In defense of Sen. Murray

Boy, stung from a real scandal, the GOP is now trying to manufacture one on the Democratic side.

So here's the deal:

Sen. Patty Murray intended to be provocative when she told a group of high school students terrorist leader Osama bin Laden is popular in poor countries because he helped pay for schools, roads and even day care centers. 

"We haven't done that," Murray said. "How would they look at us today if we had been there helping them with some of that rather than just being the people who are going to bomb in Iraq and go to Afghanistan?"

Got it? She said: the US would be more popular overseas if we built schools, rather than bomb. Osama builds schools (which he does). Therefore, Osama is more popular.

This is outrageous? So Drudge and all the jokers of the Mighty Wullitzer are making Murray out to be some kind of enemy sympathizer. Even better, they are asking her to resign. This even as known segregationists Lott and Ashcroft remain in public service.

I don't know if I can blame the wingnuts They have been pummeled to the ground the past few weeks, exposed as race-baiting hypocrits, and they are desperately looking to reignite the whole Coulteresque "Democrats love terrorist" argument.

I tend to think the nation has moved beyond knee-jerk responses to war criticism. Evaluated on its own, there is nothing in Murray's quote that can remotely be considered subversive or pro-OBL.

But until the US acknowledges the tactics that OBL has been using to great effect, and learns how to counteract them, we aren't going to get any closer to victory.

This should be friggin' obvious! It's Military Strategy 101!

Posted December 22, 2002 09:08 PM | Comments (76)