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Maureen Dowd has a thought

By Paul Walfield
web posted February 17, 2003

Columnist and self-proclaimed know-it-all Maureen Dowd had a thought, and began to write her article "Pass The Duct Tape," for the February 12, 2003 edition of the New York Times.

She seemed to sense that because Osama bin Laden in an audio tape had confirmed what the Bush Administration had been saying all along, that the terrorist group al-Qaida would align itself with the Iraqi regime, maybe the Administration was on to something, but, alas, she couldn't put two and two together.

Rather, she believes President Bush had been "rescued" by the mastermind of the 9-11 attack on America. Forget that President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell had made the case for a connection between the two. She simply scoffed at the evidence presented at the UN about the connection; Ms. Dowd would rather trash the Administration and see Osama jumping into action because America gave him the opportunity.

Ms. Dowd in all her wisdom determined that even though Osama declared his solidarity with Iraq, she preferred to look at his connections with Syria and Saudi Arabia without explaining why that matters or is relevant to the reality and danger of terrorists supporting and being supported by Saddam Hussein.

Forgetting the adage "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Ms. Dowd chooses to lament the former hostility of Osama for Saddam, and the "present" alliance of the two. Rather than expanding any thought of placing responsibility for America's current relations with Iraq or even the al-Qaida terrorists with Saddam or Osama, she chooses to blame the American President instead.

While admitting that bin Laden was squarely with Iraq and against the United States, like most folks who can't allow reality to interfere with their "beliefs," Ms. Dowd continues to argue without sound judgment. Referring to bin Laden's own words, "He barely mentioned the Iraqi leader and seemed to be holding his nose when he gave permission to his Qaeda brethren to fight 'the Crusaders' alongside Saddam's Baath Party."

Ms. Dowd's befuddlement over the alliance between terrorists and Iraq does not change the fact, that it is a fact. So, for the Left it requires a shift in blame.

Treating the alliance made in hell as a self-fulfilling prophecy of the Bush Administration, Ms. Dowd need not admit she was wrong or that the Bush Administration had been right all along. Rather she can point to her preconceived notion that there had never been cooperation before between the two, "Saddam has no proven record of sharing weapons with Al Qaeda."

It appears that for the Left, now that bin Laden admits to allying al Qaeda with Iraq it is "true," but when their own government said it, it wasn't.

Taking the word of a terrorist or tyrant is easy for the Left, taking the word of an American President or Secretary of State is not, unless of course, they are Democrats.

Undisturbed by the setback, Ms. Dowd attacks the Administration for exposing the truth, "So the Bushies no longer care if Osama sends a coded message to his thugs as long as he stays on message for the White House." Forgetting that al-Jazeera, the Middle Eastern television Network was going to air the tape in its entirety and that America was put on alert for an already planned terrorist attack raising the threat level to orange.

Ms. Dowd's pathological disdain for the Bush Whitehouse will not allow her to accept that not only was the Bush Administration right all along, but that action against the threats posed by terrorists and rogue nations is a cause worth fighting for.

Rather, Ms Dowd opines that "Osama might be perversely encouraging America in this war." Explaining that if we remove the Saddam regime, occupy Iraq, and install a Democratic form of government bringing freedoms heretofore unknown to the Iraqi people, we are simply playing into the hands of the terrorists and they win, we do not.

Speaking of perverse logic, Ms. Dowd believes that because America and Osama want a regime change in Iraq, America seeking democracy and freedom for the Iraqi people and Osama seeking the reverse, we have fallen into bin Laden's trap. So much for Maureen having thoughts.

Finally, Ms. Dowd, referring to the democratization of Iraq as a "model kitchen of democracy." However, she believes it might get messy and cost a lot. Of course, for Ms. Dowd, having a tyrant with weapons of mass destruction who gasses and tortures his own people isn't messy enough to do something about.

Ms. Dowd and the Whitehouse do have something in common though, they both see the use of Duct tape as not being adequate to protect the American people in the event of attacks by terrorists or rogue nations. However, the Bush Administration plans on taking action, Ms. Dowd just whines.

Paul Walfield is a freelance writer and member of the State Bar of California with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and post-graduate study in behavioral and analytical psychology. He resided for a number of years in the small town of Houlton, Maine and is now a California attorney. Paul can be contacted at paul.walfield@cox.net.

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