Both President Obama and Mitt Romney have pulled their commercials for the day, as a small gesture honoring the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. But while we'll get a brief reprieve on campaign ads today, it's worth noting that we're seeing 9/11 politicking return to a level unseen since the attacks themselves.
This Sept. 11, John McCain is attacking Obama over Syria; Rudy Giuliani is attacking Obama over Iran; the cast of "Fox & Friends" is attacking Obama over his 9/11 proclamation; Dick Cheney is attacking Obama over his intelligence briefings; and House Republicans are using 9/11 to attack Obama over the looming defense cuts they proposed and voted for.
It appears, then, the political norms have shifted. In, say, 2008, it would have been largely unthinkable that partisans would go after the sitting president, during a war, on the anniversary of 9/11. Those who tried would expect to be condemned, at a minimum, for their insensitivity. Those days appear to be over.
For his part, the president spoke this morning at the Pentagon. Politics wasn't part of his remarks.
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And they call themselves Conservatives, why look at all that hot air they're using up. Have they no shame, all this Hate talk is desecrating the reverence we should be experiencing today. We should be remembering all the people that we lost that day, 9/11 and we should take comfort in knowing, that they now know what we do not.
Here is a VERY interesting piece, courtesy of Alternet, on the mineral wealth of Afghanistan, and JP Morgan/China/Russia roles in extracting same.
http://www.alternet.org/world/treasure-trove-mineral-wealth-real-reason-afghan-war
Also mentioned is Saudi arabia’s involvement with 9/11, and General Wesley Clark’s claims that he was told the U.S. had plans ready at the time of the 9/11 attacks to invade seven countries (including Iraq and Afghanistan).
I would love to have Steve Benen's take on this!
All they do is talk-- we know talk is cheap. Cheney was the occupant of the Number One Observatory Circle for 8years and he couldn't do anything.
Those who tried would expect to be condemned, at a minimum, for their insensitivity.
IOKIYAR.
Republicans are a bigger threat to America than Al Qaeda ever was or will be.
"God's Own Party" in Arabic is "Hezbollah". "the base" in Arabic is "Al Qaeda." That's all you need to know about the modern Republican Party.
Gee, I wonder what's changed since then... We got a one-year reprieve because it was the tenth anniversary, and now we're back to Republican norm -- criticizing the president is "demeaning the office of the presidency" when a Republican is in it, and business as usual when a Democrat is. They have no shame.
once again, the republicans have proven that the democrats are the grown-up party.
Funny thing is that when Shrub was sitting in the Oval Office, anyone saying anything the GOP considered "disparaging" against him and his policies was called a traitor - my how times have changed!
These people have no conscious, shame, morality nor human decency!
"MSNBC host Keith Olbermann perhaps went further than ever before last night in his special comment about the 9/11 anniversary, slamming the Bush administration for their “criminal neglect” in allowing the attacks to occur and identifying the continued exploitation of 9/11 “sociological pornography” as the only reason that Bush hasn’t been impeached.
Olbermann said that the anniversary of the September 11 attacks had been turned into a brand name – “9/11™” and that such propaganda has “sustained a President that long ago should have been dismissed or impeached.”
Olbermann continued, identifying 9/11 has the only thing that has kept “(Bush) and his gang of financial and constitutional crooks in office,” while they escaped blame for the “malfeasance and criminal neglect that allowed the attacks to occur.”
http://www.infowars.com/olbermann-bush-administration-%E2%80%9Callowed-911-attacks-to-occur%E2%80%9D/
Yes, I remember Keith O.'s blistering attack - I watched it complete with popcorn and healthy "Amen's" cause he was right.
Yeah, I'd bluster too if I knew about the NYT story regarding the intelligence briefings Bush was getting throughout the spring and summer that were withheld from the 9/11 commission referenced below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/opinion/the-bush-white-house-was-deaf-to-9-11-warnings.html?_r=1
Bush was criminally negligent the main reason he took his eye off the ball was fear of his neocon appointees that that it would distract us from implementing the PNAC plan for another war with Iraq.
"It appears, then, the political norms have shifted. In, say, 2008, it would have been largely unthinkable that partisans would go after the sitting president, during a war, on the anniversary of 9/11. Those who tried would expect to be condemned, at a minimum, for their insensitivity. Those days appear to be over."
It's amazing how many blog posts would not exist if we simply took for granted that Republicans believe whatever benefits them in the moment. It would have been fine to attack a President if it were Gore.
IOKIYAR.
or if his name was Bush, see below.
While we grieve with the families of the victims of 9/11, we need to focus on the crime itself 11 years on.
Just 4 months after 9/11 the german defense and intelligence minister Von Buelow had spilled the beans on this crime. Directly implicating Pr.Bush and CIA in 9/11 attacks.
then during our own 9/11 Commission inquire almost 50 top military, intelligence and other officials testified pointing to an inside job. The testimonies are on record check 9/11 Commission summary or visit 'Want to Know.org'.
Foreign officials like Paul Hellyer the canadian defense minister, the Russian JCS Armies Ge. leonid Ivaskov former Pr. of Italy Francesco Cossiga and some members of British House of Commons all had access to knowledge that led them to declare it an inside job.
Should we Americans then not seek the truth ??
"It appears, then, the political norms have shifted. In, say, 2008, it would have been largely unthinkable that partisans would go after the sitting president, during a war, on the anniversary of 9/11. Those who tried would expect to be condemned, at a minimum, for their insensitivity."
It must be hard for Benin to walk around with one eye permanently closed to the world he doesn't wish to see. Simply Google the anniversary on every date from say 2004 on for a different (realistic) take on the matter.
Regarding Benin's almost Romney-like amnesia and myopia how about this 4 year old nugget on the anniversary:
Obama References Bush Failings On 9/11: "Let Us Remember That The Terrorists Responsible For 9/11 Are Still At Large"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/11/obama-digs-bush-let-us-re_n_125601.html
OOPS!
Despite the inflammatory headline (which Obama had nothing to do with writing), Obama did not refer to bin Laden's still being alive at the time as a "failing" of Bush. He merely reminded people he was still alive and needed to be brought to justice...
It can only be considered a slam on Bush if Bush had said that bin Laden being brought to justice wasn't that important to him and he didn't think about him all that often...
Oh...wait...
Disclaimer: It's entirely possible that there were other occasions, that day or on others, when Obama tore Bush a new one about not getting bin Laden. But this article is not evidence of that.
slappy:
This is all about media interpretation of the remarks of others and apparently the interpretation was it was a message about Bush, but I get what you are saying.
Great, so we agree, everyone is in the tank for the right because right leaning rage equals ratings and internet hits.
The way for the USA to prosper is to have the people who stayed home in the 2010 midterm elections come out and vote. The Republicans only cater to the rich. The crazies that were elected..the McConnells,Wests,Cantors Ryans have to be thrown out. The voter suppression is the only way they think they can win. The country needs Obama and a responsible not obstructionist congress. In Canada we have a right wing anti-union federal government too. The only solution is at the ballot box. You can rebuild your dream...SAH
Cheney slithers out from the bowels of his cave (or the "undisclosed location he used 11 years ago) to utter further verbal diarrhea to the American public. President Obama has had nothing but praise for both the intelligence and military aspects of the Bin Laden operation!! Never has he taken ALL the credit! CHENEY IS PATHETIC!!!
Please let this foul leech crawl back into his dank, musty hole and never appear again.
So embarassing that it was Benin's own network, indeed the very show that Benin now works on under new managment so to speak, that did EXACTLY what he says was never done before, a scant 4 years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk0Ac_oN_Zo
it's spelled Benen you stupid f**king moron!
So THAT'S your response? I just showed you what a giant hyopcrite Benen was being and you're upset about spelling?
It's funny (not haha-funny)...just about everything Obama said could be said verbatim by someone in Iraq or Afghanistan in regards to the day we came rolling into town.
I find it appalling that nobody ever brings up the fact that for every civilian that died in 9/11, 5 have died in Afghanistan and 38 in Iraq.
We can "remember" the victims of 9/11 without dismissing the fact that so many more than that have died as a result of our reactions to the event.