Ray McGovern: Answering Helen Thomas On 'Why?'

[Hissyspit]

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2010/010810b.html

Answering Helen Thomas on Why

By Ray McGovern
January 8, 2010
Thank God for Helen Thomas, the only person to show any courage at the White House press briefing after President Barack Obama gave a flaccid account of the intelligence screw-up that almost downed an airliner on Christmas Day.   

After Obama briefly addressed L’Affaire Abdulmutallab and wrote “must do better” on the report cards of the national security schoolboys responsible for the near catastrophe, the President turned the stage over to counter-terrorism guru John Brennan and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

It took 89-year old veteran correspondent Helen Thomas to break through the vapid remarks about rechanneling “intelligence streams,” fixing “no-fly” lists, deploying “behavior detection officers,” and buying more body-imaging scanners. Thomas recognized the John & Janet filibuster for what it was, as her catatonic press colleagues took their customary dictation and asked their predictable questions. Instead, Thomas posed an adult query that spotlighted the futility of government plans to counter terrorism with more high-tech gizmos and more intrusions on the liberties and privacy of the traveling public.

She asked why Abdulmutallab did what he did. Thomas: “And what is the motivation? We never hear what you find out on why.”

- snip -

But Napolitano doesn’t acknowledge the underlying problem, which is that many Muslims have watched Washington’s behavior closely for many years and view U.S. declarations about peace, justice, democracy and human rights as infuriating examples of hypocrisy and double talk.

So, Washington’s sanitized discussion about motives for terrorism seems more intended for the U.S. domestic audience than the Muslim world.

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[Fumesucker]

1. That was a rhetorical question, I'm pretty sure Helen knows very well the motivations.

[Hissyspit]

3. Well, of course.

Unrecommendations for Ray McGovern. Interesting the people who show up here.

[malaise]

4. One of them showed up on a thread for the earthquake

last night.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Check out my reply to Hissy

:hi:

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. They are freeper trolls

from a site that can't be mentioned here. They come here and unrec and then laugh about it at their site.

They also find our conversations about the rec/unrec system quite hilarious. Which is the reason I rarely comment on the issue. But since you are so dear to me I thought I'd clue you in. :)

[malaise]

9. Last night was the first time I ever responded to them

That pissed me off - on a thread about an earthquake??

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Well

The ones I'm talking about don't post. They just unrec.

[malaise]

2. I've been asking and answering that question for years

You kill me and I kill you. It's as old as the old testament regardless of the US spin. You cannot invade, plunder, murder, rape and occupy and expect to be greeted with flowers. You can attempt to fool your own population but even the majority of them know the truth.

[The_Commonist]

5. I saw that other day...

...and Brennan's response was worthy of a Bushie.

[laststeamtrain]

8. K & R: “And what is the motivation? We never hear what you find out on why.”

<snip>

We witnessed a similar phenomenon when the 9/11 Commission Report tiptoed into a cautious discussion of possible motives behind the 9/11 attacks. To their credit, the drafters of that report apparently went as far as their masters would allow, in gingerly introducing a major elephant into the room:

“America’s policy choices have consequences. Right or wrong, it is simply a fact that American policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and American actions in Iraq are dominant staples of popular commentary across the Arab and Muslim world.” (p. 376)

When asked later about the flabby way that last sentence ended, former Congressman Lee Hamilton, Vice-Chair of the 9/11 Commission, explained that there had been a Donnybrook over whether that paragraph could be included at all.

The drafters also squeezed in the reason given by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed as to why he “masterminded” the attacks on 9/11:

“By his own account, KSM’s animus toward the United States stemmed … from his violent disagreement with U.S. foreign policy favoring Israel.” ... http://www.consortiumnews.com/2010/010810b.html
*

The KSM trial could be a barn-burner when they get around to questions of motive. But the lapdog press may not want to talk about it.

[Hissyspit]

11. .