To assert, as both Stefan and Martin are want to do, that Bush&Co wasn’t serious about terrorism because they didn’t meet Stefan’s silly linguistic quirk is, well, just silly.

bin Laden declares open season on all Americans, declaring war on the US, and Clinton wags his finger with ineffective sanctions and shoots a couple loads at Afghanistan and Sudan.

Within hours of Bush’s moment, he is returning the favor hours after the attacks, declaring war and 3 months later is kicking Taliban and al-Qaida butt in Afghanistan.

Yeah. Clinton was much more aggressive. Right.

Notice–Continuation of Emergency With Respect to the Taliban
June 30th, 2001

On July 4, 1999, the President issued Executive Order 13129, “Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions with the Taliban,” to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the actions and policies of the Taliban in Afghanistan. The order blocks all property and interests in property of the Taliban and prohibits trade-related transactions by United States persons involving the territory of Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban. The last notice of continuation was signed on June 30, 2000.

The Taliban continues to allow territory under its control in Afghanistan to be used as a safe haven and base of operations for Usama bin Laden and the al-Qaida organization who have committed and threaten to continue to commit acts of violence against the United States and its nationals. For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to maintain in force these emergency authorities beyond July 4, 2001. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing the national emergency declared on July 4, 1999, with respect to the Taliban. This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

George W. Bush The White House, June 30, 2001.

C’mon. Do your own homework before issuing stupid, meaningless challenges.

Pity he didn’t have a chance to read it.

To the Bushies, Terrorism is anything you want it to be.

bin Laden’s 9/11 plan was already in the works, before Bush became President. The time to stop it was during Clinton’s watch.

Clarke was very clear on the matter: their priorities were based on a Cold War mentality and an obsession with Iraq.

He was demoted and his pleas for a meeting on Al Qaeda were ignored.

They can try to rewrite history all they want, but in the end the facts screw them. Again.

Bush: I’ve set three goals for our nation’s defense. One is to strengthen the bond of trust between the American president and those who wear our nation’s uniform. Secondly is defend our people and allies against missiles and terror. And thirdly is to begin creating a military prepared for the dangers of a new century.

Rumsfeld: There’s no question but that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the delivery systems for them is extensive across the world. There is no question but that a number of nations are supplying other nations with elements that they need and assisting them in bypassing the normal period of years it would take them to develop these capabilities.

And I consider that, myself, to be a real threat.

And it exists among other threats: Terrorism is a threat, cruise missiles are threats, information warfare is a threat. There’s vulnerability to space assets. There are any number of things that need to be addressed.

We will stand strong with our friends and allies against those nations that pursue weapons of mass destruction, that practice terrorism. We will not be afraid of them. We will not be frightened by them. We will meet them. We will match them. We will contend with them. We will defend our interests from a position of strength.

I’m requesting $5.7 billion in increased military pay and benefits and health care and housing. Our men and women in uniform give America their best, and we owe them our support.

We will work for free markets, free trade, and freedom from oppression. Nations making progress toward freedom will find America is their friend. We will promote our values. We will promote the peace, and we need a strong military to keep the peace.

But our military was shaped to confront the challenges of the past. So I’ve asked the Secretary of Defense to review America’s Armed Forces and prepare to transform them to meet emerging threats.

Our Nation also needs a clear strategy to confront the threats of the 21st century, threats that are more widespread and less certain. They range from terrorists who threaten with bombs to tyrants in rogue nations intent upon developing weapons of mass destruction.

And as we transform our military, we can discard cold war relics and reduce our own nuclear forces to reflect today’s needs. A strong America is the world’s best hope for peace and freedom.

That was easy.

Find Me One Single Reference to Al Qaeda from the Bush Team from the day of the inauguration until September 10th, 2001.

That’s how serious they were about terrorism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13lGuuebvfg

Every blind, non-thinking, Bush voting American should be forced to watch this over and over.

those are troll talking points…not independent….troll…not centrist….troll.

If you can’t see which side of the political spectrum you should be on by now…

…stay the hell away from the polls on election day…

…that is IF you’re even of voting age…

I was upset, fearful and angry reading the recent National Intelligence Estimate about increasing terrorism and the sad state of our international relations when I burst out laughing.

Jumping to mind was the neocon’s perverted sales’ pitch: “The terrorists hate us because they hate freedom.”

What if that was true?

Being fearful, the GOP now advocates legislating the end of our enduring freedoms to meet the terrorists demands.

Game, set match, no more freedom, nothing to hate, terrorism vanquished.

The GOP leadership we presently enjoy promotes secrecy, dishonesty, suspension of habeas corpus and other fundamental juridical rights; they promote wholesale wiretapping without warrants and suspending historical “Rules of War” agreements so that America can, on its whim, perform inhumane and degrading acts of torture on whomsoever we may choose to incarcerate.

One or two more stolen elections plus a new gaggle of lies from Dick, Condi et al and poof, our freedoms will be gone and the terrorists, seeing that their main reason to hate us has vanished, well. They’ll just go back to berating womenfolk for racy clothing.

It’s a plan, you’all. It’s a plan.

(( I hope the angry resentful retired Generals and their brothers in arms have our back in these troubling days.))