Even some of my liberal friends thought I was being too harsh when I commented as follows on the criticisms by conservatives of President Obama’s strategy for fighting “violent extremism” (as opposed to a “war on terror”):
They know full well that nothing would herald the revival of the Republican Party quite like a terrorist attack on Obama’s watch… This is why Cheney is on a mission to keep preaching about another terrorist attack until his self-fulfilling prophecy is realized.
[Republicans are praying … for Osama to succeed, TIJ, May 12, 2009]
Well, in a rare moment of candor, here’s how CIA Director Leon Panetta echoed my “harsh” analysis:
It’s almost, a little bit, gallows politics. When you read behind it, it’s almost as if he [Dick Cheney] is wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point. I think that’s dangerous politics.
(Panetta in the June issue of The New Yorker)
Meanwhile, I have no doubt that Panetta’s spokesman was just as disingenuous when he said over the weekend that Panetta really didn’t mean what he said as Republican spinmeisters were when they claimed to be outraged by what he said. Got that?!
Related commentaries:
Republicans are praying … for Osama to succeed
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.