There has most certainly been an act of war committed against our people and our nation. But unlike Pearl Harbor, we don’t know for sure who has committed the atrocity. Yes, we have strong suspicions, but that is exactly why we should allow our tempers to cool, and to respond with cold reason.
Our People
Everyone of the uncounted deaths, lying in the rubble of the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, or in a field in Pennsylvania, is one of ours. This tragedy does not bear the mask of a single color or religion. The victims are white, black, yellow, and brown; they are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, agnostic, and atheists. They are Americans all, and they are our brothers and sisters, our fathers and mothers, and they are our sons and daughters. Even if non-citizens, they were our guests, and we were charged with their safety. And until we know for sure to the contrary, it is possible that even the perpetrators are our own. Yet already I have heard calls to “kill the towleheads.”
Racism, a logical outgrowth of anger, will not bring us safety, nor win a war. Those who use racism to focus their anger are as cowardly as the animals that directed passanger planes into the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon. Those of Arab decent have most often come to this country to either take part in American business (that was attacked at the World Trade Center), to advise the military industrial complex (which was attacked at the Pentagon), or to escape the experience of what we have just experienced in New York and Washington. They have lost as much, if not more than we have. We must put our racism and xenophobia aside. It will not aid, or serve us.
Our target
We are hearing that indications are that this is the work of Osama bin Laden. Perhaps so. Yet every expert on bin Laden that I have heard speak so far, has flatly stated that this does not match bin Laden’s MO, and that it is beyond his capability. While each does not deny the possibility that bin Laden is involved, each has also stated that he could not accomplish this without the help of a sovereign government. If this is so, which one(s)?
Making the matter all the more difficult is the fact that bin Laden is our own creation. Our own CIA trained him, and helped to develop his network to fight the Soviet military after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The CIA of the early Reagan years felt that the fractionalized nationals of Afghanistan would be too difficult to work with in troubling the Moscow regime, so they turned to radical Arab nations, including Egyptian rebels, Pakistanis, Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinian refugees, believing they would be easier to anticipate. He also bears the support of his home country, Saudi Arabia, and has developed ties to Iraq and Iran. We armed him, we trained him, we funded him, and we taught him how to wage a war of attrition against a world superpower. And now he has turned his sights on us. In order to fight sovereign nations harboring factions of bin Laden’s network, we quite possibly would have to target the entire Arab world. Are we really prepared to enter a world war in the center of the worlds largest supply of oil? Are we prepared to slaughter innocent civilians who, whether they individually support bin Laden’s goals or not, have no say in their government’s support or aid to bin Laden?
This will most likely require an international intelligence operation to hunt down bin Laden and his agents, wherever they may hide. George W. Bush will have to shed his reluctance to negotiate with the other governments of the world in order to find common ground in this effort. In regard to any sovereign nation that is aiding bin Laden, we will have to find proof of that support in order to attack specific government installations. We will have to think twice about support for rebel groups who might someday turn against us as bin Laden has done.
Our leadership
This is the greatest test imaginable for George W. Bush and his administration. Mr. Bush pulled out all of the stops to win the oval office. This is the classic example of “be careful what you wish for.” At this moment, I do not envy him, nor would I wish on anybody the vast responsibility of what lies ahead. Yet, it is just possible that Bush is well suited for this task. Not only does his family have a CIA background, but contacts throughout the Middle East through his family’s oil businesses. Whatever our differences or arguments with him, for now we must drop the small “p” from the word President. We must rely on, and pray for his effective leadership.
As our national leader, President Bush must also, for the first time speak often and directly to the American people. He must be able to answer questions clearly and effectively, in unprepared statements. He must demonstrate that he is in clear command of the task before him. And this type of leadership does not end at our nation’s shores. He must effectively communicate to the peoples of the world that their interests and ours are the same.
President Bush must work together with a united congress to make careful decisions in regard to national policy. He must work with the Department of Justice to determine a plan for attacking the terrorists who work from within our country in such a way that it does not diminish the freedoms that we all cherish. He must work with the CIA, the NSA, and the Joint Chiefs to determine a plan of action that brings honor and respect to our country’s character in the eyes of the world. Like it or not, we will now set the example for how the world should respond to terrorism.
We await your leadership, Mr. President. And we wish you well.