The Death of Osama: Turning Victory into Disaster
As promised, here is a sample of the predictable right wing reaction to Obama's having accomplished, with the death of Osama bin Laden, what would have been hailed by Repubicans everywhere as an epochal accomplishment if it had been produced by Bush and Cheney.
I had intended this to be a sort of grand Wingnut Wrapup, but there seemed to be too much of a thread running through these comments to let them pass simply as an opportunity for some well-deserved ridicule. Before continuing, let me remind you of some of the historical facts surrounding the World Trade Center bombing and the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.
Bill Clinton and his security advisors were extremely concerned with the threat posed by Bin Laden and his accompices. He made, in fact, several attempts to eliminate Al Qaida. This all took place against the background of the malicious Republican impeachment attempt, and every time he launched a strike against Osama, Republicans went public with savage attacks claiming that Osama was not a threat, and Clinton was only using the military against him to divert attention from Monica Lewinsky.
After the 2000 election, Clinton's advisors begged Bush and Cheney to take the threat of Al Qaida seriously; they were rejected out of hand, at one point being told by Bush "You've covered your ass, now go away." Within a year of 9-11, Bush was stating in public that he didn't really care about Bin Laden; eventually he disbanded the CIA team charged with finding him; and instead (as we all know) squandered the license he had been given to take action in the middle east, with his spectacular military blunder in Iraq, where he instituted a policy of torture, not to find Bin Laden, but to force his victims to produce false incriminating testimony linking Saddam Hussein to Al Qaida. In fact, Bush ignored clear opportunities to get Osama, allowing him to slip away into Pakistan, where he lived happily ever since. Only after the election of Obama was the hunt for Osama renewed, with the results we have seen this week.
This whole affair is a tale of the most sordid, inexcusable conduct by the Bush Administration, which in fact abandoned its responsibility to protect this country, in order to carry out a war of aggression against an innocent country, in which massive damage was done without a shred of excuse.
Enough of history. I needed to repeat this in order to make a point which I have made before, but not for some time: Right wing attacks on Obama seem irrational to the point of madness when viewed as intended to convince people that, for example, Obama can't speak without a teleprompter, or that he is an unintelligent dolt who only ended up at Harvard as some sort of unfair favoritism. They all make sense, however, when you understand the truth: they are not directed at Obama at all, but are an attempt to argue away the colossal, world class failures and inadequacies of Bush and Cheney, committed in full public view as they strutted around like cowboys and the right cheered them on.
Well, here goes, arranged by lie:
1. All of the credit goes to Bush, particularly his policy of torture. We know already that the torture instituted by the Bush administration produced no actionable intelligence whatsoever, but it is a huge moral stain on everyone who supported it, so Republican apologists are working one more time to spread the lie that it produced something of value. Maybe people's memories have grown dim enough that they can get some people to buy into it:
Kevin McCullogh, Town Hall: "Without "enhanced interrogation techniques and the fight against terror in Iraq" President Obama would not have been able to order the kill command against Osama bin Ladin."
Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit: "Rep. Peter King Doubles Down: Waterboarding Got Us to Osama"
No comment needed.
Astute Bloggers: "AL QAEDA IN PAKISTAN: OBAMA ACTED UNILATERALLY WHEREAS BUSH ACTED WITH PAKISTAN" How's that "smart diplomacy" working out for you?"
Of course, this remark is intended to deny the tragic, malicious unilateral behavior of the Bush administration, by making the preposterous claim that it was Obama, who has worked for two years to undo the residue of hatred left behind by Bush and Cheney's self-serving behavior, who is really ignoring the opinion of the rest of the world. Maybe somewhere there is someone still stupid and ignorant enough to believe that.
Adam Yoshida, Pajamas Media: the strategic vision that brought this glorious moment into being was that of George W. Bush...I have increasingly grown to appreciate the vision and adult leadership that President Bush provided."
Vision and adult leadership...
Michelle Malkin, Town Hall: "Imagine the Nobel Peace Prize winner, in front of the entire world that reviled George W. Bush for his post-9/11 response, acknowledging his predecessor's love of country."
Imagine vomiting in your breakfast.
2. Obama is actually a war criminal for having killed Bin Laden (while it was just fine for Bush and Cheney to kill a million innocent civilians in an unjustified war:)
"Judge" Andrew Napolitano, Fox Business News: "“The same President who ordered the killing of bin Laden also wants to borrow trillions of your dollars that your children and grandchildren will need to repay so as to finance his welfare and warfare state...“Beyond the issue of whether the government is telling us the truth or pulling a fast one to save Obama’s lousy Presidency – is the issue of the lawful power of the President to order someone killed, no matter how monstrous, how dangerous or how unpopular."
Andy, after eight years of Bush, that is just pathetic.
Jack Kerwick, Pajamas Media: "If Democrats weren't just playing politics with Bush's prosecution of "the War on Terror," then rather than sing hosannas to President Obama, they would now be talking about bringing him up on criminal charges"
Obama is a criminal for killing our greatest single enemy without a trial; Bush is a hero for starting a war of aggression, for murder of countless civilians, for torture.
3. Don't be fooled by Obama accomplishing what Bush could only dream of- Obama is actually a gigantic failure because he waited to pull the trigger, and so mismanaged the publicity after the raid, which was apparently far more important than the fact of Osama's elimination:
Laurie B. Regan, American Thinker: "How Obama Bungled the Aftermath of the OBL Mission...This is a complete and total fiasco -- an embarrassment of massive proportions... As more information becomes available, such as the fact that Obama took 16 hours to make his final decision because he had to "sleep on it," he continues to look like the incompetent leader that he is "
Incompetent, of course, in everything except accomplishing the overwhelming national security objective of the last ten years: removing Osama Bin Laden.
Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit: "Good Grief. Obama Took 16 HOURS to Make Up His Mind to Get Osama Bin Laden"
Rather than acting with no thought at all, and then failing colossally, like a previous president I could mention. But Bush looked great in a flight suit, while he was failing to win his war.
Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit: "President Obama Knew OBL’s Location Since August… Voted Present Until May"
And then killed him without a loss of a single American life. so, what's your point, Jim? It's best not to think about things first?
Matthew Vadum, NewsReal Blog: "By the time you read this blog post, it will be hopelessly out of date. That’s how fast the story of the Obama administration’s appallingly incompetent handling of the aftermath of the Osama bin Laden assassination is moving. In all my years observing American politics I’ve never seen anything even remotely like this. It’s not just a train wreck viewed in slow motion, it’s a midair collision of all the airplanes used in “The Aviator.”
Except, of course (forgive my redundant comments) that he did, after all, eliminate Bin Laden which, to this politically naive observer, somehow seems slightly more important than the fact that he may have not released quite the right account of the action. But I guess that shows how clueless I am about what really counts.
Dan Dehner, American Thinker: "Obama insults Muslims by hiding OBL photos...This is a gross departure from our ideals. Americans believe in the power of reason and rely on the concept of moral agency to govern freedom of choice and action. We believe that citizens should be provided with the words and pictures that are important to the understanding of our world."
Remember the last time a Republican was worried about insulting Muslims? No, I don't either.
Astute Bloggers: "The Obama Administration did NOT practice how to handle the aftermath at all: not how to collate the info; or get and put out ONE TRUE STORY, decide how to dispose of/bury the body, (and maybe save some for further testing); and so on.
They suck.
It's an embarrassment."
As embarrassing as spending 7 years not getting Osama? Funny, to Republicans, that just isn't important any more, compared to how he releases some photos.
4. Obama is using this as an opportunity to go on a rampage of belligerent egomaniacal posturing. This is vitally important, above all, because of the following:
Sorry, Republicans, you are never, ever going to live this down, no matter how many lies like the following you tell:
Streiff, Red State: "The most unseemly thing about the entire killing of bin Laden is the pathetic scrabbling about for credit that we’re seeing on behalf of both Obama and his staff."
Stephen Hunter, Power Line: "Any joy one might feel in the intelligence of our analysts and the bravery of our door kickers was significantly diminished by Obama's malignant narcissism. "
Once again, true about the flight suit guy, not true about Obama.
5. And of course, despite Bush's failure and Obama's success, it is really Bush who was strong on terrorism and Obama and the liberals who are weak:
Condoleeza Rice: "President Bush had at Ground Zero probably the most important moment maybe in American history. It was when this wounded nation watched their commander-in-chief stand on that rubble and say that they will hear us, we are going to avenge this."
The idiocy. "The most important moment maybe in American history." More important than the ratification of the constitution? More important than the banning of slavery? More important than defeating the Nazis? This is truly a sickness, which originates in their full knowledge of the disgrace Bush and Cheney piled up in their eight years in charge.
Brent Bozell, Fox News: "my God, where were they when George Bush won us the war in Iraq? "
Where was I when that happened? I missed it entirely.
Pam Geller, Atlas Shrugs: "A reluctant American president who was ultimately overridden by senior military and intelligence officials to finally take out terrorist Osama Bin Laden… The killing of Osama Bin Laden was in fact a Coup within Obama WH."
Easier to believe that we have just experienced a military coup than to swallow a Democrat's success in protecting the country.
Dan McLaughlin, Red State: "(We) must pity the dilemma of the anti-war Left in facing the enormously popular and inarguably successful takedown of bin Laden...the anti-war Left spent most of the Bush years shrieking to high heaven about Bush shredding the Constitution, staining the integrity of the nation, yadda yadda yadda. This is the politics of outrage, the idea that you win arguments by being the angriest man in the room, that rather than argue that policies are not worth the costs"
No, Dan, it's the politics of respect for human decency.
Melissa Clouthier, Red State: "Osama Bin Laden’s Death: Proving Liberals Really Don’t Mean Their Rhetoric...Osama Bin Laden died and no liberals cried…for him."
Me;lissa, all it proves is that Liberals don't mean your rhetoric about them. For an example of this rhetoric, Melissa continues:
"Liberals are traditionally and correctly viewed as weak on national security issues."
Other than presiding over the victories in World Wars I and II, and now accomplishing what the great, manly heroes Bush and Cheney couldn't, I guess I can see your point.
Michael Ledeen, Pajamas Media: "What if the Killing of Bin Laden Is the Beginning of The Great American Retreat?"
Oh yeah, consider this possibility- Obama's victory over terrorism is only a cover for capitulation, somehow. That's really plausible.
Well, there you go. Think this is a lot? I could have given you five times as much along these lines. Let me sum up: These people know what a colossal, complete failure the Bush administration was, and they also know that they supported it every second of its existence. They are trying to wipe away the stain with a blizzard of lies the likes of which we have never seen. Right now, it doesn't seem to be working, but they will never stop spreading their deceit, because their rich backers will never stop paying them to spread their malicious garbage. Too bad, really. We used to have a nice country.
I had intended this to be a sort of grand Wingnut Wrapup, but there seemed to be too much of a thread running through these comments to let them pass simply as an opportunity for some well-deserved ridicule. Before continuing, let me remind you of some of the historical facts surrounding the World Trade Center bombing and the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.
Bill Clinton and his security advisors were extremely concerned with the threat posed by Bin Laden and his accompices. He made, in fact, several attempts to eliminate Al Qaida. This all took place against the background of the malicious Republican impeachment attempt, and every time he launched a strike against Osama, Republicans went public with savage attacks claiming that Osama was not a threat, and Clinton was only using the military against him to divert attention from Monica Lewinsky.
After the 2000 election, Clinton's advisors begged Bush and Cheney to take the threat of Al Qaida seriously; they were rejected out of hand, at one point being told by Bush "You've covered your ass, now go away." Within a year of 9-11, Bush was stating in public that he didn't really care about Bin Laden; eventually he disbanded the CIA team charged with finding him; and instead (as we all know) squandered the license he had been given to take action in the middle east, with his spectacular military blunder in Iraq, where he instituted a policy of torture, not to find Bin Laden, but to force his victims to produce false incriminating testimony linking Saddam Hussein to Al Qaida. In fact, Bush ignored clear opportunities to get Osama, allowing him to slip away into Pakistan, where he lived happily ever since. Only after the election of Obama was the hunt for Osama renewed, with the results we have seen this week.
This whole affair is a tale of the most sordid, inexcusable conduct by the Bush Administration, which in fact abandoned its responsibility to protect this country, in order to carry out a war of aggression against an innocent country, in which massive damage was done without a shred of excuse.
Enough of history. I needed to repeat this in order to make a point which I have made before, but not for some time: Right wing attacks on Obama seem irrational to the point of madness when viewed as intended to convince people that, for example, Obama can't speak without a teleprompter, or that he is an unintelligent dolt who only ended up at Harvard as some sort of unfair favoritism. They all make sense, however, when you understand the truth: they are not directed at Obama at all, but are an attempt to argue away the colossal, world class failures and inadequacies of Bush and Cheney, committed in full public view as they strutted around like cowboys and the right cheered them on.
Well, here goes, arranged by lie:
1. All of the credit goes to Bush, particularly his policy of torture. We know already that the torture instituted by the Bush administration produced no actionable intelligence whatsoever, but it is a huge moral stain on everyone who supported it, so Republican apologists are working one more time to spread the lie that it produced something of value. Maybe people's memories have grown dim enough that they can get some people to buy into it:
Kevin McCullogh, Town Hall: "Without "enhanced interrogation techniques and the fight against terror in Iraq" President Obama would not have been able to order the kill command against Osama bin Ladin."
Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit: "Rep. Peter King Doubles Down: Waterboarding Got Us to Osama"
No comment needed.
Astute Bloggers: "AL QAEDA IN PAKISTAN: OBAMA ACTED UNILATERALLY WHEREAS BUSH ACTED WITH PAKISTAN" How's that "smart diplomacy" working out for you?"
Of course, this remark is intended to deny the tragic, malicious unilateral behavior of the Bush administration, by making the preposterous claim that it was Obama, who has worked for two years to undo the residue of hatred left behind by Bush and Cheney's self-serving behavior, who is really ignoring the opinion of the rest of the world. Maybe somewhere there is someone still stupid and ignorant enough to believe that.
Adam Yoshida, Pajamas Media: the strategic vision that brought this glorious moment into being was that of George W. Bush...I have increasingly grown to appreciate the vision and adult leadership that President Bush provided."
Vision and adult leadership...
Michelle Malkin, Town Hall: "Imagine the Nobel Peace Prize winner, in front of the entire world that reviled George W. Bush for his post-9/11 response, acknowledging his predecessor's love of country."
Imagine vomiting in your breakfast.
2. Obama is actually a war criminal for having killed Bin Laden (while it was just fine for Bush and Cheney to kill a million innocent civilians in an unjustified war:)
"Judge" Andrew Napolitano, Fox Business News: "“The same President who ordered the killing of bin Laden also wants to borrow trillions of your dollars that your children and grandchildren will need to repay so as to finance his welfare and warfare state...“Beyond the issue of whether the government is telling us the truth or pulling a fast one to save Obama’s lousy Presidency – is the issue of the lawful power of the President to order someone killed, no matter how monstrous, how dangerous or how unpopular."
Andy, after eight years of Bush, that is just pathetic.
Jack Kerwick, Pajamas Media: "If Democrats weren't just playing politics with Bush's prosecution of "the War on Terror," then rather than sing hosannas to President Obama, they would now be talking about bringing him up on criminal charges"
Obama is a criminal for killing our greatest single enemy without a trial; Bush is a hero for starting a war of aggression, for murder of countless civilians, for torture.
3. Don't be fooled by Obama accomplishing what Bush could only dream of- Obama is actually a gigantic failure because he waited to pull the trigger, and so mismanaged the publicity after the raid, which was apparently far more important than the fact of Osama's elimination:
Laurie B. Regan, American Thinker: "How Obama Bungled the Aftermath of the OBL Mission...This is a complete and total fiasco -- an embarrassment of massive proportions... As more information becomes available, such as the fact that Obama took 16 hours to make his final decision because he had to "sleep on it," he continues to look like the incompetent leader that he is "
Incompetent, of course, in everything except accomplishing the overwhelming national security objective of the last ten years: removing Osama Bin Laden.
Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit: "Good Grief. Obama Took 16 HOURS to Make Up His Mind to Get Osama Bin Laden"
Rather than acting with no thought at all, and then failing colossally, like a previous president I could mention. But Bush looked great in a flight suit, while he was failing to win his war.
Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit: "President Obama Knew OBL’s Location Since August… Voted Present Until May"
And then killed him without a loss of a single American life. so, what's your point, Jim? It's best not to think about things first?
Matthew Vadum, NewsReal Blog: "By the time you read this blog post, it will be hopelessly out of date. That’s how fast the story of the Obama administration’s appallingly incompetent handling of the aftermath of the Osama bin Laden assassination is moving. In all my years observing American politics I’ve never seen anything even remotely like this. It’s not just a train wreck viewed in slow motion, it’s a midair collision of all the airplanes used in “The Aviator.”
Except, of course (forgive my redundant comments) that he did, after all, eliminate Bin Laden which, to this politically naive observer, somehow seems slightly more important than the fact that he may have not released quite the right account of the action. But I guess that shows how clueless I am about what really counts.
Dan Dehner, American Thinker: "Obama insults Muslims by hiding OBL photos...This is a gross departure from our ideals. Americans believe in the power of reason and rely on the concept of moral agency to govern freedom of choice and action. We believe that citizens should be provided with the words and pictures that are important to the understanding of our world."
Remember the last time a Republican was worried about insulting Muslims? No, I don't either.
Astute Bloggers: "The Obama Administration did NOT practice how to handle the aftermath at all: not how to collate the info; or get and put out ONE TRUE STORY, decide how to dispose of/bury the body, (and maybe save some for further testing); and so on.
They suck.
It's an embarrassment."
As embarrassing as spending 7 years not getting Osama? Funny, to Republicans, that just isn't important any more, compared to how he releases some photos.
4. Obama is using this as an opportunity to go on a rampage of belligerent egomaniacal posturing. This is vitally important, above all, because of the following:
Streiff, Red State: "The most unseemly thing about the entire killing of bin Laden is the pathetic scrabbling about for credit that we’re seeing on behalf of both Obama and his staff."
Stephen Hunter, Power Line: "Any joy one might feel in the intelligence of our analysts and the bravery of our door kickers was significantly diminished by Obama's malignant narcissism. "
Once again, true about the flight suit guy, not true about Obama.
5. And of course, despite Bush's failure and Obama's success, it is really Bush who was strong on terrorism and Obama and the liberals who are weak:
Condoleeza Rice: "President Bush had at Ground Zero probably the most important moment maybe in American history. It was when this wounded nation watched their commander-in-chief stand on that rubble and say that they will hear us, we are going to avenge this."
The idiocy. "The most important moment maybe in American history." More important than the ratification of the constitution? More important than the banning of slavery? More important than defeating the Nazis? This is truly a sickness, which originates in their full knowledge of the disgrace Bush and Cheney piled up in their eight years in charge.
Brent Bozell, Fox News: "my God, where were they when George Bush won us the war in Iraq? "
Where was I when that happened? I missed it entirely.
Pam Geller, Atlas Shrugs: "A reluctant American president who was ultimately overridden by senior military and intelligence officials to finally take out terrorist Osama Bin Laden… The killing of Osama Bin Laden was in fact a Coup within Obama WH."
Easier to believe that we have just experienced a military coup than to swallow a Democrat's success in protecting the country.
Dan McLaughlin, Red State: "(We) must pity the dilemma of the anti-war Left in facing the enormously popular and inarguably successful takedown of bin Laden...the anti-war Left spent most of the Bush years shrieking to high heaven about Bush shredding the Constitution, staining the integrity of the nation, yadda yadda yadda. This is the politics of outrage, the idea that you win arguments by being the angriest man in the room, that rather than argue that policies are not worth the costs"
No, Dan, it's the politics of respect for human decency.
Melissa Clouthier, Red State: "Osama Bin Laden’s Death: Proving Liberals Really Don’t Mean Their Rhetoric...Osama Bin Laden died and no liberals cried…for him."
Me;lissa, all it proves is that Liberals don't mean your rhetoric about them. For an example of this rhetoric, Melissa continues:
"Liberals are traditionally and correctly viewed as weak on national security issues."
Other than presiding over the victories in World Wars I and II, and now accomplishing what the great, manly heroes Bush and Cheney couldn't, I guess I can see your point.
Michael Ledeen, Pajamas Media: "What if the Killing of Bin Laden Is the Beginning of The Great American Retreat?"
Oh yeah, consider this possibility- Obama's victory over terrorism is only a cover for capitulation, somehow. That's really plausible.
Well, there you go. Think this is a lot? I could have given you five times as much along these lines. Let me sum up: These people know what a colossal, complete failure the Bush administration was, and they also know that they supported it every second of its existence. They are trying to wipe away the stain with a blizzard of lies the likes of which we have never seen. Right now, it doesn't seem to be working, but they will never stop spreading their deceit, because their rich backers will never stop paying them to spread their malicious garbage. Too bad, really. We used to have a nice country.
Comments
…..
Where do you grow idiots like this?
In a Bushian pretzel garden. These lunatics are twisting themselves into all manner of bread sticks to make the case that it is a bad thing that OBL is dead.
GE does a fine job of reading the rot from these horribly diseased minds. He deserves huge amounts of kudos. I couldn't do it.
(O)CT(O):
"Carpe die 'im?"