Bhutto and the Left.
When Benazir Bhutto announced her return to Pakistan, Al Qaeda and their Islamic allies repeatedly promised to kill her. Shortly after her arrival, the terrorists wrapped a baby in explosives and tried to hand it to her. They killed many, but failed in their objective.
But despite the terrorists many warnings and attempts, many on the Left have decided (shock of shocks) to blame Bush for the assassination. How very brave.
Frankly, since Bhutto spent her life railing against Islamism, I'm rather surprised they are even feigning respect for her. If she had been an American, they would have demonized her as a neocon.
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As I was reading The Death of the Grown-Up last week, I began thinking about the root cause of the Left's "blame America first" reflex. I'm beginning to think that their anti-Western sentiment is primarily a childlike defense mechanism. Just look at today's news from Pakistan as an example.
That nation is a complicated place, with an endless array of social, political and religious forces vying for disparate goals. Bhutto herself was a complex person. Sure, she was pro-Western, well-educated and seemingly moderate, but she also engaged in severe corruption and the common thuggery of Pakistani politics. Her endless list of enemies provided a huge suspect pool and what happens next in Pakistan is impossible to determine.
This complexity provides uncertainty. And uncertainty breeds fear. Add in Pakistan's nukes and the fear can quickly turn to panic. So, some of our leftists make like a child and simplify the equation: "Well I know that the assassination is evil. And Bush is evil. Therefore, Bush is responsible. QED." The uncertainty goes away and they can get back to their nap.
Moving to a broader issue, many in the West often feel powerless in the battle with irrational, medieval and violent Islamofascism. "We've tried reason, negotiation and empathy, yet they still seek our destruction!" So how does the Left remove this fearful impotence? Well, they can change their own government through democratic politics. Like a child trying to please an alcoholic parent, the Left will just try to be better "world citizens" to make the Muslim world like them.
"Sure, there is a problem in the world, but it's our fault and we can change that." The uncertainty and powerlessness that cause fear are now gone. Better yet, criticizing Western institutions and leaders is utterly safe. You can mock Bush all you want and you won't have suicide bombers at your front door.
UPDATE 12/28: A lot of traffic to this post... welcome to all. Continuing coverage here.
So...
Bush Republicans are still sold on the idea that leaving Al Quada alone in Pakistan and, instead, invading Iraq was a smart move by the Bush administration?!!?
Sorry, our attitude isn't "Blame America First."
70% of the America people think Bush is utterly incompetent.
Our attitude is that Bush and his Loyal Bushies are complete idiots.
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Jan, are you recommending an invasion of Waziristan? If so, perhaps the netroots and neocons do share some common ground.
I certainly agree with you that Bush hasn't been nearly tough enough on the terrorists.
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Actually, Jan is revising history to suggest that liberals were calling for an invasion of a nation with a functional and nominally friendly government that has actually aided in the war on terror. Oh, and by the way, has nuclear weapons. Who has a near shooting war almost always on the boil with their neighbor India (also our nominal ally, also a nuclear state), kept at bay only by the government's containment of Islamic extremists. As opposed to the invasion and subduing and ongoing reconstruction of a warlord run country harboring the masterminds of 9/11 as well as a rogue state that was a sponsor and logistical hub for terror organizations for less combat casualties than America lost on D-Day.
And Bush is the idiot.
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Can you support your claim that Bhutto spent her entire life railing against Islamism?
Sure she started speaking of stamping out extremism and militancy after she returned to Pakistan this year but thats because she knew that is the only way to secure the backing of the U.S. She knows that America would not allow any leader other than Musharraf to emerge as a viable alternative unless he/she promised to be on their side in the war against terror.
Ever wonder why whenever speaking about the democratic process in Pakistan, the Bush administration always talked about Benazir, and never mentions Nawaz Sharif, the leader of Pakistan's second largest political party who is not expected to align himself as closely with the U.S. as the 'Darling of the West' Bhutto would have?
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Jags, Bhutto did begin to ramp up her rhetorical attacks on Islamism post 9-11. And back in the '90s, she had no problem with the Taliban because, like many Pakistani leaders, she thought a pacified Afghanistan would remove a major headache for Lahore. Her conversion was music to Western leaders. But she was not new to this struggle.
Pakistan is a nation riven by major cultural divides: Urban vs. Rural, Modern vs. Traditional, Western vs. Eastern. On each of these divides, Bhutto sided opposite from the Islamists. The very act of being a powerful female leader was a deep, deep insult to those who would choose a Wahabbist-style sharia. My post reflected this lifelong struggle against her more fundamentalist countrymen.
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We were supposed to invade4 Pakistan? Who knew except you and Obama. I supposed you had that little nuke thing figured out also. Talk about the death of the Grown up.
On another note. When Bhutto was Prime Minister she was anything but anti-Islamist. She only voiced these opinions in the West. in fact much of the misogynistic laws currently in place are attributable fist to her father than her. Pakistan is well on its way to becoming a whahbbi paradise: hell on Earth.
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Americans both Left and Right seem to go out of their way to ignore the Coming of the Qaim (May 23, 1844) and the Mahdi (1853-1892 Micah 7:15) promised in the Muslim prophecies and holy writings.
Americans seem oblivious to the power they would have after PUBLICLY INITIATING a DIALOGUE that gets past the antagonism of mullahs and imams, and lets Muslims hear of the Good News of the Coming of the Glory of God, Baha'u'llah.
The authentic Person of the Rightly-Guided Word of God, His being is enough to transform hundreds of millions of Muslims IF they can learn of His coming, a historical reality that power-hungry mullahs and ignorant imams desperately seek to keep the mass of Muslims from learning!
Bhutto, Musharraf and others can effect some change, but will be most effective and most positively creative when they work to hasten humankind's coming encounter with Baha'u'llah.
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We were supposed to invade4 Pakistan? Who knew except you and Obama. I supposed you had that little nuke thing figured out also. Talk about the death of the Grown up.
On another note. When Bhutto was Prime Minister she was anything but anti-Islamist. She only voiced these opinions in the West. in fact much of the misogynistic laws currently in place are attributable fist to her father than her. Pakistan is well on its way to becoming a whahbbi paradise: hell on Earth.
Reply to this