BCT Editorial – 1/28/09

This page was last updated on February 1, 2009.

Blame game; Editorial; Beaver County Times; January 28, 2009.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“Some Republicans are blaming President Barack Obama for a terrorist attack on the United States that hasn’t even taken place.

“Columnist E.J. Dionne reported that one Bush aide wrote in The Washington Post last week that if ‘Obama weakens any of the defenses Bush put in place and terrorists strike our country again, Americans will hold Obama responsible — and the Democratic Party could find itself unelectable for a generation.’

“This is sheer fear-mongering.”

[RWC] After yesterday’s editorial “Sinking,” this accusation is a hoot.

“As we editorialized when George W. Bush was president, the United States will be attacked by terrorists again, and playing the blame game would be a waste of time.

“This isn’t to absolve those charged with countering terrorism of their responsibilities.

“It’s to recognize reality. All it takes is a small cell of fanatics to plot and carry out a terrorist attack, no matter what the security precautions.”

[RWC] It’s true previous editorials made this claim, but this editorial and the previous editorials made it for different reasons. In previous editorials, the point was to undermine anti-terrorism efforts by painting the Bush administration as nothing but Chicken Littles. Indeed, “The real issue” asserted, “President Bush and other administration officials are fast approaching Chicken Little status when it comes to issuing terrorism warnings.” “Fright might” is another example. Despite the comment, does anyone believe an editorial wouldn’t have ripped President Bush had terrorists successfully attacked?

I believe the reason for this observation during the Obama administration is to give President Obama cover should terrorists successfully attack us. I’d almost be willing to bet a post-attack editorial would somehow find a way to blame Mr. Bush and/or include an assertion that an attack was long overdue.

By the way, American presidents aren’t responsible for attacks against us. That blame goes to the terrorists.

“As Michael Corleone said in ‘The Godfather Part II,’ ‘If anything in this life is certain, if history has taught us anything, it is that you can kill anyone.’”