This is very much a partisan issue, but the author of this piece is a Democrat. Zell Miller is one of the few Dems I know of that is worthy of respect. Joe
National defense is one of the cardinal duties of a statesman. - John Adams, letter to James Lloyd, January, 1815 > SENATOR ZELL MILLER Addressing the US Senate, March 30, 2004 > (See pages S3350 and S3351 of the Congressional Record) > > "Mr. President, after watching the harsh acrimony generated by the September > 11 Commission - which, let me say at the outset, is made up of good and able > members - I have come to seriously question this panel's usefulness. I believe > it will ultimately play a role in doing great harm to this country, for its > unintended consequences, I fear, will be to energize our enemies and > demoralize our troops. > > After being drowned in a tidal wave of all who didn't do enough before 9/11, I > have come to believe that the Commission should issue a report that says: > > "No one did enough. In the past, no one did near enough." > > And then thank everybody for serving, send them home, and let's get on with > the job of protecting this country in the future. Tragically, these hearings > have proved to be a very divisive diversion for this country. Tragically, > they have devoured valuable time looking backward, instead of looking forward. > > Can you imagine handling the attack on Pearl Harbor this way? > > Can you imagine Congress, the media, and the public standing for this kind of > political gamesmanship and finger-pointing after that day of infamy in > 1941? > > Some partisans tried that ploy, but they were soon quieted by the patriots who > understood how important it was to get on with the war and take the battle to > America's enemies and not dwell on what FDR knew, when. > > You see, back then the highest priority was to win a war, not to win an > election. > > That is what made them the greatest generation. I realize that many well- > meaning Americans see these hearings as democracy in action. Years ago when I > was teaching political science, I probably would have had my class watching it > live on television and using that very same phrase with them. There are also > the not-so-well-meaning political operatives who see these hearings as an > opportunity to score cheap points. And then there are the media meddlers who > see this as great theater that can be played out on the evening news and on > endless talk shows for a week or more. > > Congressional hearings have long been one of Washington's most entertaining > pastimes. Joe McCarthy, Watergate, Iran-Contra--they all kept us glued to the > TV and made for conversations around the water coolers or arguments over a > beer at the corner pub. A congressional hearing in Washington, DC is the > ultimate aphrodisiac for political groupies and partisan punks. But it is not > the groupies, punks, and television-sotted American public that I am worried > about. This latter crowd can get excited and divided over just about anything, > whether it is some off-key wannabe dreaming of being the American idol, or > what brainless bimbo "The Bachelor" or "Average Joe" will choose, or who > Donald Trump will fire next week. > > No, it is the real enemies of America that I am concerned about. These evil > killers who right now are gleefully watching the shrill partisan finger- > pointing of these hearings and grinning like a mule eating briars. They see > this as a major split within the great Satan, America. > > They see anger. They see division, instability, bickering, peevishness, and > dissension. They see the President of the United States hammered unmercifully. > They see all this, and they are greatly encouraged. > > > > > We should not be doing anything to encourage our enemies in this battle > between good and evil. Yet these hearings, in my opinion, are doing just that. > > We are playing with fire. We are playing directly into the hands of our enemy > by allowing these hearings to become the great divider they have become. Dick > Clarke's book and its release coinciding conveniently with these hearings have > done this country a tremendous disservice, and some day we will reap its > whirlwind. > > Long ago, Sir Walter Scott observed that revenge is "the sweetest morsel that > ever was cooked in hell." The vindictive Clarke has now had his revenge, but > what kind of hell has he, his CBS publisher, and his axe-to-grind advocates > unleashed? > > These hearings, coming on the heels of the election the terrorists influenced > in Spain, bolster and energize our evil enemies as they have not been > energized since 9/11. Chances are very good that these evil enemies of America > will attempt to influence our 2004 election in a similar dramatic way as they > did Spain's. And to think that could never be in this country is to stick your > head in the sand. > > That is why the sooner we stop this endless bickering over the past and join > together to prepare for the future, the better off this country will be. There > are some things -- whether this city believes it or not -- that are just more > important than political campaigns. The recent past is so ripe for political > second-guessing, "gotcha," and Monday morning quarterbacking. > > And it is so tempting in an election year. We should not allow ourselves to > indulge that temptation. We should put our country first. Every > administration, from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush, bears some of the blame. > Dick Clarke bears a big heap of it, because it was he who was in the catbird's > seat to do something about it for more than a decade. > > Tragically, that was the decade in which we did the least. We did nothing > after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in 1993, killing six and > injuring more than a thousand Americans. We did nothing in 1996 when 16 U.S. > servicemen were killed in the bombing of the Khobar Towers. When our > embassies were attacked in 1998, killing 263 people, our only response was to > fire a few missiles on an empty tent. > > Is it any wonder after that decade of weak-willed responses to murderous > terror, our enemies thought we would never fight back? In the 1990s is when > Dick Clarke should have resigned. In the 1990s is when he should have > apologized. > > That is when he should have written his book -- that is, if he really had > America's best interests at heart. Now, I know some will say we owe it to the > families to get more information about what happened in the past, and I can > understand that. But no amount of finger-pointing will bring our victims back. > So now we owe it to the future families and all of America now in jeopardy not > to encourage more terrorists, resulting in even more grieving families -- > perhaps many times over the ones of 9/11. It is obvious to me that this > country is rapidly dividing itself into two camps -- the wimps and the > warriors: the ones who want to argue and assess and appease, and the ones who > want to carry this fight to our enemies and kill them before they kill us. > > In case you have not figured it out, I proudly belong to the latter. This is a > time like no other time in the history of this country. This country is being > crippled with petty partisan politics of the worst possible kind. In time of > war, it is not just unpatriotic. It is stupid. It is criminal. > > > > > So I pray that all this time, all this energy, all this talk, and all of the > attention could be focused on the future instead of the past. I pray we would > stop pointing fingers and assigning blame and wringing our hands about what > happened on that day David Acuology has called "the worst day in all our > history" more than two years ago, and instead, pour all our energy into how we > can kill these terrorists before they kill us -- again. > > Make no mistake about it: They are watching these hearings and they are > scheming and smiling about the distraction and the divisiveness that they see > in America. And while they might not know who said it years ago in America, > they know instinctively that a house divided cannot stand. > > There is one other group that we should remember is listening to all of this -- > our troops. I was in Iraq in January. One day, when I was meeting with the > 1st Armored Division, a unit with a proud history, known as Old Ironsides, we > were discussing troop morale, and the commanding general said it was top > notch. > > I turned to the division's sergeant major, the top enlisted man in the > division, a big, burly 6-foot-3, 240 pound African American, and I > said: "That's good, but how do you sustain that kind of morale?" With no > hesitation, he narrowed his eyes, and he looked at me and said: "The morale > will stay high just as long as these troops know the people back home support > us." > > "Just as long as the people back home support us." > > What kind of message are these hearings and the outrageously political > speeches on the floor of the Senate yesterday sending to the marvelous young > Americans in the uniform of our country? > > I say: Unite America! Before it is too late. Put aside these petty partisan > differences when it comes to the protection of our people. Argue and argue and > argue, debate and debate and debate over all the other things, such as jobs, > education, the deficit, and the environment. But please, please do not use the > lives of Americans and the security of this country as a cheap-shot political > talking point." > > ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
