Rudy Giuliani may have triggered a tipping point moment today in the national debate over the fight against terrorism.<\/p>\n
He made a claim that has become a mainstay of Republicans and conservatives: <\/p>\n
“We had no domestic attacks under Bush,” he said on ABC. “We’ve had one under Obama.”<\/p>\n
Former White House spokeswoman Dana Perino made the same claim in November on Fox news: “We did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush’s term,” she told Sean Hannity. “<\/p>\n
The claim was echoed by former Cheney-aid Mary Matalin, who said on CNN in December that Mr. Bush and Repubilcans “inherited the most tragic attack on our own soil in our nation’s history.”<\/p>\n
Obviously, these claims are false. Because they’ve been repeated so often by opponents of the Obama administration, one has to assume that they are deliberate falsehoods.<\/p>\n
The 9\/11 terror attacks occurred roughly 9 months after George Bush took office. Not nine months after his election. Nine months after he took the helm of state. <\/p>\n
To put that in context, the Bay of Pigs disaster occurred three months after President John F. Kennedy took office. Does Mr. Kennedy own that debacle? Absolutely. <\/p>\n
The Fort Hood shooting, meanwhile, occurred 11 months after Barack Obama took office, followed by the attempted Christmas day attack a month later. <\/p>\n
Mr. Giuliani lays those at the President’s feet. Fair enough. But we all have to play by the same rules, by the same standards of accountability.<\/p>\n
Put bluntly, American Presidents don’t get redshirt-years, or warm-up laps. There are no training wheels in the oval office.<\/p>\n
That said, it’s perfectly fair — appropriate and necessary, even — for the two parties to disagree and debate national security.<\/p>\n
But we won’t win this fight if we’re not honest about the facts. Right now too many Republicans are playing fast and loose. <\/p>\n
Claiming that 9\/11 didn’t happen on Mr. Bush’s watch represents a frightening level of denial, one that raises questions about the seriousness of purpose in GOP circles.<\/p>\n
One suspects that a certain amount of mythology makes it difficult for some Republican leaders to confront what actually happened.<\/p>\n
Republicans have long viewed themselves as the party most ardently devoted to national defense and security.<\/p>\n
But unless they speak honestly about their track record, that reputation — damaged severely by the mishandled wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — will lose all credibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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