Throughout the House debate over Iraq, Republicans kept talking about "emboldening the terrorists." We'll hear the same thing during the Senate debate. Given the status of the war, those terrorists seem pretty damn emboldened. But, that term has been a GOP talking point for almost a year according to Source Watch:
The phrase embolden the terrorists—as has taking the fight to the terrorists—has frequently been employed by President George W. Bush, members of the Bush administration, and others in their support of the war in Iraq and use of fear as a political tool.It is ironic that Bush accuses others of emboldening the terrorists when it's exactly what he has done. The Republican strategy on Iraq has been nothing but a series of inaccurate talking points. But just because Bush and the GOPers say something doesn't make it true. The Iraq war has been a gift to Al Qaeda. That war was something Al Qaeda wanted, which Richard Clarke wrote would be the case in his book, Against All Enemies:
At the June 19, 2006, President's Dinner, a GOP fundraiser, Bush said that an "early withdrawal would be a defeat for the United States of America. An early withdrawal would embolden the terrorists.
It was as if Osama bin Laden, hidden in some high mountain redoubt, were engaging in long-range mind control of George Bush, chanting 'invade Iraq, you must invade Iraq.Josh Marshall explained in plain language what the George Bush's war in Iraq has done for the terrorists:
President Bush decided to let bin Laden get away so he could get ready to attack Saddam Hussein. So pretty much anything bin Laden does from here on out is on President Bush. And how about Iraq? President Bush has screwed things up so badly that he's created a whole new generation of recruits for bin Laden. He's created a whole new army for bin Laden. Not by being tough but by being stupid. And by being too much of a coward to admit his mistakes once it was obvious that the occupation of Iraq was helping bin Laden specifically and the jihadist agenda in general.Unfortunately, the failed policies of George Bush and his GOP lackeys are the best thing that ever happened to the terrorists. The terrorists who hate America are not just emboldened, they're empowered.
After half a decade, the verdict is pretty clear: President Bush has been the biggest ally Osama bin Laden has. He's helped bin Laden at pretty much every turn -- even if only by his own stupidity, incompetence and cowardice. And when the next big terrorist attack comes, we can thank President Bush for helping make it happen.
