I’m With Fred
Fred Thompson called Osama Bin Laden a “symbol” and not so much a threat to America. To be exact, Thompson said: “Bin Laden is more symbolism than anything else. I think it demonstrates to people once again that we’re in a global war.”
Obviously, Thompson drew the ire of other GOP candidates, waiting to score some cheap points.
John McCain: “He’s more than a symbol. He’s motivating and recruiting using the internet as we speak. He’s a threat. He’s a threat.”
Mitt Romney (trying to outBush McCain): “Osama Bin Laden is the face of evil. His stated goal is conversion by compulsion, the surrender of liberty to terror and the abandonment of the foundations of a free society.”
To provide some context to what Thompson said: “Bin Laden and people like him are heading up and we need to catch him and we surely need to deal with him, but if he disappeared tomorrow we still have this problem. If Iraq disappeared tomorrow, we’d still have this problem.”
Ok – so this is what has become of the American political debate. I’m getting tired of this. Thompson is, of course, completely right. They can take his words out of context as much as they like, and bloggers and the MSM might help Thompson’s rivals out as much as they wish, but truth of the matter is that when Bin Laden dies, he’ll be replaced by someone else. Besides, Al Qaeda today consists out of independently operating cells, with little to no contact with the motherorganization.
Bin Laden is much like a symbol. He should be punished, he should be held accountable, or taken out, yes, but getting Bin Laden will not make the problem, nor Al Qaeda, go away.
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13 Responses to “I’m With Fred”
Please, this is an excuse for not catching him. And that interview by Thompson was terrible.
Who is Fred Thompson? His message is a train wreck.
• He pulls contract with America out of one pocket, and he says ignore tort reform.
• He unravels an ancient screed of federalism, and he says forget about no child left behind.
• He squares up his Reagan mask, and McCain-Feingold wants to hoard the microphone from the money and voice of neophytes.
• He tap-dances to the tune of outsider, and the big, bold lights of the Federal City Council shine on him.
Now that he has the room thoroughly confused. He says no tax-cut pledges. Well, read my lips…no Fred Thompson.
No Mike it’s not just an excuse to get him. If that’s how you think, it’s merely a signal that you’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.
I think Fred would have been right two years ago, when Al Qaeda (the real one) and the Taliban were largely marginalized elements in the caves between Waziristan and Afghanistan. At that point Osama was little more than a symbol of global jihad. Al Qaeda was simply brand name, adopted by various local jidadi outfits from Indonesia to Sudan to Chechnya to, of course, Mesopotamia. Osama and Zawhiri had little more than rudimentary contact with these “franchisees;” if anything, it was to restrain their excess.
But I think that’s changed now, if all the Intelligence estimates out there are to be believed. The real Al Qaeda is much stronger as a central force now than it was two years ago. It has large safe havens in Waziristan, and it’s made terrifying progress in securing a foothold in southern Afghanistan. It seems only a matter of time before the Taliban retakes Qandahar in full. As such, Al Qaeda, Osama and Zawhiri have returned as a fully operational organization.
Osama Bin Laden is still a symbol, and perhaps his visage carries more power even today than his organizational capability. But while we fiddled away our army and our financial resources in the quicksand of Iraq, Al Qaeda replenished itself for the next campaign.
I also have to agree with Fred on this.
First, I tend to agree with Elrod. Secondly, one should never ever underestimate the value of a symbol in this kind of conflict.
[...] Michael van der Galien states well: To provide some context to what Thompson said: “Bin Laden and people like him are [...]
“No Mike it’s not just an excuse to get him. If that’s how you think, it’s merely a signal that you’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.”
Michael -Was your response to Mike rational discourse? You did not rebut his point, you just, in effect, called him a know nothing idiot. Remember, Bush promised to get Bin Laden “dead or alive”. He made a big deal of this and yet has not put much in the way of resources into catching or killing him.
Bin Laden is not irrelevent – here more than a symbol. His latest videotape will be motivating to tens of thousands of followers. Please note that the current German terror plot involved training in Pakistan and the Germans were taking orders from Pakistan. We’ll probably never know if Bin Laden was behind this particular plot but it sure has all the earmarks of AlQaeda.
I think it’s legitimate conjecture that we are not going after Bin Laden because we have too many resources tied up elsewhere and we know that Pakistan politics and the military challenges will make finding Bin Laden difficult. Bin Laden and ALQaeda are the primary threats to the world – not all the other bogeymen we have created.
Hezballah, Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood, the Sunni and Shia of Iraq and Iran have absolutely no interest in taking over the world or even causing trouble outside their neighborhoods.
The $20 is on the nightstand, because an the act of trying to fluff over the comment he made is tantamount to an editorial BJ LOL.
Bin Laden wether or not he’s the brains behind al Qaeda is the figurehead, and if anyone knows diddly squat about anything knows that head has to come off the beast to harm it. But leaving it there works alot better for the military contractors, and a decades to come war on terrorism the hawks salivate over huh?
Fredrick of Hollywood is a joke, and should stick to his one note character acting on a soundstage rather than the political forum, because when he speaks without the script he stinks big time.
Even, if, for the sake of argument, he were just a symbol, he would be a most powerful one. Just think of how much the cross or the American flag motivates people to action. A symbol can be a more powerful force than someone who actually functions as a leader.
I think the real reason we haven’t gotten bin Laden, is we fear the reaction throughout the Muslim world, where he is seen as a savior, and we are seen as evil incarnate. He has won over many followers just for standing up to the United States and fighting back against our policies.
By downplaying his importance, politicians like Fred Thompson try to downgrade expectations that bin Laden will be captured and eventually brought to justice. He simply knows what Clinton and Bush knew- that they couldn’t afford the repercussions of successfully hunting him down.
Bin Laden as a symbol would be just as powerful dead than alive, maybe more so. Never underestimate the power of a martyr.
After his latest video, some Muslims have crticized him for trimming his beard, so his star power may be fading. Some think, he has already been replaced in power by the #2 man in AQ, al Zawahari. That’s probably the man we should be concentrating on.
[...] to Michael van der Galien, a Dutchman who “loves” America and posts on Joe Gandelman’s “The Moderate Voice” HERE. Sadly, Michael used to post HERE, on The Democratic Daily, but his “moderate” [...]
[...] Malkin’s “props†to Michael van der Galien, a Dutchman who “loves†America and posts on Joe Gandelman’s “The Moderate Voice†HERE. Sadly, Michael used to post HERE, on The Democratic Daily, but his “moderate†credentials have [...]