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Obama: 9/11 Was 'A Failure of Empathy'
Little Green Footballs ^ | 7/14/2008 | Charles Johnson

Posted on 07/14/2008 10:32:56 AM PDT by mojito

Eight days after the atrocities of September 11, 2001, Barack Obama wrote a piece for the Hyde Park Herald—and blamed the attacks on “a failure of empathy.”

"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 reexamine 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 and 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, and may be channeled by particular demagogues or fanatics. Most often, though, it grows out of 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, Latin America, Eastern Europe and within our own shores."

Obama’s comments display an appalling disconnect from reality.

Osama bin Laden came from one of the richest families in the world. None of the 9/11 attackers were poor; if anything, they could be considered “middle class.” Ringleader Mohammed Atta was educated as an architect in the West.

Almost everything Obama wrote in this article was proven wrong. And he gave absolutely no consideration at all to the ideology of radical Islam, which is much more to blame than any imaginary “poverty” or “lack of empathy.”

And now he’s within reach of the presidency.


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 2008; 911; blueturban; democrats; empathy; foreignpolicy; lgf; liberals; mentaldisorder; obama; quotes; radicalislam; socialists; wot
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To: TexasCajun; mojito
Obama is not free. The truth will set him free.


41 posted on 07/14/2008 10:59:40 AM PDT by Lady Jag ( I dreamed I surfed all day in my monthly donor wonder bra - https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate)
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To: mojito
the first paragraph is boilerplate lifted from some official news releases.

the second is where the CAIR talking points start.

Obama, you're freaking out.

42 posted on 07/14/2008 10:59:48 AM PDT by the invisib1e hand (maybe apes evolved from people.)
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To: mojito
it grows out of a climate of ... despair."

Osama was desperate, all right - for his brand of Islam to dominate the world. The "empathy" to such "despair" is called submission or dhimmihood.
43 posted on 07/14/2008 11:01:36 AM PDT by alecqss
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Comment #44 Removed by Moderator

To: F15Eagle

The 9/11 attack happend because of DIVERSITY & MULTI-CULTURALISM.

If this people were never in the US to begin with we wouldn’t have had this problem.


45 posted on 07/14/2008 11:02:58 AM PDT by Transformers
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To: mojito
He gets it wrong right from the very beginning.

Even as I hope for some measure of peace and comfort to the bereaved families....

It was the nation that was hit, it was the entire nation that was grieving, not just the families of those who were slaughtered in the name of Allah. Those who love this country took this very, very personally. He just does not get it. He just is not one of us.

46 posted on 07/14/2008 11:03:50 AM PDT by Bahbah (Typical white person-Snow white)
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To: mojito
"We will have to be unwavering in opposing bigotry or discrimination directed against neighbors and friends of Middle Eastern descent."

Obama's Interpretation: "We Americans are such racists that we can't help ourselves by lashing out at our minorities..."

VOMIT!

47 posted on 07/14/2008 11:04:46 AM PDT by frogjerk (Barry Hussein is Neville Chamberlain)
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To: Always Right

Thanks for posting that list of terrorist attacks.


48 posted on 07/14/2008 11:05:29 AM PDT by Lady Jag ( I dreamed I surfed all day in my monthly donor wonder bra - https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate)
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To: Tijeras_Slim
Even more than an idiot, Obama proves yet again that he is dangerous to the national interest. This man doesn't say a word about the love he feels for America. He just blames global poverty on us. These are his thoughts on what took place on 9/11 and it gives me the hackles.
49 posted on 07/14/2008 11:06:06 AM PDT by ishabibble (ALL-AMERICAN INFIDEL)
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To: Prole

Agreed. But, what can we do as Americans to stop him? If enough of the sheeple vote for him, there is nothing that can be done. Besides, dontcha know that IF he is outvoted, then he will find a way to sue his way into the White House because it will be racism that stops him.


50 posted on 07/14/2008 11:07:17 AM PDT by Arkansas Toothpick
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To: mojito

Well....his good buddy Deval Patrick said 9-11 was “a failure of human understanding.”.....so Obama’s continuing to follow the mold.


51 posted on 07/14/2008 11:09:15 AM PDT by ElectricStrawberry (27th Infantry Regiment...cut in half during the Clinton years.)
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To: weegee
The man is a useful idiot and a denier.

The man is a useful USELESS idiot and a denier.

No wonder the commie nutroots hate Charles Johnson and Little Green Footballs.

He keeps using their own documents, statements and inane mumblings to show them up for the idiotic Stepford-Liberals they really are.

52 posted on 07/14/2008 11:09:32 AM PDT by Iron Munro (Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.)
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To: mojito

“There must be a root cause to Obama’s idiocy.”

Yes, we call it LEFTISM. I’d say “Liberalism” but was once an honorable ideology (Jefferson was a classical liberal), whose label was hijacked by leftwing socialists. I’d rather not call these leftists liberals anymore.

“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 and 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. “

This is not an objectionable statement in itself, but it does miss the point by a mile. Its obvious that the hijackers were cruel and callous to the suffering they caused, but that’s not an important thing. On a personal level, they might be empathetic, but then we are told Hitler loved children and dogs. The important thing is the ideology that causes them to be blind to the suffering of others. Obama describes the symptom but not the disease.

” It may find expression in a particular brand of violence, and may be channeled by particular demagogues or fanatics.
“Most often, though, it grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair.”

We know for a fact that this is nonsense. Just as 60s red radicals in US and Europe came from upper class families, Bin Laden himself came from a rich family and so did many of the terrorists. Khalid Sheik Mohammed himself was educated in the US. The roots of their voilence were not due to poverty and ignorance, but due to their extremists Jihadist ideology.

This is another sign that Obama is a Carteresque muddle-headed left-liberal who really doesn’t care to grasp the challenge of the Jihadist threat.


53 posted on 07/14/2008 11:09:40 AM PDT by WOSG (http://no-bama.blogspot.com/ - NObama, stop the Hype and Chains candidate)
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To: angcat

“We must also engage, however, in the more difficult task of understanding the sources of such madness”

“Now he’s going to suggest all American’s must study psychology?”

This is after our national Spanish class and before the Multicultural Sensitivity seminar.

Not sure what work will be done in USA with us all going back to school and all.


54 posted on 07/14/2008 11:11:54 AM PDT by WOSG (http://no-bama.blogspot.com/ - NObama, stop the Hype and Chains candidate)
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To: WOSG

LOL


55 posted on 07/14/2008 11:13:54 AM PDT by angcat (Indian name "She who yells too much")
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To: mojito
F you Mr. Obama.
56 posted on 07/14/2008 11:16:20 AM PDT by Artemis Webb ( OBAMA/HUCKABEE '08)
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To: laweeks

Obama is a sociopathic, narcassist. I will tell you what he believes. In his mind, he believes he will set his personal and world history straight at the same time. He will close the circle by being the son of a muslim who rises to the presidency of the United States and through talk and understanding brings peace to the middle east. The US and Israel’s interests are not paramount with him. Establishing himself in the pantheon of history as a demi-god and thereby righting the sins of and against his father and completing his own egotistical image of himself is.


57 posted on 07/14/2008 11:18:09 AM PDT by johnnycap
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To: mojito

Go out and post this link on every forum and news group discussion page you can find. This guy needs to be exposed.


58 posted on 07/14/2008 11:19:34 AM PDT by Bushwacker777
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To: mojito
Obama: 9/11 Was 'A Failure of Empathy'

VOA's idiosyncratic translation of what Obama REALLY meant
into "American":

"America got what it deserved on 9-11"

I won't leave the USA if Obama is elected.
I'll contribute to Senators/Congresspersons that will fight his
Marxist/Stalinist/Maoist program every step of the way.

Until the last couple of weeks in which Obama has tried to imitate
a patriotic American...
just about everything he says is cheerleader material customized
for "Pacifica Radio", NPR and PBS.
59 posted on 07/14/2008 11:23:03 AM PDT by VOA
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Comment #60 Removed by Moderator


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