Message to America

“BRAVE?” “DARING?” COME ON!

Keith Olbermann’s piece is neither “brave” nor “daring.” He is simply stating the Democrat’s campaign theme that President Bush is incompetent. There is nothing “brave” or “daring” about espousing that belief. (The belief is not accurate, but competency is always a matter of opinion). The mainstream media has been nipping at Bush’s heels for some time now. In the mainstream media these days the “brave” thing to do is to praise the President!

In Olbermann’s clip he sharply criticizes President Bush for leaving the World Trade Center disaster site undeveloped. He says Bush should be ashamed that, five years after the attacks, the site remains in ruins. The tempting response would be “well, he’s been busy trying to catch terrorists and keeping America safe.” However, this response would be as misleading as Olbermann’s criticism. While the President has devoted his Presidency to anti-terrorist efforts (so far successfully, thank God), the President is not supposed to be involved in the WTC redevelopment. It would be wrong for him to assert himself. I’ll explain why, but first . . .

OLBERMANN’S BIG MISTAKE

Olbermann, in his blind hatred of the President, failed to mention the Pentagon repairs in his clip. Why? The Islamofacists attacked that building, too. He purposely did not mention the Pentagon because the repairs were completed within a year. Unlike the WTC, the Pentagon is a federal building on federal property housing a federal agency. The federal government was directly (and alone) responsible for repairs to the structure. The Bush administration got the Pentagon rededicated within one year of the terrorist attacks. Recognizing this fact would be inconsistent with Olbermann’s theme so, of course, he omitted it. Olbermann is not looking for the truth; he’s looking for some political mud to throw.

THE WTC SITE IS NOT A FEDERAL PROJECT

Unlike the Pentagon, the WTC is not controlled by the federal government but by state entities. (Quick civics lesson: our nation is a republic with powers divided between the states and the federal government). The WTC site is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (an interstate compact politically controlled by Governors of New York and New Jersey and the Mayor of New York). The towers were leased to a private company, Silverstein Properties, for 99 years. This public/private combination, alone, would cause delays. Compounding this, the American public expects a memorial on the site. Unsurprisingly, there were many different opinions for the memorial and the redevelopment. A long public dialogue on the form and character of the project is healthy and democratic. Had Bush trumped states rights and the interests of the public, Olbermann would be criticizing Bush for dictatorially imposing his will on the people of New York, New Jersey, Silverstein Properties, and the victim’s families.

In the end, a redevelopment plan is underway, the result of a very complicated deal between the Port Authority, Silverstein Properties, and numerous citizen groups. The federal government did not and shouldn’t have had a role in this. For Olbermann to criticize Bush for the WTC redevelopment is pretty churlish.

OLBERMANN BLAMES BUSH FOR 9-11

Olbermann says solemnly, "Even [Bush's] harshest critics have not suggested that he alone bears the blame for 9-11." This, of course, suggests that he bears some of the blame of 9-11. There is nothing that America did generally, or that Bush did specifically, for us to deserve the Islamofascist attacks of September 11. The blame falls squarely on the Islamofacists themselves and those who supported them.

With comments like this it is hard to take Olbermann seriously.

OLBERMANN IS NO LINCOLN

Olbermann cites President Lincoln's speech memorializing the soldiers who died at Gettysburg. However, by his politics, I doubt that he would ever have supported Lincoln's efforts that brought the nation to Gettysburg -- the turning point of the Civil War for the North.

Consider . . .

– Lincoln suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus – allowing him to arrest and detain citizens and noncitizens, combatants and noncombatants without any judicial review.

– Lincoln arrested, without warrants, innocent Maryland legislators who he feared would vote for succession but who had not yet done so.

– Lincoln maintained a war that for a long time appeared to be a losing one with mind numbing casualties. The Battle of Antietam of September 16, 1862 was the bloodiest war in U.S. military history. Up to this point, it seemed as if the South could have won. The North nominally won that battle, but the losses were beyond modern comprehension. (This battle occurred prior to even the “Preliminary” Emancipation Proclamation -- so the President did not even have the moral justification of ending slavery to justify the war and the loss of so many soldiers at the time). I’m sure that Olbermann would have commented at the time of Antietam that we were in a quagmire and should immediately pull troops out of the South. “Cut and run” would have looked appealing to him at that time, too.

Today, liberals oppose warantless wiretaps of foreigners. Liberals equate the playing of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and other nonlethal acts, to torture! Liberals criticize the scrutiny of financial records of potential terrorist-supporting charities. Liberals criticize racial profiling.

If Olbermann were a commentator during the Civil War, by his politics of today, he would not have supported Lincoln much less praised him. He would never have allowed the North to win the war. No, he would have looked straight into the camera with his faux seriousness and said "shame on you Mr. Lincoln . . . may this country forgive you."
 

Keith Olbermann’s "piece" of crap is what it is....liberal leftist venom. He should stick to sports because he has no political inight whatsoever.
 

You Go Kieth! Here Here! I am so impressed that you had the gonads to say what millions of us have been dying to hear and already know... now in a perfect world, we could just impeach the weasel, (and if only his buddies weren't in line for his job in that case) but at least the truth being said over and over will gain momentum and force change. If Bush would just go away, the country could be well on it's way to healing. Thank you! And don't let the fake, planted repub responses fool you, the American public AGREES with you!