23 January
by John Vomastic
Disturbing Sound Bites from the State
of the Union Address
The President in his State of the
Union Address received wild applause when he stated, “the terrorists and their
supporters declared war on the United States - and war is what they got.” This
is a great sound bite but at best it is a half-truth and at worst a deliberate
falsification.
The terrorists who declared war on America were al Qaeda. I agreed with the
pursuit of al Qaeda and the Taliban who provided them sanctuary in Afghanistan.
Iraq was different. I can’t recall Iraq or Saddam ever declaring war on the
United States? Did any of the 19 terrorists aboard the airplanes of 9/11 come
from Iraq? Was Iraq even remotely involved in planning the events of 9/11? Even
you admitted Mr. President that there were no connections between Iraq and al
Qaeda. Please forgive me, Mr. President, if I role my eyes like Senator Ted
Kennedy, did so often during your speech and I repeat a phrase used by President
Reagan during the presidential debates, “There You Go Again.”
Another sound bite that got a rousing ovation was, "America will never seek
a permission slip to defend the security of our people."
I don’t have a problem using preemptive force when it is absolutely necessary.
Hans Blix, the former chief U.N. weapons inspector said there were only two
justifications for preemptive war: the presence of a threat of armed action
credibly documented, and an urgency that does not tolerate delay. Over the last
50 years there have been dozens of U.N resolutions condemning the actions of
Israel, but the U.N. did not condemn their preemptive actions in the 1967 war
because it met the conditions outlined above.
It’s one thing for a playground bully to declare, “I don’t need an excuse to
whip your butt.” It’s a totally different situation when those actions result
in preemptive war between two sovereign nations.
President Johnson agonized over every decision he made during the Vietnam War
and eventually announced that he would not seek a second term. But when I watched
you, Mr. President, as you read these lines from you scripted speech, I saw
something totally different. You seemed to relish and thoroughly enjoy the response
that these phrases evoked. While flag-waving patriots may love these saber-rattling
sound bites, I’ve got to tell you, Mr. President, it left me quite uncomfortable.