June 30, 2005

Democrats Continue to Harp on 'The Day Which We Shall Not Mention'

It should be perfectly clear by now that Democrats hate it when President Bush, or any Republican for that matter, mentions 9/11. For Democrats the the words September 11th or 9/11 are about as worthy of mentioning in public discourse than the hundred or so 'four-letter' words all of our parents tought us not to say.

The fallout among Democrats following President Bush's speech last night has been very interesting to watch as Democrats try to salvage their reputation as being weak on national security. Of course their actions and words do not strengthen their cause, but I cannot think of one more plausible scenario why Democrats are spewing venom just over the mention of that tragic day . . . errr 9/11.

The Democrats have compiled a page of sorts with different spokesmen being outraged, outraged I tell you, over the mention of 'the day we shall not mention' and it's quite interesting as it s the normal Democratic nonsense.

In the President's speech last night, he clearly linked the 9-11 attacks with the war in Iraq, implying that Saddam Hussein was involved and responsible for September 11th.

[snip]

"I was troubled and offended by the regularity of coming back to 9/11, because as you say, none of the terrorists were linked to Saddam and there has been this myth for a long time that is not true that Saddam is somehow responsible for 9/11 . . . " [said David Gergen.]

Now let's look back through the transcript a bit and see what mentions of 'the day we shall not mention' were said in the President's Speech.

The troops here and across the world are fighting a global war on terror. This war reached our shores on September 11, 2001. The terrorists who attacked us – and the terrorists we face . . .

Ok, this quote is slightly inaccurate as the terrorists which we are fighting in Iraq actually declared war against us long ago, but we did very little about it. Bush is still correct that we are fighting radical Islamic terrorists in Iraq of the same ideology as Al Qaida. One of the groups is even a branch of Al Qaida. As a quick refresher course for Democrats, Al Qaida attacked us on 'that day we shall not mention.'

After September 11, I made a commitment to the American people: This Nation will not wait to be attacked again. We will take the fight to the enemy.

Thus far that commitment has held true and, God willing, it will continue to hold true. In the months following 'the day we shall not mention,' the nation was relatively united behind taking the fight to the terrorists, yet, strangley, now that the terrorists are in Iraq many in this nation want to retreat. I will not go as far as say detractors wish attacks occured in this country, but right now the only military strategy in the GWOT is to confront terrorists abroad so we do not have to at home.

How many military strategies have come from the Left side of the aisle? (crickets)

The only way our enemies can succeed is if we forget the lessons of September 11 … if we abandon the Iraqi people to men like Zarqawi … and if we yield the future of the Middle East to men like Bin Laden. For the sake of our Nation’s security, this will not happen on my watch.

'The day we shall not mention' awoke the nation that we are not invencible and that the virtual pacifism ways of the Clinton Adminstration were not the way to prevail against radical Islam. Yet here we are, less than four years after, and a good portion of this country wants to retreat from fighting people with the same ideology that killed nearly 3,000 Americans on 'the day we shall not mention.'

If the United States were to leave Iraq when the Iraqi military cannot secure its own country, there would certainly be a radical Islamic threat especially now that Iran has a new hard-line president wanting to rejuvenate the Islamic Revolution. As always, this is an easy concept to comprehend, yet much of the Democratic caucus can't figure this out for the life of them.

They are trying to shake our will in Iraq – just as they tried to shake our will on September 11, 2001.

For the reading impaired, they means radical Islamic terrorists. You know, the same kind we're fighting in Iraq!

After September 11, 2001, I told the American people that the road ahead would be difficult – and that we would prevail. Well, it has been difficult. And we are prevailing.

Democrats though fail to understand the war in Iraq is part of the GWOT. Saddam did harbor, train and finance radical Islamic terrorists prior to the invasion. This is not a war in which you can kill Bin Laden, freeze his carcass on ice to display to the world, and proudly project "We've won!" It is an ideology we are fighting, not a singular mass of people sitting in some far-away country.

The long hall will be tough. It is tough. There is still a war being waged in Afghanistan on the fields and throughout the world with minds. A retreat will only signal one thing to the millions living under tyranny, our enemies, our allies and other nations; we cannot carry through to our promises.

Total mentions = 5
Direct implications Saddam was involved with the attack on 'the day we shall not mention' = 0

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen