In Wake of Boston Terror Attacks The Nation’s Vanden Heuvel Hopes America Doesn’t

NewsBusters.org ^ | April 16, 2013 | Jeffrey Meyer

[Kaslin]

It seems as though The Nation’s Katrina vanden Heuvel should take her own advice in saying that tragic events like the terrorist attack in Boston on April 15 should not be politicized.  Appearing on MSNBC’s Now w/ Alex Wagner on April 16, Ms. vanden Heuvel managed to contradict herself within mere seconds.

Speaking with liberal host Alex Wagner and TheGrio.com’s Joy-Ann Reid, the left-wing commentator appeared to at first make a reasoned call for patience in the aftermath of the terrorist attack, insisting that:

I think you know we know we don't want to engage in baseless speculation. What we know we need to do is grieve. We need to pay respect to the heroic first responders, to the kindness of Boston, to the community, and to the community that we've seen come together in the aftermath of whether it was 9/11, or Newtown or in Boston.  [See video after jump.  MP3 audio here.]

In Wake of Boston Terror Attacks The Nation’s Vanden Heuvel Hopes America Doesn’t Overreact Like 9/11

Ms. Wagner introduced the panel with a similar tone, reflecting the united stance Americans took following the attack:

One thing that's striking to me in these moments of duress and tragedy is how the country unites together, whether it's sending the photographs in, whether its rushing to the aid of those wounded in the smoke and the fire. And as the president said, it shows us who we are as Americans.

Unfortunately, Ms. vanden Heuvel couldn’t follow Ms. Wagner or her own advice and immediately went into a rant against America:

And my hope is that the community spirit, the resilience of the American people, which the president spoke so well to is what comes out of this. And not the overreaction to fear, which I think we have seen for sure in the wake of 9/11 when this country overreacted and allowed un-American things and the shredding of principles that make this country great.

She didn’t stop there, going so far as to connecting Guantanamo Bay with the attacks in Boston:

Allowed the indefinite detention of people or allowed the warrantless wire-tapping or allowed as a report on the front pages of newspapers today, the news goes on amidst the tragedy of indisputable evidence by a bipartisan commission that America tortured. That is not an American value. So I think community, resilience, kindness, those are the great qualities that can make this country strong again.

Wagner seemed unwilling to challenge vanden Heuvel’s comments, instead choosing to practically dismiss them:

And certainly that we will be asking ourselves a lot of questions as we figure out who the suspects are, as law enforcement officials figure out who is a leading suspect, what the motivation might have been.

Vanden Heuvel never exactly explained what Guantanamo Bay has to do with the terrorist attack in Boston and no one on the MSNBC panel challenged her ridiculous claims like Thomas Roberts did when former Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) sought to politicize the bombing.  Instead, she chose to use her appearance on Tuesday to lecture the audience about politicizing this tragedy while making sure she goes to extreme measures to make ridiculous political comments herself. 

MSNBC

Now w/ Alex Wagner

April 16, 2013

12:07 p.m. EDT

ALEX WAGNER: Pete Williams, hang with us, we'll have more questions for you within the hour. Thank you for your time for the moment. I want to open it up to the panel in New York. Katrina [Vanden Heuvel], we talk about just in the short time that I've been at this desk, with this show, there have been a number of disastrous incidents in terms of violence, massacres, bombings. Boston though isn't, they're all sort of different in their way. It forces upon us this sort ever collective fear, but also, a sense of community. Which of course would be the silver lining here. And we're going to talk to some first-hand eye witnesses later in the hour. But one thing that's striking to me in these moments of duress and tragedy is how the country unites together, whether it's sending the photographs in, whether it’s rushing to the aid of those wounded in the smoke and the fire. And as the president said, it shows us who we are as Americans.

KATRINA VANDEN HEUVEL: It does. I think you know we know we don't want to engage in baseless speculation. What we know we need to do is grieve. We need to pay respect to the heroic first responders, to the kindness of Boston, to the community, and to the community that we've seen come together in the aftermath of whether it was 9/11, or Newtown. Or in Boston. The whole issue of whether to call it terrorism it seems to me what's so important is just who did it, how it was done. Why. And not the name at this point. But it is clear that terrorism terrorists want to terrorize us. Want us to concede to fear. And my hope is that the community spirit, the resilience of the American people, which the president spoke so well to is what comes out of this. And not the overreaction to fear, which I think we have seen for sure in the wake of 9/11 when this country overreacted and allowed un-American things and the shredding of principles that make this country great. Allowed the indefinite detention of people or allowed the warrantless wire-tapping or allowed as a report on the front pages of newspapers today, the news goes on amidst the tragedy of indisputable evidence by a bipartisan commission that America tortured. That is not an American value. So I think community, resilience, kindness, those are the great qualities that can make this country strong again.

WAGNER: And certainly that we will be asking ourselves a lot of questions as we figure out who the suspects are, as law enforcement officials figure out who is a leading suspect, what the motivation might have been.

[Kaslin]

the rest of the title is: Overreact Like 9/11

[ZULU]

Should change her name to Vanden Teufel.

[Common Sense 101]

WAGNER: And certainly that we will be asking ourselves a lot of questions as we figure out who the suspects are, as law enforcement officials figure out who is a leading suspect, what the motivation might have been.

The motivation was the death of innocent victims. As a result, logic dictates that the bombers could have only come from one of two groups: Islamo-fascist or leftard terrorists.

[Don Corleone]

The LEFT started politicking this even before the smoke from the explosions had drifted away. (See Limbaugh’s web page today)

[woofie]

Its a small world after all,....that this woman inhabits.

It can fit nicely in her head with lots of room left over

[denydenydeny]

And my hope is that the community spirit, the resilience of the American people, which the president spoke so well to is what comes out of this. And not the overreaction to fear, which I think we have seen for sure in the wake of 9/11 when this country overreacted and allowed un-American things and the shredding of principles that make this country great.

Translation: We are pretty much 100% certain that Muslims did it no matter what we blather about "right-wing elements".

[tumblindice]

McKinney, now Latrina Vanden Hooters. The loony left weighs in.
Hey Cynthia, Latrina—this is Husseins’s fault!

[SargeK]

I have a different definition of ‘overreact’ in my dictionary. Spin up the missiles, flush the bombers and call up Wing Attack plan ‘R’, and that is just getting within sight of overreaction in my book.

[Kenton]

It’s gotta be freaking the lefties out that they can’t blame the NRA for this.

[Kaslin]

And this surprises you? You have to remember the left is so predictable

[DJ MacWoW]

Looking For Donors

Click The Pic

Are You One?

[Envisioning]

Over reacting would be nuking Mecca twice.

[Pontiac]

In Wake of Boston Terror Attacks The Nation’s Vanden Heuvel Hopes America Doesn’t Overreact Like 9/11

Over react like we did in response to the terroristic attack of 9/11/2001 is that what she means?

It should be quite obvious given subsequent events like Boston yesterday that we grossly under-reacted to 9/11.

If we had adequately responded to the events of 9/11 (and the previous bombing of the Twin Towers) the event in Boston, the London bombings, the Mumbai attacks and the Madrid train bombings would never have happened.

No we did not over react to the 9/11 attack. The ludicrous idea of proportional response has rendered the West totally unprepared to respond to terrorist attacks effectively.

Our response to these attack should have been swift, sure and totally devastating. Those identified as responsible and those that harbored them should have been wiped out in fire and blood those that witnessed their demise should have cowered in terror at the might of the United States.

[allmendream]

What I find grimly amusing is that the #1 stated motive for 9-11 was that Osama bin Lauden thought the USA was way too involved in the Middle East.

The events of 9-11 made sure that the USA was going to be all up in the business of the Middle East for the next 50 to 100 years! Good job genius!

[Opinionated Blowhard]

“Don’t engage in speculation or jump to conclusions” is the Lib code-phrase for “don’t associate Muslims with this act of terror.” Its also the code-phrase for “Middle American yahoos look for any excuse to start a progrom against Muslims and other minorities.”

If you understand that, you can see that there is no contradiction between a Lib saying “don’t engage in speculation” and then immediately saying, “Republican, anti-government racists planted these bombs.”

[Envisioning]

No we did not over react to the 9/11 attack. The ludicrous idea of proportional response has rendered the West totally unprepared to respond to terrorist attacks effectively.

Our response to these attack should have been swift, sure and totally devastating. Those identified as responsible and those that harbored them should have been wiped out in fire and blood those that witnessed their demise should have cowered in terror at the might of the United States.

Well said.

[bray]

Translation: A bigger govt and fewer rights would solve this problem.

Pray for America to Wake Up

[JDoutrider]

IOW, she's a marxist whore.

An ugly one at that!

[Pontiac]

Thanks