Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing

Howard Dean's statements are nothing if not boisterous. Here's an example of Dean's rantings:

"Now that President Bush has heeded Democrats call to declassify the NIE report, the American people can decide on its merits for themselves. Facts are stubborn things.

"And unfortunately the Bush Administration has repeatedly chosen to ignore the facts when they're inconvenient, and make them up when they don't support their rigid ideology. This is no way to run a country or a war. It's telling that President Bush failed to say whether there were White House meetings on Osama bin Laden before the 9/11 attacks, but unfortunately this is one of many questions left answered about the lead up to the war in Iraq.

"Nothing changes the fact that President Bush's failed leadership and war of choice in Iraq have made us less safe and hampered our ability to fight and win the global war on terror. Democrats want a new direction for our country and will fight the war on terror based on the facts and guidance from our military and intelligence officials."

After skimming through the NIE's key findings, it's obvious that Dean's yapping is more worrisome than the report. Dean says that President Bush ignores "the facts when they're inconvenient" but I don't hear him touting this from the NIE:

Greater pluralism and more responsive political systems in Muslim majority nations would alleviate some of the grievances jihadists exploit. Over time, such progress, together with sustained, multifaceted programs targeting the vulnerabilities of the jihadist movement and continued pressure on al-Qa'ida, could erode support for the jihadists.

In other words, the NIE thinks that democracies that have codified freedom of religion and freedom of speech into their constitutions would "alleviate some of the grievances jihadists exploit." I wonder why Dean's party doesn't adopt as policy the creation of a pluralistic Iraqi democracy.

Here's something else that the Democratic Party hasn't mentioned:

The Iraq conflict has become the cause celebre for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement. Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight.

In other words, it's the consensus agreement within the intelligence community that defeating the terrorists in the Muslim world would deal the terrorists a severe blow, both in capability, support and morale. Dean is right. Facts are stubborn things. Appearing on Special Report's roundtable, Charles Krauthammer characterized the report as a "On the one hand, on the other hand" report. Based on what I've read, I'd say that's exactly how I'd characterize it.

It's far from being the smoking gun that Nancy Pelosi said it was. The only person who could say that this proves that Democrats are right and Republicans are wrong is someone spinning this beyond recognition.

Here's another Dean 'masterpiece':

"The Bush administration said we need to take the fight to the terrorists 'over there' so they don't attack us here at home, but this intelligence report essentially confirms what Democrats have been saying for months: the war in Iraq has actually made us less safe right here at home. The administration has not only repeatedly misled the American people about the war in Iraq; we now know their failed policies have exacerbated the terrorist threat around the globe. And as the midterm elections near, the administration expects the American people to trust them to handle the war in Iraq and the war on terror. What they don't seem to understand is that they have lost all credibility with the American people."

In one way, Dean's got the easiest job in the world. No matter what the issue is, Dean can ignore facts and information and say whatever he wants because his diatribes are fact free. How would you like a job where you could make things up and not lose your job over it?

After reading the NIE's key findings, it's dishonest to say that the NIE "confirms what Democrats have been saying for months: the war in Iraq has actually made us less safe right here at home." In fact, it's far more condemnatory to the Democratic position of not seeing the mission through in Iraq. How can Dean read "Greater pluralism and more responsive political systems in Muslim majority nations would alleviate some of the grievances jihadists exploit..." and tell us that this argues for pulling out of Iraq? Gov. Dean obviously hasn't learned that facts are stubborn things.

For all his bluster, he's no closer to convincing the American people that the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq is hampering the US's ability to prosecute the GWOT. For that matter, he hasn't convinced voters that the Bush administration's decisions to implement the NSA intercept program and their use of the Patriot Act and other programs are "failed policies."

Serious people know better than to believe Dean's assertions that President Bush's policies are that misguided. If the President's policies were as misguided as Gov. Dean suggests, we wouldn't have stayed attack-free for 5 years like we have. We wouldn't have captured as many HVT's as we have. We wouldn't have thwarted as many terrorist plots as we have.

That isn't opinion; that's fact.

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Posted Wednesday, September 27, 2006 3:57 AM

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