As most people now realize, the terrorist attack on the [tag]USS Cole[/tag] has become something of an embarrassment for the [tag]Bush[/tag] [tag]White House[/tag]. The [tag]Cole[/tag] was bombed in October 2000, shortly before the Gore-Bush presidential election. Intelligence and law-enforcement officials confirmed that Osama bin Laden was responsible for the attack early in 2001, which foreclosed Clinton’s opportunity to respond. [tag]Clinton[/tag] left the matter to his successor, whom he hoped would take the matter seriously.
He didn’t. Bush had eight months before 9/11 to respond to the attacks on the Cole, but he chose to do literally nothing.
In a shameless attempt to rewrite history, however, the Bush gang considers the Cole bombing one of the lynchpins in their counter-terrorism talking-points. As they see it, the attack on the Cole was ignored by U.S. officials, which in turn emboldened al Qaeda and other terrorists who believed we wouldn’t respond to terrorism. (The narrative fails to mention that it was Bush’s negligence that Bush and his allies are complaining about.)
Particularly after the Chris Wallace-Bill Clinton “discussion” a few weeks ago, the USS Cole has become a key partisan tool for the Bush White House — so much so that the Bush gang issued a solemn statement the other day commemorating the terrorist attack.
Six years ago, on October 12, 2000, al Qaida attacked the USS Cole, a U.S. Navy warship refueling in Aden harbor in Yemen. This terrorist attack killed seventeen sailors and injured many others, leaving the victims’ loved ones and our Nation to mourn our collective loss. […]
Six years ago, our Nation was tested by terrorism. Terrorists continue to be an active threat to our Nation, but we are responding resolutely and forcefully. On this solemn anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to the fight against the enemies of humanity, offer our prayers and condolences to the families of the Cole victims, and offer thanks to the men and women of our Navy who protect our country and promote peace and freedom around the world.
It’s subtle, isn’t it? We were “tested by terrorism” six years ago, but now we’re “responding resolutely and forcefully.”
Sure, it’s exploitative and misguided, but there’s something else that’s troublesome about this.
Dan Froomkin noticed the problem.
The White House issued a solemn statement Thursday commemorating the sixth anniversary of the al Qaeda attack on the USS Cole.
The White House has been citing the Cole a lot lately, as part of its narrative that President Clinton, who was in charge back then, was asleep at the switch when it came to terrorism.
I went back to see what the White House statement was like on the fifth anniversary of the attack on the Cole. But there wasn’t one!
And there wasn’t one on the fourth, the third, the second or the first, either.
Yes, the White House wants to honor the fallen, but only the sixth anniversary, not the fifth, fourth, third, second, or first. The Bush gang chose to honor “our collective loss,” but only now that the attack itself has a certain political salience.
They…have…no…shame.