Newsmax
Krauthammer Is Right on Terror
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:05 AM
*By: Edward I. Koch*
Recently I read what I believe to be the very best column I've seen
criticizing President Obama's attitude and strategy in the war against
Islamic terrorism. The column was written by Charles Krauthammer and
entitled "War? What War?" I will be making references to his arguments.
In 2004, I supported George W. Bush for a second term as president
because I believed that the most important issue facing the United
States was the threat posed by Islamic terrorism, a life or death issue.
Even though I did not agree with President Bush on a single domestic
issue, I nevertheless supported him because I believed the Democratic
candidate, John Kerry, took positions that were not adequate for the
struggle ahead.
Moreover, I believed the Democratic Party was not up to the
responsibility to protect America and its allies from those in al-Qaida
and the Taliban who had made clear they were committed to murdering
every Christian, Jew, and Hindu who refused to convert to Islam or pay
tribute. I have no regrets in having taken that position.
When the choices for President were presented in 2008, the candidates
being Barack Obama and John McCain, I chose to support Barack Obama, who
called me on the telephone to say that if I had any questions on his
positions on different issues, he was ready to answer them.
I told candidate Obama that he did not have to worry about me and the
decision I would be announcing. He immediately asked would I go to
Florida and campaign for him in the large Jewish community in that
state. I said I would and I did.
I also campaigned for Obama in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Jewish
vote for Barack Obama was 75 percent of the votes cast by U.S. Jews, the
second highest ethnic and racial vote cast, the first being that of
African-Americans.
I hasten to add the size of the Jewish support had nothing to do with
me. The Jewish community is overwhelmingly liberal and could not abide
the thought of domestic issues being ill-served by another Republican
administration.
I discovered when I went to Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey that
those Jewish communities had already made up their mind and needed no
sales pitch from me.
I told this to Sen. Obama at the Alfred E. Smith dinner where he
appeared with Sen. John McCain shortly before the election. He was
generous in his praise of my efforts on his behalf, but I knew those
efforts were not needed to secure his victory.
Parenthetically, I should note the last time I spoke with the president
was when he called me at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital where I
stayed for five weeks in the intensive care unit recovering from the
effects of a quadruple bypass and complications.
I appreciated the president's call, as I did a similar call from former
President Bill Clinton. Former President George W. Bush did not call. I
told President Obama that his call would undoubtedly result in an
upgrading of my room. We did not discuss affairs of state.
Now to the Krauthammer column. He opens with a knockout punch, quoting
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano saying "the system worked"
when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian Muslim terrorist, was
apparently used by al-Qaida in an attempt to bring down an American
airliner with 288 people on board, over Detroit.
I won't cite all of the facts as to why the system, in fact, did not
work and how lucky we were that a Dutch passenger tackled and restrained
the terrorist. Why haven't we honored that brave civilian? And why
haven't we publicly shown appreciation to the two police officers who
risked their lives to take down the Fort Hood Muslim terrorist, Major
Nidal Hasan, before he could kill and maim others?
Krauthammer makes a telling point when he writes, "The reason the
country is uneasy about the Obama administration's response to this
attack is a distinct sense of not just incompetence but incomprehension.
From the very beginning, President Obama has relentlessly tried to
downplay and deny the nature of the terrorist threat we continue to
face. Napolitano renames terrorism "man-caused disasters." Obama goes
abroad and pledges to cleanse America of its post-9/11 counterterrorist
sins. Hence, Guantanamo will close. CIA interrogators will face a
special prosecutor, and Khalid Sheik Mohammed will bask in a civilian
trial in New York --- a trifecta of political correctness and image
management."
Krauthammer goes on to point out that the president has made a point of
banishing the phrase "war on terror." The President's initial statements
following the act of terrorism over Detroit were tepid, referring, as
Krauthammer notes, to Abdulmutallab as "an isolated extremist."
On the third day, apparently recognizing the inadequacy of his earlier
comments, he referred to the incident as potentially "catastrophic," and
the lack of adequate security measures as "systemic." In my opinion,
after the president finally recognized the gravity of the situation he
should have flown home from his vacation in Hawaii.
Krauthammer ended his column with another knockout punch, writing, "Any
government can, through laxity, let someone slip through the cracks. But
a government that refuses to admit that we are at war, indeed, refuses
even to name the enemy --- jihadist is a word banished from the Obama
lexicon --- turns laxity into a governing philosophy."
Mr. President, I hope you read the Krauthammer column. It is not too
late for you to recover from the setbacks you suffered in the year just
ended. Your commitment to battling Islamic terrorism led by al-Qaida,
which has a presence in an estimated 62 countries, must be believably
reaffirmed with both words and deeds.
You should not hesitate to denounce and take appropriate diplomatic,
economic, and military action to punish those states that permit
jihadists to flourish and train on their soil and ultimately attack the
United States.
Also, reverse your position on Guantanamo and try enemy combatants in
military courts.
Moreover, it is not enough to talk about energy independence. We should
be told by your energy secretary what progress has been made on a
quarterly basis with a press conference for follow-up questions.
Democrats have been seen as inadequate in the area of national security.
If that perception continues or grows, we will see not only the normal
loss expected in a bi-annual congressional election, but a rout with the
Republicans taking both Houses in November of this year.
Mr. President, there is a war on, not a police action. Tell the American
people and the world that we are at war so we can muster all our
resources to fight it and win.
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