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance, who called Murray's statements everything from ignorant to despicable.
The reaction made Murray the subject of local talk-radio discussions and landed her at the top of the Drudge Report, an Internet gossip and news column that gained notoriety during the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.
And even some of the 40 or so world-history students at Columbia River High School in Vancouver, Wash., found the statements a little off, according to the principal.
At the end of a wide-ranging, 45-minute discussion, Murray, who is up for re-election in 2004, left the students with final thoughts on Wednesday:
"We've got to ask, 'Why is this man (Osama bin Laden) so popular around the world?' " Murray said, according to The Columbian newspaper. "Why are people so supportive of him in many countries ... that are riddled with poverty?
"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.
"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?"
The questions were meant to be thought-provoking, aides to Murray said. Vance characterized them as "way beyond a simple gaffe."
"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," he said.
Nethercutt — a potential candidate for the Senate — disputed claims that bin Laden has been involved in humanitarian work.
"It borders on negligence. It borders on misinformation. It borders on a lack of sensitivity of the state of the world that surprises me of a United States senator," said Nethercutt, who sits on the House defense spending panel. "I have never had any briefings that suggest that Osama bin Laden is any kind of humanitarian. It smacks of ignorance in saying something like that or suggesting it for intellectual exercise."
Yesterday, Murray called her statements "off-the-cuff remarks," generalizations about how bin Laden has used his money to win support in Third World countries.
In an interview, Murray said her words weren't meant to be a major policy statement or a speech from the Senate floor, but rather a discussion about "an evil man."
"What is important is that we have to have thoughtful debates and discussions in this country and raise questions and answer them without being pulled into some right-wing media frenzy," Murray said. "That is truly frightening to me.
"While we continue to search every corner of the globe to destroy Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida network, should we also consider the longer-term issue of what else can be done to improve relations with all nations including the Arab world?" Murray asked in a statement released yesterday. "How else can we bring America's values to those who do not understand us?"
Murray's aides note that the State Department Web site says bin Laden built roads, tunnels, hospitals and storage depots in Afghanistan. The site also says the infrastructure was used to help fight the Soviet Union.
The Washington state GOP was quick to point out that the United States provides billions of dollars in humanitarian aid worldwide.
In February 2001 — seven months before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon — the U.S. Agency for International Development announced an emergency airlift of supplies into Pakistan and Afghanistan.
At the time, the agency noted the U.S. was the largest single donor of assistance to Afghanistan, contributing about $115 million that year to improve health, water, sanitation and nutrition.
Daniel Benjamin, a former staff member of the National Security Council, said radical Islamic groups have used social-welfare policies to improve their popularity.
"But I don't believe that's the reason why (bin Laden) is popular in the Arab world," Benjamin said, adding that bin Laden's primary appeal in the Middle East was instead his virulent anti-Americanism.
Benjamin, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., said al-Qaida had done limited social-service work in Afghanistan, though he was not aware of any specific project.
Other groups linked to terrorism, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, he said, are much more active in supporting schools and providing financial assistance to families.
Benjamin, who read about Murray's comments yesterday on the Drudge Report, was reluctant to answer questions about them. "It just looks like a story that is going to be demagogued a bit," he said.
Although high-school Principal Mike Stromme was delighted Murray visited his school, he said her comments almost guaranteed some sort of political fallout. "In this climate, it doesn't surprise me that someone would clamp on this."
He said some of the students questioned Murray's analysis. "Some thought her partisanship may have shown through there. These kids are pretty savvy."
Just read the Sunday moring paper (12/22).
Not a word on Murray's (masked) anti-Bush bashing.
This time next week, it will be washed from history, and the DEMONCRATS will mouth the same crap at some other outlet.
If we do go to war with Iraq, we'll see the same sentiments Murray belched out coming from the mouths of democratic elected officials all over the country (not to mention from the ones with the "real" political authority - HOLLYWOOD MOVIE STARS).
Paid generously by the only ones who could (or would) - the wealthy Saudis.
This is also blood money to buy protection from being "jihad-ed" against in Saudi.
Hey. Wonder if Murray has close connections to the House of Saud?
Off the CUFF?! Yea RIGHT!
Two weeks ago Trent Lott makes an off the cut remark to an old man celebrating his 100th birthday and he gets hounded from his leadership position in the Senate.Then she and the rest of her ilk call consertives Klansmen in disguise.
Yet she thinks it's alright to praise a man who killed 3,000 Americans of every RACE creed and color with the promise to kill Millions more if he can!
I'm not so sure....
There are millions of duped-down liberals in the country who Murray actually appears as a hero to.
I am never surprised at how deeply rooted (and widespread) sentiments such as Murray's on this subject are.
The 2004 demorat platform has to be built on something, doesn't it?
They gotta experiment with "what works" best and go from there.
Is Murray up for reelection?
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Shame - Seattle is destroying a good state just as rapidly as LA & SF are destroying California.
Yet she thinks it's alright to praise a man who killed 3,000 Americans of every RACE creed and color with the promise to kill Millions more if he can!"
This just shows the double standards applied on the Republicans by the press.
Trouble is, most of the country buys it (and wants to hear the lies).
You gotta remember, we don't have the ACLU, NAACP, Juszzme Jackson, Ted (professional liar) Kennedy, Dumb-'em-Down Daschle, and the other pimp groups coming out demanding her resignation like they did against Lott.
The empowering force here is not just what is being said (by either Murray or Lott), but the fact that what they said is politically-spun then hammered down the throats of Americans courteousy of Chevy, Ford, IBM, AT&T and all the other big advertisers who pay the air time for CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC.
In the case of Lott, his (innocent) remarks were the first ten minutes of every news and talk show for two solid weeks.
In the case of Murray, you don't even hear a peep about it.
What a communist idiot she is ----if Bin Laden the multi-millionaire had really done so much, then why are they still riddled with poverty? He's still a millionaire and there are many who can't put enough food on their tables.
Brother (sister?), do I ever know what you mean!
I live in California. As in Barbara Boxer (D, California), the stupidest woman ever to serve anything in any capacity. As in Dianne Feinstein (D, California).
Whenever I point a finger at a senator, I grimace, knowing what our STUPID state has done to the nation due to its refusal to identify and elect good senators.
Dan
Sen. Murray praises the man behind this.
We need to hunt down these 157 so-called Americans and give 'em the "WhatFer?!"
RATS're Dolts!!!
FReegards...MUD
You are right,and I knew that before I posted.I'm just putting in print what everyone knows to be true.
It was a political lynching of the First Kind.
Problem was, his own party provided the tar and feathers.
At least Lott won't vacate his congressional seat.
The Repubs somtimes are their own worst enemies.
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