not only Democrats are to blame

Submitted by AA Tulchin (United States), Dec 27, 2005 at 10:07

Complacency is a real problem; I'm not convinced Pipes has picked on the right targets, however. He only attacks Democrats, and this should really be a bi-partisan issue: Republicans have also contributed heavily to the problem.

For example, Pres. Bush's policy-failures in Iraq, and his Administration's failure to get Bin-Laden, may have far more serious consequences for American national security than the weakening of the Patriot Act legislation. Similarly, consider the Republican hijacking of Homeland Security money. The formula gives far more anti-terrorism money to rural states that don't seriously face terrorist threats (but do have Republican Senators) than to places like New York and California that do. Isn't that just as much a sign of complacency?

If Pipes is ...really concerned with complacency, he'll examine everyone's behavior on this issue. If we turn terrorism into a stick to beat our political opponents with, we guarantee that the public will become disgusted, and complacency wins.

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