Well, I intended to avoid watching any part of the RNC but tonight I had this outlandish hope that McCain might actually show a little fire so I put it on about 2 hours ago and began watching. Two hours later and I'm completely sickened and totally disappointed- just what I expected to be and why I intended to avoid watching the goddamn thing.
It's not McCain that turned my stomach. It's not the negative attacks coming from Republicans at the Convention that I've read about. It's the sickening way the Republican Party has politicized a national tradgedy. The way the Republican Party is shamelessly exploiting 9/11.
As Democrats, Independents, Greens or whatever Leftward-leaning political identity that brings us together on websites like Dailykos, we know that the first 9 months of the Bush presidency involved doing zero about terrorism. This despite the fact that he inheritted the office after the worst recent naval attack in our history (USS Cole) against us by the very terrorists that would later carry out 9/11.
Since we are interested in politics and we pay attention, we know the president ignored his terrorism czar (demoted him actually, from a cabinet position to a staffer) who was pushing for a plan to deal with Al Quaeda. We know that the head of CIA was briefing the president almost daily about the clear and gathering threat and we know that some basic pieces of the puzzle were already known at the lower levels of our intelligence agencies. Imagine if Bush had ever called a Principle's Meeting to discuss these threats? Bush did no such thing.
Now, consider those facts (we know these to be facts- not politics, just look at the 9/11 Commission) and look at this embrace of the terrorist attacks by the Republicans. How does it make you feel?
Look what occurred after September 11th. We went after the Taliban. Now, in my opinion, that was the right thing to do but we did it the wrong fucking way- we didn't wait to strike til our troops were at a point where we could capture the key leaders of Al Quaeda, instead we used a proxy force (Northern Alliance) to fight the battle and backed them with our airforce. Great, we succeeded in giving the country over too criminals and Bin Laden got away. That's a success?
Then, Iraq. OMFG I don't know what I can say about this that we don't already know.
The Bush administration is partially responsible for the attacks on Sept. 11th. In saying that, I don't mean they "knew" or any conspiracy theory, I am saying that they ignored the threats and didn't do enough. There has been absolutely no redress for these errors. Bush was saying he was getting "darn good intelligence" after it became obvious Iraq had no WMD. Those who really attacked us on Sept. 11th haven't been captured. Notice how not one Republican speaker has said the words, "Al Quaeda" or "Bin Laden" yet? They haven't a qualm about talking up 9/11 but what is their victory in the battle against those who struck these shores? Hussein?
Tonight, I hope the American public realizes what this Party is doing. I hope they are as sickened as I am.
This election can't come fast enough.