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 Where
Have All the Democrats Gone?
Wanted: An American Tony Blair...
[Carol
Platt Liebau] 8/8/05
Yesterday,
speaking at his monthly media briefing, British Prime Minister
Tony Blair presented twelve measures designed to respond to
the attacks of July
7. Some are being adopted immediately; others (requiring legislation) are
under “urgent examination.” But one thing was abundantly clear:
For the Prime Minister, at least, the Islamofascist attacks on London had
changed everything.
His proposals
are strong ones. Henceforth, in Britain, “fostering hatred,
advocating violence to further a person’s beliefs or
justifying or validating such violence” will be grounds
for deportation. New anti-terror legislation will include the
offense of “condoning or glorifying terrorism.” Government
powers will be extended to allow “naturalized citizens
engaged in extremism” to be stripped of their citizenship.
The number of “special judges” hearing terrorism-related
cases will be expanded. And there are more.
Contributor
Carol Platt Liebau - Senior
Columnist
Carol
Platt Liebau is editorial director and a senior member of tOR and CRO editorial
boards. She is an attorney, political analyst and commentator
based in San Marino, CA, and has appeared on the Fox News
Channel, MSNBC, CNN, Orange County News Channel, Cox Cable
and a variety of radio programs throughout the United States.
A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School,
Carol Platt Liebau also served as the first female managing
editor of the Harvard Law Review. Her web log can be found
at CarolLiebau.blogspot.com
[go to Liebau index] |
Certainly,
some of Blair’s measures would run afoul of
the First Amendment – and would be unnecessary, or incompatible
with American civic life and traditions. But what is noteworthy
and admirable is Blair’s willingness to step forward with
realistic, hard-hitting proposals designed to address the dangers
posed by Muslim separatism and the radical Muslim clerics preaching
hatred and extremism.
As a Labour politician,
Tony Blair’s natural American
counterparts are the Democrats. But what a difference an ocean
makes! Blair’s leadership and resolution couldn’t
pose more of a contrast with the Democratic Party’s approach
to the war on terror in America.
After the immediate
unity inspired by the attacks of 9/11, Democratic politicians
almost immediately began to criticize the President.
Opposition to the Patriot Act, to the war in Iraq – not
to mention detention of suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay
and the use of military tribunals – has been widespread
throughout the Democratic Party. And just last May, 122 Democrats
voted to set a deadline for withdrawal from Iraq – presumably,
whether or not American objectives have been achieved.
Certainly, there must
be Democrats who don’t agree with
the talking points purveyed by heavyweights like Senators Teddy
Kennedy, Dick Durbin and Robert Byrd or Democratic National Committee
Chairman Howard Dean. But one never seems to hear from them.
And so far, the only measures in the war on terror vocally supported
by alleged Democratic “hawks” like Hillary Clinton
seem to be reactive ones – most notably the demands for
more government money for “homeland security” in
the senator’s home state.
But the Democrats’ silence on the tough issues shouldn’t
fool anyone. Make no mistake – if there is another attack
on America, their voices will be raised in loud and fervent criticism
of what wasn’t done to prevent it.
Perhaps such political
gamesmanship is the prerogative of those in the minority – at least when they have fundamentally
abdicated the responsibilities of governing. That’s a luxury
that Tony Blair doesn’t have. And here in the United States,
the Democrats’ resort to second-guessing is one reason
that they aren’t likely to find themselves in the leadership
position occupied by the British Labour Party anytime soon. tOR
Columnist
Carol Platt Liebau is a political analyst, commentator and
theOneRepublic / CaliforniaRepublic.org editorial
director based in San Marino, CA. Ms. Liebau also served
as the first female managing editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Her web log can be found at CarolLiebau.blogspot.com
copyright
2005
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