Wednesday, September 03, 2014

Study Harder

The Obama administration admits that Bush-Cheney homeland security programs make the threat of the Islamic State less urgent because we can fight off any attacks from them here. Perhaps the Obama administration would like to learn some lessons from the Bush administration about fighting the enemy "over there" so we don't have to fight them "over here."

Well, it's nice that the Bush administration did something right in President Obama's eyes:

"The good news is that we actually have a unprecedented military capacity, and since 9/11 have built up a security apparatus that makes us in the here and now pretty safe. We have to be vigilant, but this doesn’t immediately threaten the homeland. What it does do, though, is it gives a sense, once again, for future generations, is the world going to be upended in ways that affect our kids and our grandkids."

Of course, Obama, who has blamed much on his predecessor, did not name Bush and Cheney.

But who "built up a security apparatus" after 9/11? President George W. Bush, with the assistance of his faithful vice president, Dick Cheney.

So President Obama has that going for him for our inner line of defense.

Perhaps President Obama might want to study the lessons of the 43 team about foreign policy, too, given that the Obama administration abandoned Iraq after 2011 and ignored the growing jihadi problems there until our recent tentative steps to re-engage in Iraq.

Because as his Secretary of State once meant to say about fighting in Iraq, "Do you know where you end up if you don't study, if you aren't smart, if you're intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush."

Do recall that President Bush didn't get us stuck in Iraq as much as he pursued victory until we won in Iraq.

So instead of asking Bush about getting stuck in Iraq, maybe one should ask President Obama. He once boasted of the success made possible by the Bush victory, as much as he boasts now about our homeland defenses.

Hmm. Maybe that National Preparedness Month isn't a bad idea after all.