Perfect Intelligence?
By Gary Aldrich (07/23/03)
After 9/11, we wanted to know how we were so totally surprised by a horrific terrorist attack. The general inquiry finally settled on the question of our Intelligence agencies’ abilities and performance. For a time, it appeared that reasonable men paused from their personal political agendas to obtain an answer to this important question. It was urgent then, and now, to get this country back into a safe position after eight years of atrophy under the rudderless, confused leadership of Bill Clinton.
Much ink was spent to create an illusion that we as Americans wanted to work together – we would put political differences aside – to ensure the safety of our cities. We would also work tirelessly – in the spirit of what’s so great about America – so that together we could rid the world of terrorists who were capable of inflicting even worse damage.
President Bush made a promise to the people of the world that we would no longer tolerate terrorists and we would do whatever it took to remove them from power. Few stood up to disagree with him when he stated this country’s position, and for a time it appeared that there was at least one Bush policy we could all agree upon.
Today, the unrelenting attacks on the Bush presidency on the eve of a presidential election a little more than a year away reveal that the Hard-left Democrats’ entreaties of unity and patriotism were merely a smoke screen to hide the inadequacy of Bush’s predecessor. Clinton’s incompetent “investigation on terrorism” only emboldened world-class terrorists, but Hard-Left Democrats rushed forward to make it seem unpatriotic if some of us noticed.
Now that average citizens are less watchful than they were nearly two years ago, it appears Hard-Left Democratic presidential wannabes will do or say anything to undermine the credibility of the Bush Administration. If there’s an upside for the Democratic Party if aspirants continue to bash and undermine Bush’s credibility it’s hard to see it. Is there a downside for Bush, or Republicans? It now appears that Bush has a lock on reelection.
More important is the question of whether there is a corrosive effect to intelligence agencies from constant carping and sniping by Democrats seeking to gain power. Recall, our president is trying to obtain maximum performance out of federal agencies responsible for holding back a virtual tide of terrorist attacks. How useful is it, then, to haul the C.I.A. Director up to Capitol Hill and grill him relentlessly on a single item of flawed intelligence?
President Bush has rid the world of a particularly dangerous, evil dictator who ruled with an iron fist for decades. They are still uncovering the mass graves of Saddam Hussein’s political victims. The United Nations threatened for years that Hussein needed to come clean about his weapons of mass destruction, or else. During the eight years of Bill Clinton, it was said and widely repeated – mostly by Democrats – that George Herbert Walker Bush made a major mistake by not “finishing the job” in taking Hussein out of power at the close of the Desert Storm War.
Of course, nobody can explain how we could have captured or killed Hussein at that time, but cannot do it today.
Hard-Left Democrats even find it appropriate to ignore the fact that President Bush formed a significant coalition under the auspices of the United Nations, and agreed to run Hussein out of Kuwait, but to stop short of deposing him. This is certainly a neat trick, considering it is the Democrats who consistently worship at the alter of the United Nations, and seem only interested in strengthening the mega-bureaucracy now composed and controlled by third-world powers with anti-American agendas.
Remarkably, the same Hard-Left Democrats who accused Bush I of being too timid with Hussein in 1991 now claim his son was too tough this time around. Bush’s predecessor, Bill Clinton, talked tough about Hussein, giving every impression of being one step away from attacking him. Democrats in Congress and their many friends in the mainstream media cheered Clinton on.
Clinton’s few actual military events related to combating terrorism were significant flops, or colossal mistakes in targeting or intelligence. The terrorists gathered strength and were emboldened by Clinton’s missteps, but nobody wants to talk about that now. That is, nobody in the Democratic Party or the media mega-mouths who lend constant support to them.
Hard-Left Democrats now attempt to break into the White House, using the tools of deceit and distrust. They know most Americans see the Republican Party as tough on terrorism and strong on national defense. They know President Bush’s reputation has soared since 9/11, and will probably ensure his reelection in 2004. But Hard-Left Democrats still believe they stand a chance, if only they can undermine the public’s confidence in Bush’s abilities by spotlighting recent intelligence agencies’ shortcomings.
So bankrupt is the Democratic Party that they cannot come up with a single program that would endear the public to vote their leaders into office. Instead, all the Democrats have to offer are doubts about a president’s leadership during a time of war.
Hard-Left Democrats may cause President Bush’s poll numbers to drop, but this Democratic maneuvering to cut into Bush’s popularity will force the Intelligence agencies to pay a high price. If the intelligence community’s morale is weakened by constant criticism, won’t that affect their performance? Won’t poor attitude and performance place us in greater danger? Hard-Left Democrats seem willing to take that gamble, so long as they have a chance to win some elections.
In the end, the American people will have to decide if presidential hopefuls are merely posturing to gain power. Are they in fact guilty of aiding and abetting terrorists who are trying to kill us, by their relentless berating of intelligence agencies and the Bush administration? What Democrats are now doing cannot be described as mere “politics” – the simple differences of opinion between political parties. Slamming President Bush at this time and place in our country’s struggle will be interpreted by some to be nothing short of treason. Others will conclude that Hard-Left Democrats are giving aid and comfort to our enemies.
Only rabid Hard-Left supporters could agree that the Democrats are taking an acceptable path simply because they believe it possibly leads to the White House. It’s becoming more apparent everyday that Hard-Left Democrats hate Bush so much they would put all of us at risk in order to regain lost power.
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