MELANA ZYLA VICKERS' ASSESSMENT OF THE CLINTON YEARS
Excellent Analysis of the Democrats' Efforts Against Terrorism

From Tech Central Station's Melana Zyla Vickers:

The Commission, the Democrats and Terrorism
By Melana Zyla Vickers

Until a few days ago, presidential candidate John Kerry was able to take all the shots he wanted at President Bush's record in the war on terror, while remaining out of critical range himself. But last week's 9/11 commission hearings changed all that.

The hearings presented a Democratic record on terrorism that is marred by fundamental policy fumbles and ultimately fatal misjudgments. Of course, some of the errors in fighting terrorism in the 1990s could have been -- and were -- made or repeated by the Republican administration of George W. Bush. But a top-five list drawn from the testimony before the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States and the reports prepared by commission staff, reveals errors that stemmed from what might be described as the post Cold War, Democratic world-view. They include:

- Unwillingness to use force to retaliate against terrorism or pre-empt attacks.
- Inaction in the face of legal obstacles
- Animus toward the intelligence community
- Fear of unpopularity in the court of domestic and foreign public opinion
- Failure to improve the effectiveness of bilateral relations with Arab states and Pakistan. (full article)