Monday, September 18, 2006
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PT 9/11 Re-visited
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Posted by:
Dean Barnett at
9:24 AM
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Cyrus Nowrasteh, the writer of “The Path to 9/11,” has an excellent op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal this morning. The purpose of the article is to describe and rightly ridicule the political hysteria that his TV movie generated from the left. Nowrasteh also lavishes praise on ABC for its refusal to yield to the left’s pressure to squash the film.
While I’m on record as being discomfited by the film’s conflations et al., Nowrasteh’s article and the whole “The Path to 9/11” controversy beg the question, Why was the left so heavily invested in defending the Clinton legacy? The Clinton legacy on terrorism is literally indefensible. The results were undeniably dreadful, and the efforts by the administration were undeniably indifferent (at best).
One could of course say the same about the Bush administration’s efforts prior to 9/11, and Nowrasteh’s movie pretty much did. And yet the right didn’t seem to mind. Since the Clinton administration now belongs to the history books and the Bush administration is an ongoing concern, the differing reactions are a point of interest.
The obvious explanation for the disparate reactions is that the Democratic Party and liberalism remain in the exact same place they were prior to 9/11. Since the Reagan administration, the Democrats have been the party of knee-jerk opposition, existing solely to thwart Republican designs. Any initiatives the Democrats have conjured have inevitably been of the penny-ante variety like school uniforms or putting an end to the national scourge known as drive-by deliveries.
The Bush administration was transformed by 9/11, and rightly so. The Democrats remain even today in a determined state of stasis. When Republicans see a recounting of the infamous Presidential Daily Briefing, we feel it doesn’t matter because things have since changed. Dramatically.
When the Democrats see the irresolute nature of the Clinton administration portrayed, it hits home.
Comments? Complaints? Email me at Soxblog@aol.com.
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Martin Luther (not King) said it nicely about certain people not easily convinced of new paradigms.
They [liberals] stare at it [post 9/11 reality] like cows at a new fence. |
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...the radical American zealots of the left haven't adopted the methods of radical Islam. But they have the same attitude towards apostasy, and any challenges to their sacred assertions. Thankfully, they (the American Left) just assassinate the character of--the heretic--conservative, and not the body. Thank God for that. Well, maybe they throw a pie once in awhile, to substitute for what they don't have--facts.
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The snow flew down in dispiriting clumps that Sunday morning in late 2001, and George, Bill and Hillary sat around in their PJs and bathrobes in the great room of George’s Long Island mansion, moping.
“What a tragedy,” said George, who had funded Hillary’s Senate campaign.
“It’s horrible,” said Hillary, who had won that campaign.
“Man, I’m so sad and depressed, I could really stand to get wrecked,” said Bill.
They all stared at the vast screen of George’s high end plasma TV, where scenes of the 9/11 tragedy played out. Those didn’t bother them so much, however, as the skyrocketing poll numbers for President Bush’s approval rating.
“I wish I could get wrecked,” Bill said, repeating himself. “Hey George, you got any of that dynamite Hawaiian grass? You know, the stuff we lit up last January, after Egghead over there finally had to concede?” He inclined his head toward Al, who sat on a chair in the corner fiddling on his , laptop – no doubt enjoying the fruits of his invention of the Internet.
“Wha-?” Al said, lifting his head for a moment, before returning to his charts and graphs.
George shook his head sadly. “No,” he said, “we smoked all that up in our last fit of depression. But don’t worry, I think Franken’s around here somewhere, he always has a great stash.
The two men got up to look, and sure enough, they found what they were looking for. Soon enough, they were passing the pipe, and everyone felt a lot better.
Three times around the circle the pipe passed, and it had just gone by Hillary, who started giggling.
“You’re stoned,” Bill said agreeably, before starting to giggle himself. George threw a pillow at him.
“No no no… I just got the greatest idea…” Hillary said, still laughing.
“Hey George,” Bill said, “can you get Consuela to make us some sandwiches? I got the munchies.”
“What’s your idea,” George asked, really interested. Hillary had some of the best ideas. That whole Florida thing, for example.
“Well,” she replied, “what if…” she faded off, staring at the big clumpy snowflakes outside the picture window, signal that the snowstorm was ending. Everyone sat silently, waiting for Hillary to come back.
At last, George said, “Hill?”
Hillary blinked, and looked around, then laughed again. “Sorry guys. No, I was saying, what if we could make people think that Bush-hole there actually caused the attacks?”
Holding the pipe now, Bill barked laughter. “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard. Girls are dumb.” He then lit the pipe and started inhaling – which he had never done before, obviously.
The look Hillary threw his way would have cut through a diamond.
George, however, was intensely interested. “Go on,” he said.
“Well, I was thinking that this whole 9/11 thing was just too good to be true for old Bushhole there, the perfect legacy dropping his lap –“
“Oh man, if this could’ve only happened when *I* was president,” Bill moaned.
“- Bill would you shut UP! Anyway, it just seemed too perfect, and then I got a little paranoid, you know how I am on weed, and it just seemed like maybe he might have done it on purpose, made it all happen himself –“
“Which is just stupid,” Bill chuckled.
“BILL!!! SHUT THE F*** UP!!! Anyway, so when I came back, it just wondered… what if we could make everyone else think that?”
The pipe passed to George, who sent it on over to Sandy, as he always did. “Interesting, interesting,” he said. “You know… I think that’s possible.”
“Really?” said Hillary.
“Really?” said Al.
“Really?” said Sandy, before trying to inhale. Bill had taught him how, but he never got the hang of it.
“Man, I want a sandwich,” moaned Bill.
“Yeah,” said George. “I mean we’ve got the people, we already showed them how to fake a conspiracy with that whole Florida thing. And God knows I’ve got the money.” Everyone laughed except George, who always felt like a dork when he had to use dumb words like “God.”
Hillary was smiling now. “Wow… you know, this could really work for us!” She ran through all the objections in her mind. “There will be some things we need to do… there’s some documents in the National Archives that could really screw us up… hey Sandy!”
Sandy jumped three feet in the air, practically, as he always did when Hillary got that commanding tone in her voice. She really scared the p*** out of him sometimes. He had just taken a hit off the pipe, and it took all his self-control not to let the sweet, sweet smoke go spilling out of his mouth. “Yeah,” he finally choked out.
Bill grinned. “Hey, nice job man! I kept telling you that you could do it!”
“Sandy,” Hillary said, ignoring Bill, “I need you to go get some documents from the National Archives. I’ll make you a list.”
Sandy went white, but nodded. You just didn’t say “no,” to Hill, not if you wanted to keep your pair.
George rubbed his hands together in delight. “Well! This is certainly going to be quite a project! Let’s get started on the planning!”
“Agreed,” said Hillary, her eyes alight.
“Agreed,” said Al, not even looking up from his laptop, not even quite sure what he was agreeing to.
“Agreed,” said Sandy, popping a Prilosec to control the heartburn that was sure to follow.
“You know what?” said Bill. “A piece of pie would really hit the spot!”
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