Stu Bykofsky is a Philly legend and has been writing for the tabloid the Philadelphia Daily News for as long as I can remember.
Today he puts forth that the deep divisions in America can be cured by another devastating terrorist attack. Before you say he's insane, at least give the idea behind his piece some credence. It is an interesting thought experiment:
It is not Bush and it is not Hillary and it is not Daily Kos or Bill O'Reilly or Giuliani or Barack. It is global terrorists who use Islam to justify their hideous sins, including blowing up women and children.
Iraq has fractured the U.S. into jigsaw pieces of competing interests that encourage our enemies. We are deeply divided and division is weakness.
I 100% agree with that, it's the fact that so many times the political left in our country are so filled with hatred of President Bush, or Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS), that they find themselves on the same side as those who wish us harm. These people hate war and they hate the Bush administration to the point that a bridge collapse over the Mississippi River was blamed on Bush. Now that's BDS in an acute form.
Update (8/13/07 1622): Stu Bykofsky reports that he received a ton of e-mail and shares some of it. Does it surprise anyone that alot of the e-mail was anti-Semitic and it came from 9/11 "truthers" who believe that the Bush administration and Israel were behind the atack?
Bykofsky continues and here's where I split with his hypothesis:
America's fabric is pulling apart like a cheap sweater.
What would sew us back together?
Another 9/11 attack.
Wrong. The right in this country knows we will get attacked again and knows that this time it will something more significant like infrastructure. We also know that through total vigilance, we can forestall the attack and that the war in Iraq is part of that process. The left, on the other hand, will make such political use of an attack as to make the normal "It's Bush's fault" exercises like the bridge collapse seem tame by comparison. They will say that all the "crushing of freedoms" such as the Patriot Act and international wiretapping have done nothing but set (insert your favorite oppressed group here) back decades and will say that Bush failed. They of course will have no ideas of their own, but that's the beauty of blaming Bush, you don't need to offer up ideas in the liberal echo chamber.
Bykofsky is right on one count, we need to come together as a nation, but I don't see it happening. We've all retreated to our sides and anyone who even remotely agrees with the other side is deemed a traitor and shunned (just look at the pixels spilled over the Times piece saying we just may win the war). The Internet will ensure that the divisions we now see will last for decades regardless of who the next President is. Hillary will not unite, either will Barack Obama. Mitt Romney most-definitely will not. Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson may be able to unite some of the nation, but not all.
It's an interesting piece and will garner alot of discussion today but it is fundamentally wrong in that Bykofsky is assuming that another attack will see us all in a drum circle holding hands and candles. That ain't gonna happen as there's way too much division inherent at this point.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. It shouldn't take a terrorist attack to unite us. It should take people finally standing up and departing from the ultra- neo-conservative base that still supports this war and take care of our troops. Saving lives, not having lives killed should unite us!
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Patrick at 1:57PM on Aug 10th 2007
2. I can't agree with the basis that when terrorists attack us in the USA, we retaliate by killing innocent people in Iraq. I think special underground forces, Americans and Iraqis, etc.need to find and target the terrorist camps and keep civilians out of it. It was devastating to hear how many Iraqi civilians died when we invaded. Something like 600,000. Is that justice?
RCortesi at 3:28PM on Aug 10th 2007
3. I think another major successful terrorist attack on the U.S. would drive the extreme partisans farther apart. Those in the wide middle, however, might unite around a call for new leadership.
Steve Bonomo at 6:07PM on Aug 10th 2007
4.
Like Adolf Hitler in Mein Kampf Osma bin Laden has laid out his plans and it is not Kumbaya or Can't we all just get along:
"To Kill the Americans and their allies-civilians and military-is an individual duty for every Muslim."
Osma bin Laden
Iraq is now the focus of al-Qaeda's efforts, with most of its key field commanders there:
..........."the Third World War is raging in Iraq."
Osma bin Laden
Bin Laden's No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri, has called Iraq:
..........."the place for the greatest battle of Islam in this era."
When another attack comes those with BDS will have forgetten the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993. They have forgotten the bombing of our embassies in Africa, and attacks on an Air Force barracks in Saudi and the U.S.S Cole.
Radical Islam had been plotting, planning and killing Americans for a long, long time when they attacked the World Trade Center for the second time and killed three thousand people on 9/11/2001.
Another successful terrorist attack concerns Democrats enough 41, yes 41 Democrats voted to give President Bush the Surveillance Bill he wanted.
The reason Democrats passed the Bill:
"One anxiety hovered over the debate: If a terrorist attack happened, and Congress had not given Bush what he wanted, the Democrats would get blamed for a lack of vigilance."
E.J. Dionne JR.
IDB 8-10-08
It seems Democrats will trade a little "crushing of freedoms" for piece of mind while on vacation in August. Democrats fear another terrorist attack enough they caved on the "crushing of freedom" with the Surveillance Bill so they will be less likey to loose the 08 election on national security.
Those with BDS believe to much BS to help them.
If Democrats in Congress are afraid to go on vacation without the chance of a terrorist attack
costing them the 08 election we need to unite now.
Pete at 8:59PM on Aug 10th 2007
5. I think we should pull all of our troops out of the middle east. then lets drop nukes on there ass untill they glow. then we can have a wennie roast! I'll bring the marshmellows :-)
after that i don't think anyone will be willing to attack us again.
carl at 12:18AM on Aug 11th 2007
6. This country will never be united untill the Conservaties are total out of office. They have dived this country and most people are just now seeing what and who Conservatives are and what their Hatred can do.
Dancerpl2 at 8:51PM on Aug 11th 2007
7. Nuke thier ass until they glow? are you one of those family values guys? I'll bet you are 4 foot 11 on good day wearing heals.
Dorndren at 2:10AM on Aug 15th 2007
8. GET THIS ADMINISTRATION OUT BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE....TWO CRAZY LEADERS... THINK LIKE HITLER....I AM TELLING YOU DEMS.DO SOMETHING....THERE IS A WORLD OUTSIDE OUR COUNTRY AND THERE ARE OTHER NUKES POWERS ALSO.CRAZY DOING WAR AT THIS CENTURY... WE MADE SOME MISTAKES AND LOST A LOT OF LIFES. IF ANY KIND OF PEACE NEED TO BE DONE THEN LET THE UN ACTS RIGHT AWAY...OTHERWISE READY TO FACE ALL THE FKNG CONSEQUENCES.....
gt at 2:45PM on Aug 20th 2007