[lit-ideas] Re: with or without Bush
- From: John McCreery <mccreery@xxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2004 12:29:55 +0900
On 2004/08/03, at 9:19, Andy Amago wrote [in response to Eric Yost]:
>
>
> Stan maintains that if Bush had not been in office, Bin Laden would
> have been
> captured. As if a change of presidents could alter tactical and
> strategic
> factors that work to Bin Laden's benefit. Taken as a statement of
> convictions,
> Stan's hyperbole is hunky-dory. Taken as a tactical prediction . . .
> well . . .
> it's a fine statement of convictions.
>
>
>
> A.A. Eric, are you that much of a fatalist? Is Bin Laden that much in
> control that if another president had pursued him instead of Iraq,
> with the world's support, nothing would be different?
>
>
It could be, of course, that this whole argument is misconceived, since
the mere presence or absence of one or another president is supposed to
have some magical effect.
Here is another perspective: My daughter, who was serving on the USS
Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea during the war in Afghanistan was
outraged by the decision to turn the hunt for Bin Laden over to Afghani
militias, a decision made, she says, to minimize US casualties. Not
only was this tactically stupid, since many of the Afghanis may have
been Bin Laden sympathizers, it said, in effect, we are willing to risk
your blood, not ours, a position that she found morally reprehensible.
There is, perhaps, an argument to be made that this decision was a
reflection of the administration's desire to make war on the cheap and
avoid the political blow back of large numbers of American body bags.
But the task of untangling the historical record still lies before us.
Cheers,
John
John L. McCreery
International Vice Chair, Democrats Abroad
Tel 81-45-314-9324
Email mccreery@xxxxxxx
>>Life isn't fair. Democracy should be. <<
To learn more about Democrats Abroad, see these websites
In Japan: http://www.demsjapan.jp
Worldwide: http://www.democratsabroad.org
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