IN CASE OF ATTACK LET’S HAVE MORE “OUTREACH” BYRON YORK….SEE NOTE
THIS IS ALL PART OF OUR “COUNTERINSURGENCY” STRATEGY FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO THE BATTLEFIELDS….RSK
Clinton/Bush terror chief: In case of attack, let’s have more outreach
http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Clinton%2FBush+terror+chief%3A+In+case+of+attack%2C+let%27s+have+more+outreach+%
By: Byron York
Chief Political Correspondent
Richard Clarke, who was the head White House counterterrorism official in the Clinton administration and also in the first months of the Bush administration, has an article in Sunday’s Washington Post in which he advises what should be done in case of a successful terrorist attack on the U.S.
Clarke recognizes that Americans got lucky in the Christmas Day and Times Square bombing attempts. “Neither effort succeeded,” he writes, “not because U.S. authorities intercepted the attackers, but because the bombmaking skills of the wannabe terrorists were lacking.” Clarke says there will be more attempts, and some of them will succeed, because they “represent a kind of terrorism that is virtually impossible to disrupt.” So what should the government do when that happens?
First Clarke warns about what shouldn’t be done. If a terror attack inflicts mass casualties on Americans, there will be some who advise striking back. There will be some who advise strengthening our homeland security system. There will be some who advise curtailing our civil liberties. In short, Clarke concludes, there will be a lot of old and stale suggestions at a time the United States should really be trying something more productive:
In the raw aftermath of a successful attack, it will be very hard for an American president to shift the debate in a more productive and honest direction. Imagine if, after a fatal attack, President Obama responded by proposing greater outreach to Muslim communities domestically and around the world, in an effort to undercut radicalization. That is precisely what we and other nations should be doing, but it would undoubtedly be decried as a weak, starry-eyed reaction by our commander in chief, especially after an attack that revealed deficiencies in our counterterrorism system.
A look at recent patterns certainly suggests that Clarke is right about more attacks on the way. And it stands to reason that at least one of them will succeed. In the meantime, Clarke has some suggestions about what to do now: resolve not to blame government counterterrorism officials for failure, defeat radical Islamist theology “in the battle of ideas,” don’t throw money at intelligence problems, etc. But Clarke’s article raises a question. President Obama has made outreach to the Muslim world a key part of his terrorism policy. There have been three attacks so far during his presidency — Ft. Hood, Christmas Day, and Times Square — one successful, two failed. When the next one comes, will the administration take Clarke’s advice and respond with more outreach?
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