Time for Solidarity With Europe ( Lieberman in Wash Post )

[tobius]

By Joe Lieberman
Friday, March 19, 2004; Page A23

Last week's bombings in Madrid mark a critical turning point in our war against terrorism -- a crossroads as important as Sept. 11, 2001. When historians look back on March 11, 2004, will they see it as the time after which Europe and the United States locked arms against a common foe and went on to achieve greater security on both sides of the Atlantic? Or will they see it as the day al Qaeda drove a wedge between Europe and America and some Europeans decided that they could achieve an accommodation with fanatical Islamic terrorists? In other words, will Madrid be remembered as Pearl Harbor or as Munich?
For now the response of too many Spanish voters looks more like Munich. .......
<snip>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6543-2004Mar18.html

<snip>....... But such decisions cannot be allowed to blind the Europeans to the interest they share with us in confronting the jihadists. In our domestic politics, it is critical that Republicans and Democrats not let the quest for partisan victory this November prevent us from working together now to achieve a national victory over the terrorist insurgency in Iraq. In the same way, it is important that our European allies not allow their opposition to many of the Bush administration's foreign policies to separate them from America in defeating Islamic terrorists.

Lost in the growing transatlantic divide is an understanding that the same solidarity that enabled us to defeat communism is urgently needed to defeat terrorism. Last week's attacks show that al Qaeda does not distinguish between Americans and Europeans -- and anyone in Europe who thinks a separate peace can be made with the terrorists has not heard or read the warnings of Osama bin Laden. We are all their enemies, because we share the same values of freedom and democracy that brought us together as an alliance.

[burrowowl]

1. Say what?

and some Dems took him seriously!?

[SeveneightyWhoa]

2. No surprise here.

Lieberman has always been a neo-con in Democrat clothing.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Joe doesn't quite understand

Democratic elections look like Munich, do they, Joe?

The Spanish people turned Aznar and the PP out of office for reasons that had nothing to do with the appeasement he hints at. They elected Zapatero because they were tired of Aznar's lies, his cynicism, hiding his malfeasance behind the excuse of fighting ETA terrorism, and ultimately, his failure to prevent the 3/11 attacks.

While Aznar was whipping the Spanish people into line, looking under every bed in Spain for Basques with guns, and pretending he was a righteous, holy man, the Bad Guys walked right in and killed 200-plus people with an appallingly simple plan and leaving an evidence trail almost as good as Reese's Pieces.

It's important to fight terrorists. It's also important to at least try to see things clearly. George Bush and Jose Maria Aznar have clearly failed, and Joe Lieberman is halfway there. But, much to our dismay, the Bad Guys are still out there, subverting democracy one craven right-wing rooster at a time.

--bkl

[bemildred]

4. Sorry Joe.

Yurp is not going to buy OBL as a replacement for the Commies.
They are tired of this bonehead crusade.