Responses
Prime Minister Tony Blair:
President George W. Bush:
Unfair. Snarky. Guilty on both counts. But my point is that Blair understands that "resolve" is simply not enough. Nor is it enough to "declare war on terror."
In the end, we can't, as John McGowan wrote yesterday, "end terrorism" anymore than we can "end earthquakes." We can respond by taking better precautions. We can even move away from where earthquakes are likely to occur, but we can't strike back at them or impress them with our resolve. What we can do is maintain "our deeply held principles" and resolve not to let terrorists destroy our belief in liberty, human rights, and human decency. What we can do is what the British have already begun to do: rolled up their sleeves and began an investigation to find the devils who committed this wretched crime of mass murder -- a crime with no motive (sorry, Henninger, it isn't because the terrorists understand how "the West reacts to violence," quite the contrary) other than to inflict misery and pain -- and bring them to justice.
I don't quite agree with McGowan in his call for pacifism. We were right to uproot al Qaeda in Afghanistan; we weren't striking out at an imagined enemy. And if we can locate bin Laden tomorrow, we should bring to bear on the country hosting him whatever force necessary to capture him and his lieutenants (capture, preferably, not kill; we don't need martyrs, we need convicts). But if we take al Qaeda's bait and "resolve" to wage perpetual war on an enemy we can't quite make out -- which Bush proposes and his supporters (and bin Laden) cry out for with panting anticipation -- then, indeed, "the terrorists have won."
We condemn utterly these barbaric attacks. We send our profound condolences to the victims and their families.
All of our countries have suffered from the impact of terrorism. Those responsible have no respect for human life. We are united in our resolve to confront and defeat this terrorism that is not an attack on one nation, but all nations and on civilized people everywhere.
We will not allow violence to change our societies or our values, nor will we allow it to stop the work of this summit. We will continue our deliberations in the interest of a better world.
Here at the summit, the world’s leaders are striving to combat world poverty and save and improve human life.
The perpetrators of today’s attacks are intent on destroying human life. The terrorists will not succeed. Today’s bombings will not weaken in any way our resolve to uphold the most deeply held principles of our societies and to defeat those who impose their fanaticism and extremism on all of us.
We shall prevail and they shall not.
President George W. Bush:
The war on terror goes on. I was most impressed by the resolve of all the leaders in the room. Their resolve is as strong as my resolve. And that is, we will not yield to these people, will not yield to the terrorists,” Bush said.
Unfair. Snarky. Guilty on both counts. But my point is that Blair understands that "resolve" is simply not enough. Nor is it enough to "declare war on terror."
In the end, we can't, as John McGowan wrote yesterday, "end terrorism" anymore than we can "end earthquakes." We can respond by taking better precautions. We can even move away from where earthquakes are likely to occur, but we can't strike back at them or impress them with our resolve. What we can do is maintain "our deeply held principles" and resolve not to let terrorists destroy our belief in liberty, human rights, and human decency. What we can do is what the British have already begun to do: rolled up their sleeves and began an investigation to find the devils who committed this wretched crime of mass murder -- a crime with no motive (sorry, Henninger, it isn't because the terrorists understand how "the West reacts to violence," quite the contrary) other than to inflict misery and pain -- and bring them to justice.
I don't quite agree with McGowan in his call for pacifism. We were right to uproot al Qaeda in Afghanistan; we weren't striking out at an imagined enemy. And if we can locate bin Laden tomorrow, we should bring to bear on the country hosting him whatever force necessary to capture him and his lieutenants (capture, preferably, not kill; we don't need martyrs, we need convicts). But if we take al Qaeda's bait and "resolve" to wage perpetual war on an enemy we can't quite make out -- which Bush proposes and his supporters (and bin Laden) cry out for with panting anticipation -- then, indeed, "the terrorists have won."
posted by John at 4:22 PM
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