Obama’s views on 911

by Brendan Steinhauser ~ August 22, 2008

This story has gotten a little coverage in the media, but not much. The New Yorker magazine actually ran a great piece on Obama entitled “Making It”, which quotes him at length on his views about the causes and possible responses to 911. Ryan Lizza quotes Obama’s article in the Hyde Park Herald from September 19th, 2001 as follows:

Even as I hope for some measure of peace and comfort to the bereaved families, I must also hope that we, as a nation, draw some measure of wisdom from this tragedy …

Certain immediate lessons are clear, and we must act upon those lessons decisively. We need to step up security at our airports. We must re-examine the effectiveness of our intelligence networks and we must be resolute in identifying the perpetrators of these heinous acts and dismantling their organizations of destruction.

We must also engage, however, in the more difficult task of understanding the sources of such madness. The essence of this tragedy, it seems to me, derives from a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers: an inability to imagine, or connect with, the humanity or suffering of others. Such a failure of empathy, such numbness to the pain of a child or the desperation of a parent is not innate; nor, history tells us, is it unique to a particular culture, religion or ethnicity. It may find expression in a particular brand of violence, it may be channeled by particular demagogues or fanatics.

Most often, though, it grows out a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair.

We will have to make sure, despite our rage, that any U.S. military action takes into account the lives of innocent civilians abroad. We will have to be unwavering in opposing bigotry or discrimination directed against neighbors and friends of Middle-Eastern descent. Finally, we will have to devote far more attention to the monumental task of raising the hopes and prospects of embittered children across the globe – children not just in the Middle East, but also in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and within our own shores.

It is clear from this quote, in context, that Obama believes Islamic terrorists are after us because they are poor, uneducated and hopeless. As I point out in the first chapter of the book, this is simply not the case. I provide examples of terrorists like bin Laden and his lieutenants that were educated, middle class to wealthy individuals that seek the destruction of all infidels. Obama’s misunderstanding of the terrorist threat we face is one of his biggest problems. I go into more detail in the book about why his worldview will hamper our efforts to defeat Islamic terrorism and protect our country.