Now It Can Be Told: Tom Friedman Says Bush Did Good

Except he doesn't mention Bush (other than as a possible war crimes defendant) and praises Obama for making the tough and wise calls.

Why wasn't there another attack on the US after 9/11? Because we did what it took to get good intel and wait for it...invaded Iraq (safe link to Commentary)

I believe that the most important reason there has not been another 9/11, besides the improved security and intelligence, is that Al Qaeda is primarily focused on defeating America in the heart of the Arab-Muslim world — particularly in Iraq. Al Qaeda knows that if it can destroy the U.S. effort (still a long shot) to build a decent, modernizing society in Iraq, it will undermine every U.S. ally in the region.

Conversely, if we, with Iraqis, defeat them by building any kind of decent, pluralistic society in the heart of their world, it will be a devastating blow.

Apparently somebody decided to do these things. Friedman doesn't seem to be quite sure who lead the effort to do all of that but he's pretty happy that they were done.

This lack of acknowledgment for what Bush did post 9/11, even after Bush is gone and Obama is safely in the White House is intellectually dishonest and childish. Friedman can't bring himself to say, "Of course we shouldn't prosecute Bush, he did his job for God's sake". No, liberal orthodoxy forces him to tiptoe around it and somehow find a way to praise Obama in the process because His 'contribution' must be equal or greater than He Who Shall Not Be Named.

posted by DrewM. at 09:30 AM

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