Comments on: We Are Not The Cause

NRO: When Will Americans Stop Blaming Themselves?

[rbiggs6969]

We Are Not The Cause?
I am sorry, but what does that have to do with the question of whether or not Iraq was a tactical error or not? It is absurd. We have spent billions and billions of dollars in Iraq, sacraficed the lives of thousands of American soldiers, and killed tens of thousands of people. Is it so hard to imagine that with a little more *foresight*, a little more *planning* and a little more *listening* to our intelligence and military communities, we might have spent our resources in a more productive manner? Like actually killing terrorists instead insurgents? Or shutting down terrorist training camps around the world instead of creating a civil war? Or how about actually following the 9/11 commission's reccomendations to secure our airports? Remember, terrorists were able to pull off 9/11 not because our constitution forbids us to torture detainees. They pulled off 9/11 because we failed to check their *** passports and failed to properly screen them at the airport.

Bush predicted we would be greeted as liberators following an easy 30 day war that would spread hope and freedom across the middle east. All of which would pay for itself in oil.

Opponents of the war predicted that the invasion would create chaos and entagle our troops in a prolonged occupation that could very well lead to a civil war.

Who was right, and who was wrong? When are we going to stop listening to people who are consistantly and devistatingly wrong??

[mrandall7]

Mr. Goldblatt, the arguments presented in your editorial are so fundamentally flawed it bothers me that you actually have a job writing. First, in referencing the rise of the Taliban, anyone with a brain would realize that by withdrawing from Afghanistan soon after the Soviets did (once our interests were acheived), leaving their people in the lurch, it sowed the seeds for the kind of Anti-Americanism we are seeing today. How could it not? Obviously not the only reason, but to think that didn't have something (or a something major) to do with it is just naive. Glad that'll never happen again! Uh, wait.. Second, your pathetic attempt at the whole Al Queda/Iraq thing is just boring and sad at this point. Who gives a rat's behind what bin Laden thought of Hussein? I'm more interested in why we have a mere FRACTION of our military LOOKING for him! HE attacked us on 9/11. NOT Hussein. Period. I get it. They were both bad people. Saddam had "rape rooms" etc.. blech. It's a disgusting misuse of our brave soldiers -- many of whom enlisted BECAUSE of 9/11 -- to have them in Iraq setting up and protecting permanaent oil bases. Last -- bumper sticker time: terrorism CANNOT BE DEFEATED. EVER. To think so is just so stupid. Contained? Yes. Diminished? Absolutely. But defeated? Impossible. Ohwait there is one way to defeat terrorist: Bombs (and billions $) away!!! You are a hack.

[patriotic9]

Alanrobisch2
All the human beings living in this world are GOD NEGLECTED PEOPLE because of not being born in a race chosen by God and that's why've not been promised a single penny from God.Whereas those Europeans who've been brought into Palestine after WWII are GOD CHOSEN PEOPLE because of being born in a race chosen by God so they've been promised a land in the Middle East.Human beings not be treated on the basis of their actions but should be treated as GOD NEGLECTED or GOD CHOSEN on the basis of the race they are born in .This ideology is called RACISM and INJUSTICE.Anybody who is against this ideology is ANTI-RACISM.If some body believes that human beings've been created equal and they are not supposed to be treated differently because of their race,is ANTI-SEMATIC,then SIR THOMAS JEFFERSON was also ANTI-SEMATIC.

[jumkey]

Shorter Mark Goldblatt:

Some would argue that if we invaded a country and killed thousands of their citizens for no apparent reason this might make them retaliate against us. We've simply got to ignore that and kill more of them.

[patriotic9]

siddin
You just don't care to respond,you just don't care to hear about an issue which is causing the deaths of Americans?You don't care about American money and American lives.Are you among one of those enemies of USA who don't care because Americans are GOD NEGLECTED.By the way,if you would not care to respond you would not have posted your message as a response.It is another clear evidence that the point I raised was valid and the main cause of all the problems of America and it's people the RADICAL,RACIST and UNJUST IDEOLOGY which consider us Americans as GOD NEGLECTED and the EUROPEAN INVADERS IN PALESTINE as GOD CHOSEN.Thanks for correcting my spelling mistake though.Just like I acknowledged my mistake,Evey loyal citizen,eventhough if they had been associated with this RACIST and UNJUST ANTI AMERICAN IDEOLOGY in past,should now becaome loyal Americans and raise their voices against this discrimination against the Americans.

[jpfrizz]

It always comes down to just a small list of problems with America: Our religious beliefs, our freedoms, and our success. These are the things that the majority of the Muslim world holds against us. Of course, they will find specific items to hold against us: Israel, World War II reapportionment,Iraq, and our economy that thrives on oil. Truth is, hatred cannot be appeased, regardless of the cloak it hides under. Our liberlism and lack of clarity threatens our continued existence. I am relatively sure that these jihadists would think of other reasons if these current ones did not exist. It is clear they are focused on the subjugation of the world to Islam, or more specifically, their view of Islam. Tolerance on the part of the Muslim community to opposing beliefs and lifestyles are truly the only way to achieve harmony. When the moderates become more critical of the extremists and begin to reinforce that to future generations, then terrorism will be on its deathbed.

[alanrobisch]

I see first anti-semitism. The Israeli existence is an affront to islam. According to Islam Jews are pigs literally and to be hated. Why because it says so in the Koran. Why my opinion is that because the Jews that occupied Israel for almost 1200 yrs dared to defend themselves against the onslaught of muslim arabs who eventually conquered all of the middle east. It wasn't done with diplomacy but armies. At one time christianiity was the dominant religious faith in the middle east buts its strength was destroyed by a militant Islam.

It would seem that some feel that we should allow Israel to be destroyed or at very least abandon them. We are sworn by treaty to support them and by ties cultural we are their brothers.

The present problems seem to represent from what I can see a resentment of western culture and the current success of that western culture. Our gulf war and the support of the taliban all helped to energize this resentment.

Our current invasion of Iraq helped, but did not create this resentment. An abandoment of our effort their would be harmful because we would leave an even less stable govt with the probability of an extended civil war resulting in a new probably Islamic dictatorship which would probably support continued terrorism.

[siddin-2009]

patriotic9 we don't care to respond to you because we get tired of hearing the same talking points on every news station, radio station and now from you... we just don't care to hear it anymore.

[patriotic9]

It seems like nobody has the answer to the points I raised which is a very clear evident proof that the main cause of all the problems and terrorism around the globe is not to considered human beings as equally created and the RADICAL,RACIST and UNJUST ideology of supporting ISRAEL on the cost of AMERICAN MONEY and AMERICAN LIVES becasue Americans are GOD NEGLECTED and the EUROPEAN INVADERS IN PALESTINE are GOD CHOOSEN.Somebody please tell me;
1)If we are really patriotic and loyal Americans and we care about the interest of american people which is based on oil,WHY SHOULD WE TAKE OIL IN CHEAPER PRICES FROM ARABS AND THEN SUPPORT THEIR THOSE ENEMIES WHO WERE BROUGHT IN THEIR LAND AFTER WWII TO COCUPY IT BY FORCE?
2)WHAT BENIFITS WE ENJOY BY CONSIDERING AMERICANS AS GOD NEGLECTED AND EUROPEAN INVADERS IN PALESTINE AS GOD CHOOSEN?

[xfredmenzies]

Wow, these Republican talking points sure get dull after a while.

[pakaal]

"...to argue that the war in Iraq was ill-conceived because it might serve as a recruitment tool for al Qaeda is absurd."

True enough. What we can honestly say, however, is that the war in Iraq was ill-conceived, ill-planned and ill-timed, and that we had a legitimate war in Afghanistan that we were misled into retreating from, by shrieking about a faux threat in Iraq, resulting in a worldwide loss of faith that America had sincere, honorable intentions.

In addition, your argument that a single 2002 quote from Bin Laden encapsulates the breadth of grievances against the US is missing the fact that the WTC towers were first attacked in 1993, long before the quote you attribute as evidence. Bin-Laden has a plethora of reasons as to why he's attacking, you can't put a simple "this is why" to the situation because it doesn't stick.

Focus on Iraq as much as you want, the Taliban is growing in Afghanistan because we left the job half-done, and Al-Qaeda is growing in Iraq because Rumsfeld specifically told military leaders they'd be fired if they recommended a post-Saddam regime game plan:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2006_09/009469.php

You're right. Let's stop blaming ourselves, let's start putting the blame where it belongs - inept Bush administration actions backed by a Neocon agenda that is woefully ignorant of world reality.

[cjw3cma]

The author stated, "...if America hadn't invaded Iraq, the United Nations would presumably still be enforcing sanctions against Saddam's regime %u2014 sanctions which were killing thousands of Iraqi children each month..."

The why hasn't this administration invaded Dafur?

Your logic is flawed.

[patriotic9]

Off coarse America is not the cause of terrorism.Cause of the problem is those enemies of United States who don't believe in the constitution of USA,which forbids the involvement of religion into politics by separating church from state.Who want to support the ILLEGITIMATE and UNJUSTIFIED existance of Israel on the cost of American money and American lives because Israel is a HOLY LAND whereas America which gives them everything is not,Those EUROPEAN INVADERS IN PALESTINE,who don't live in USA,don't pay tax to our govt.,cause HATRED,ANIMOSITY and 9/11 against our nation are GOD CHOOSEN whereas Americans are GOD NEGLECTED.If we Americans become the victim of terrorism because of our different moral standards,why 9/11 was not planned against those European countries where women are topless in public,*** marriage is legal,prostitution is openly practiced as a legal buisness and people drink alcohal even at work.We Americans need to do one thing.We should become loyal to USA,it's people and it's constitution which separates church from state and raise our voices against the RACIST,UNJUST and RADICAL IDEOLOGY which asks GOD NEGLECTED AMERICANS to sacrifice their lives and money for the GOD CHOOSEN EUROPEAN INVADERS IN PALESTINE.

[minang1]

No wonder the conclusion. Goldblatt sounds jewish. And he always supports Israel, regardless whether Israel killed thousands of innocent people. So...just take his conclusion and opinion as a joke.

[iloveusa-2009]

He's right that Isreal is the cause of most of our problems in this regard. We chose them over a democratic Iran and have been paying for it ever since.

[jeff776]

I agreee mr. Goldblatt that America isn't nessicarily the cause but to say,

"It's Muslim civilization, not America, that must change in order for Islamic terrorism to cease."

well its only half true. America needs to look at what it can do also and this is not caving into the terrorism it is prevenative measures with respect towards other cultures and most importantly human lives. Seek the bad ones out and do what we can to assist but leveling countries to anarchy sure doesn't help prevent future problems.