Thank goodness for ‘intelligence-gathering and law enforcement operations’

August 10, 2006

I had hoped to avoid discussing today’s announcement about the thwarted terrorist plot in any kind of political context, but after seeing one too many far-right voices connect the plot with Ned Lamont’s campaign, I’m afraid I can’t help myself.

Will Bunch had the exact same reaction I did in response to today’s news.

Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Most of the big victories in “the war on terror” have been racked up by cops, not by soldiers. Why, it’s almost as if terrorism is a law-enforcement problem — and less of a threat when it’s handled well in that fashion.

Bingo. After reading more this morning about how British officials used an effective, “months-long investigation” that relied on meticulous intelligence-gathering and an efficient law enforcement operation, I kept thinking back to the 2004 presidential campaign and one of the president’s favorite stump-speech moments.

To be sure, Bush bashed John Kerry relentlessly in his standard speech, but the president had an inordinate fondness for the derisive use of the phrase “law enforcement operation.” Bush, for example, told a Florida audience on March 20:

“Kerry said, and I quote, ‘The war on terror is far less of a military operation and far more of an intelligence-gathering law enforcement operation.’ (Audience boos.) I disagree. I disagree….. After the chaos and carnage of September the 11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers. With those attacks, the terrorists and supporters declared war on the United States of America — and war is what they got. (Audience applauds.)

Bush, pleased with himself and the reaction, used almost the identical words again and again and again. Cheney used it a few times himself.

It was pretty easy to see the image Bush wanted the public to imagine. Bush believes in sending the most powerful military in the world to battle terrorists, Kerry was satisfied fighting al Queda with cops and lawyers.

Today, however, helps highlight exactly what Kerry was talking about, and what Bush derided as nonsense to considerable Republican applause.

George Bush knew about this investigation for months. He knew that the tempo of the plotters was quickening for weeks. So where was George Bush when the plot was thwarted? On vacation.

  • Good point CB.

    Already made it, but a good point 😉

    When you also factor in the relative costs of conducting a ‘war’ in Iraq versus a ‘intelligence and police operation’ here, it becomes even more painfully ironic.

  • Phillip,

    1) Skeletor claimed at his press conference this morning that teh US was only informed after the US was confirmed as the destination of the planes. I don’t think we need to go too far of fthe deep end. I don’t give Bush that much credit.

    2) He is actually not on vacation as much as he is in Wisconsin campaigning for some congressional candidate who loves Jesus, hates pornography, and thinks gays should be sent to re-education camps.

    Either way he sure isn’t in Washington.

  • Needless to say, the TeeVee and GameBoy crowd sees terrorism as an “evil force” to combated in a “war of terror” (or, in the case of the Bush Crime Family, a demagogic opportunity to spread fear and hatred). The tactics relied on by terrorists are clearly criminal and must be responded to that way. Like murder or extortion, we all agree on its badness; there are no “sides” to be for or against. That’s why we need political *leaders* — to remind the TeeVee-GameBoy crowd that it isn’t a game, where you either cheer for “our side” or you’re a traitor.

  • From what I heard on the radio this morning, Bushco only learned about the plot from (Yo) Blair within the past week. Thank God they didn’t learn it sooner — woulda given ’em more time to fuck it up.

  • Great post CB.

    The fact that that simpleton’s bullshit got him reelected makes me want to break things and /or cry.

    What a fucking stupid country. That’s all I can say.

  • He is actually not on vacation as much as he is in Wisconsin campaigning for some congressional candidate who loves Jesus, hates pornography, and thinks gays should be sent to re-education camps.

    Yep.

    Ironing the swastika out into a cross… is hard work.

  • Yes, Jim, if the Bush administration had heard about it earlier, they’d likely have blown the operation entirely as long as there was a political gain from it. Probably they’d have leaked something about it to try to help Lieberman. It’s always politics above security (or any other consideration) with this crowd.

  • I seem to remember another instance where the Bush crowd screwed up an anti-terrorist operation because they revealed information prior to the Brits being ready to move on their intelligence.
    With that in mind, it would make sense that the Brits would not share with the US until they were ready to actually made their arrests.

  • Well, THAT didn’t take to long. Timing is everything, will the October surprise be staged by the Cheney administration in August?
    Tueday’s election was getting old………LOOK AT THE SHINY OBJECT!!!!!!!!! Be afraid, very, very afraid, and be sure to blame it all on those idiotic, crazed, extreme left-wing Connecticut voters. Uncle Dick told us this would happen.
    They must do things differently at British airports, because when the undeniable liberal last flew in April, a Zippo lighter was confiscated from his carry-on bag.
    Faux spews must be currently in the throes of a tremendous “we told you so” wargasm.
    The undeniable liberal is trembling in 100% hemp hippie sandals. Must see what Lush Bimbo says so I know what to think………Unka Dick, shoot ’em all in the face!

  • Today’s events will reinforce for the Republicans recent polling that says the only thing people still trust them to do even halfway right is fight terror. They will get credit and use this to frighten everyone even if they were not in on the investigation. The winning comparison above, law enforcement verses military action needs to be a lesson learned be Democrats this fall. We need to show that we are right and have been right about how to keep America safe all along.

  • Bush really loves the straw man. “There may be those who want the terrorists to win….” Oh, really? Who? That’s the trouble with the “War” imagery – presumably there are two “sides” — defined as Good vs. Evil — and you must choose Bush’s (by definition Good). If it’s “Crime”, however, aren’t we all on the same side? All except those who have no respect for law (e.g., the Bush Crime Family).

    That’s what so stupid about the TeeVee/GameBoy nation we’ve become. We’re forced to conflate the already simple-minded dichotomies “Good guys vs. Bad guys” with “Cop vs. Robbers”.

  • I beginning to really believe in God, and that he is not on our side. The timing of this event couldn’t be better; from the elections being right around the corner, to the fact that our commander in chief is once again spared the humiliation of being called to do anything more than clear brush and ride his bike.

    I’m glad this plot was thwarted and hope this leads directly to the arrest of many more would-be plotters. But the cynic in me knows this will be used to great advantage by those who are raping our constitution and every thing America stands for, despite the fact that the true credit belongs to law enforcement and despite the fact that it confirms that terrorism is still alive and well (even after “fighting it in Iraq”).

  • Thanks, Diane
    Please note the date of this article.
    Republican’ts – cant keep us safe, but great with propaganda.
    Thank God for the Brits.

  • Poor Georgie—he just can’t get a break. It seems that a bunch of British cops spoiled a really good chance for him to stand amidst another pile of rubble and rant about “brinin’ them evil-doers to juz-tizz….”

    I cannot, for the life of me, believe that these Bushite rats are trying to spin themselves into some semblance of responsibility for catching the guys. This was a British job, all the way—primarily via the London Police Department.

    I’m curious—how much would it cost to hire some of those guys, bring them over here, and develop something that could replace the bloated sow commonly referred to as the NSA?

  • And by an astonishing coincidence the potato-faced boot-boy we have serving as Home Secretary over here chose yesterday to make a speech declaring his intention of ramming through yet another fistful of badly thought-out but eye-catching ‘anti-terrorist’ laws while accusing anyone who disagrees with him of “Not getting it”.

    And what’s the “it” we just don’t get?

    – Mr Reid said Britain was now facing “probably the most sustained period of severe threat since the end of the second world war” and that the country was facing a new breed of ruthless “unconstrained international terrorists”. –

    I guess the Cold-War was just something that happened to someone else, eh?

    Timing, as they say, really is everything.

  • I have read on other sites that something BIG is planned by terrorists on August 22. And don’t forget those Saudi “students” that went missing immediately after arriving in the U.S. Some (decoys?) have turned themselves in, but the rest are still missing.

  • I am just really glad and feel so wonderfully comfortable that we have 150,000 troops in Iraq making sure these attacks don’t happen and killing these guys before they can plan any attacks.

  • C’mon, Fallenwoman, if you’re going to take the time to troll, at least be informed about it. The missing students are Egyptian, not Saudi (11 were unaccounted for, three have been located). I know its all “OilWellistan” to the party of Enron, Halliburton and British Polluters and that all of them non-Christians look alike to you, but we try to have some standards around here.

  • The other Kerryism that Bush jumped on was about reducing terrorism to a nuisance. That Kerry observation was equally astute, and yet he paid for it.

    We cannot forever LIVE as if we are in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge. Nor is there the least evidence that doing so does any good. As you say, this was a police operation.

    But the real kicker is that there weren’t ever enough resources to support code red all the time; but now, thanks to Iraq, there aren’t a fraction of the resources required.

  • From the BBC

    President George W Bush has said a plot to bomb US-bound flights from the UK is a “stark reminder”that the US is still at war with Islamic extremists.

    Mr Bush said it showed “Islamic fascists… will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom”. […]
    Speaking on arrival in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Mr Bush said it was a “mistake to believe there was no threat to the US”.

    “The American people need to know we live in a dangerous world, but our government will do everything we can to protect our people from those dangers,” he added. The plot was aimed at flights to New York, Washington and California, US officials said.

    Mr Bush had discussed the plot “in recent days” with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, White House spokesman Tony Snow said.

    For me it’s a stark reminder that W. was on vacation five years ago and ignored the warnings which if acted upon might have prevented 9/11.
    The other thing is that other reports had it that Blair contacted Bush only last night about the plot. I think this indicates that the British are only all to aware that BushCo’s first instincts would be to use the information for propaganda purposes which could endanger any efforts to head off the plots execution. There is some precedence for this concern. Recall the laptop in Pakistan which BushCo blabbed about. Had it been kept secret the London training bombings may have been thwarted. Snow’s vague use of the words “in recent days” is an effort to blur the fact that the British didn’t trust BushCo with the information.

  • I’ll bet the Brits didn’t tell Bushboy about the plot because they wre afraid he would blab all over the place the way he usually does if there is a political advantage to be had…

  • Unfortunately, the British Police don’t have such a good record on terrorist plot involving novel technologies.

    And their don’t-take-chances reactions have led to innocent people being shot, even killed..

    With the IRA experience, they’re probably competent on explosives. home-brew or otherwise, but they’re out of their depth on chemical and radiological terrorism. Not that I’d have any more confidence in the US law enforcement agencies. Do you recall the anthrax scaere? But what I’ve heard suggests that they’re still looking for some of the terrorists, and if they don’t catch anyone, how does one prove there aren’t still terrorists out there?

    At the moment, we’re in a not-sure phase. But if the hard evidence doesn’t emerge, it’ll get noticed. So my scepticism is perhaps unduly cynical at the moment.

  • Kerry was right: defeating terrorists requires brains and not just brawn. I don’t feel any safer that we’re relying on a contingent of soldiers in Iraq to keep us safe, when the “over there” ( as in “we’re fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here” expression) now includes the UK. That’s the problem with the Bush policy of alienating the rest of the world: there’s a whole lot of “over theres” over there where plots may have a greater chance of succeeding.

    … And where was “Super Joe” Lieberman when this plot was being hatched? I haven’t heard that he was in any way responsible for this conspiracy being foiled.

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