If you haven't heard about Senator Patty Murray's comments about Osama bin Laden, you're probably better off. For the last week or so, the Senator from Washington has been dogged by criticism of some silly remarks she made about bin Laden helping poor people. Some on the right have even embarassed themselves by claiming that there's a double standard, that her remarks should have caused as much furor as Trent Lott's did.
But no, there isn't a double standard here, because her remarks shouldn't have generated even a tenth as much uproar. She is the outgoing chair of a Democratic senatorial campaign committee--a position far less important than Majority (or Minority) leader. And she's already on her way out. Even if one agreed that her comments were as egregious as pining for the days of segregation, she's already on her way out the door, and from a position far less important.
Democrats might well be irritated with her for being the architect of her party's defeat in November. But for this? Feh!
More importantly, what she said wasn't outrageously awful. It was just inaccurate. She never praised bin Laden. She just said some inaccurate things about how he had funded infrastructure development in poor communities. This isn't true, but it is true of some terrorist organizations with links to bin Laden, such as the PLO. Such things are certainly worth talking about. We really ought to ask questions like she was asking.
I wouldn't agree with the general thrust she seemed to be taking, but jeez. Sometimes we pick on politicians for exactly the wrong things.
I cringed after I read Murray's comments.
I cringed because I expected her to also to trot out the observation that Hamas isn't all bad: after all, it funds schools and public aid organizations.
The implication? That we're dealing with Robin Hood and/or Don Vito Corleone, instead of a band of murderous thugs.
Sorry, I ain't buyin'.
Well, it is a fact that some groups which engage in terrorism also engage in charitable work. I mean, that's simply so.
One needn't assume she was trying to justify anything, so much as explaining what we were up against. At least, I'd give her the benefit of the doubt there. It's certainly an issue worth discussing. I wouldn't take the step she seemed to be implying, that maybe we should do the same thing, as if somehow terrorists can be bought off with schoolhouses and water filtration systems. But still, the issue is not entirely unworthy of discussion.
As it happens, she was incorrect, because bin Laden doesn't do that kind of charity work. But he's admired by terror groups who do charity work. It's all part of the horror, you know?
Hamas DOES do "charity" work. It doesn't change, or mitigate one bit, the ultimate horror of their terrorist acts.
Dean, I agree with you. I give her a B for trying to raise interesting points of view. On the other hand I have to give her a D for doing so using sloppy or inaccurate sources.
And no, I don't think this is on the same order as the Lott controversy. (which reminds me: did I email you a link to a news story that reveals a significant part of the Left isn't done with Lott, yet? Now they want him out of the Senate completely)
Ara, I agree with you, too. Doing nice things for the locals doesn't excuse terrorism. But maybe when local folks see kin doing "good works" as well as resisting the West (Israel being a puppet of the West, natch), they figure "Hey, maybe these guys aren't so bad after all."
I believe that Austin Bay over on at strategypage.com has discussed the necessity for the US to work very hard to communicate just how much it has done for the Arab world both politically and economically.
>>Democrats might well be irritated with her for being the architect of her party's defeat in November. But for this? Feh!
Dean,
Give her some credit. Patty Murray DID reach into the Democratic Party bag of tricks and pull off two coups preventing Democrats from losing two more senate races in November. The Democrats did a rather slick job of stealing the New Jersey senate race. Even their Democrats on the NJ Supreme Court violated, or is it ignored, the state constitution allowing their own party one mulligan replacing the terminal loser Toricelli with Frank Lautenberg. New Jersians told me the NJ Democratic Party is really corrupt. This proves it.
The other feat of legerdemain performed by Democrats on November 5, 2002 was in South Dakota. They really, I mean really, really, got out the vote there. That means their winning returns came in really, really, late, as in 2:00 A.M. after all other precincts reported. Hundreds of reports oozed out about voters going to voting polls guessing up to eight different names from the list of registered voters before voting under an obvious “alias.” The WSJ also reported the illegal registering of pet dogs, cats, birds, and Yes even dead people to vote. If not for these feats of absolute magic, the Democrats would have only 45 U.S. Senate seats today. The Republicans rightly deserve to have 53. I wonder if NJ and SD will receive any federal funding for the next 6 years.
Well I can't forgive Murray's unAmerican Comments and you liberals have such a blatent double standard! You should see yourselves!
Clean your own House like the Republicans did theirs. Murray is stupid liar -- easily replaced. Throw her overboard. It will do your party the same good it did ours for throwing over Lott.
I am all for being *provocative* and being *open Minded* ---- but not so much our that our brains fall out.
U.S. Senator Patty Murray’s traitorous comments characterizing Osama bin Laden as some kind of great humanitarian are false and idiotic.
Murray’s comments may have been intended to be "provocative", but they came out as just plain stupid.
Just as Trent Lott revealed more than he intended with his racist gaffe about the 1948 presidential election, Murray inadvertently revealed her befuddled, disturbing views on world politics.
It is no more complicated than that.
Further, Murray’s contention that America has "done nothing" for poor Muslim nations is simply not true. The Untied States has given away billions in foreign aid to every corner of the earth, Muslim nations included, for the kinds of things she credits bin Laden for and more. A United States Senator ought know that, and I have to wonder why she doesn’t.
What is almost as troublesome as Murray’s comments themselves is her stubborn refusal to simply apologize.
Murray’s office released a statement about Lott’s racist comments saying, "They were offensive, hurtful and wrong." Murray’s words were no less so, and she should be similarly punished if only for being so incredibly stupid.
Save your tears for someone more worthy.
John R. McCommas
I wonder if Senator Murray will win reelection in four more years?
Ms Murry is forced to run on her record -- her pro OBL record --- in 2004. She won't make it past the starting gate. And thats as it should be...