Bush Studied '67 Pre-emptive Strike

Newsweek ^ | 10/9/2002 | Howard Fineman

[Utah Girl]

Summer reading includes account of the Six Day War

A president's reading list is always news, especially if the president is George W. Bush-not known as a fan of big-think books. Which is why, as I listened to him make his case the other night for a pre-emptive strike against Saddam Hussein, I suddenly recalled something that Andy Card, the White House chief of staff, had told me. Last summer, on his Texas ranch, Card said, Bush read Michael B. Oren's "Six Days of War," an account of Israel's stunningly successful (at least militarily) pre-emptive attack in 1967 against neighboring Arab states that had been poised to destroy it.

THE PARALLELS BETWEEN then are now are few. Israel is a tiny nation, albeit heavily armed, in sea of far larger, seething enemies. The United States is by far the strongest nation in the world, with friends on its borders and something close to military hegemony in the world. True, we find ourselves in a frightening, shadowy new "war" against terrorists who aim to strike our homeland. But they are based in distant lands. And Iraq is no immediate threat to attack us here.

And yet I think the president sees in Israel's military history and unblinking determination to survive an instructive analogy for America: be strong, act first when you see a mortal threat brewing. As he said in his speech in Cincinnati: "We refuse to live in fear." The line got the only standing ovation of the night.

But I wonder if Bush sees the other side of the coin, which Oren points out. Israel's spectacular triumph in 1967 didn't bring peace with the Arabs. Just the opposite: the Six Day War was a humiliation that most of her enemies still can't abide, and are pledged to undo. Would an American conquest of Iraq, however swiftly and surgically done, eventually bear the same bitter fruit?

[Utah Girl]

Howard, President Bush seems to learn from history.

[My2Cents]

I'm sure Howard Fineman's shocked to learn that Geo. W. Bush reads books.

[sheik yerbouty]

Why does Newsweek fear a US victory over the jihad?

[Utah Girl]

Yeah, President Bush reading books really puts a nail in their old line that he is dumb, and not interested in the world around him. Dumb media.

[Utah Girl]

I don't know if they fear a US victory, as much as they fear the unknown of what will follow. Eleanor Clift was screeching last week "how do we know that Iraqis will choose democracy???" Well, take a good look at Afghanistan for one. With the help of the US, the infrastructure is slowly being rebuilt in Afghanistan. A lot of good has come from that action. I think a lot of good will come from an Iraqi action by the US.

[Honcho]

Israel's spectacular triumph in 1967 didn't bring peace with the Arabs.

Does the auther perfer annihilation instead?

[groanup]

"Would an American conquest of Iraq, however swiftly and surgically done, eventually bear the same bitter fruit?"

Maybe so. And those who would offer that bitter fruit would do well to duck! America is not going to run out of determination any time soon.

[My2Cents]

If you want to read something that shows the total and complete moronic nature of the news media, read "Fighting Back" by Bill Sammon. Three chapters in there show how during the early stages of the military operation in Afghanistan, the press was wrong, wrong, wrong, about Bush and the operation; how they went hysterical about "Bush knew!" of the terror attacts before 9/11; how moronic they were in their questions to Secty. Rumsfeld during his daily press briefings; and essentially how the media is a subsidiary of the Democrat Party. We all know these things are true, but to read Sammon's numerous examples of news media negligence and partisanship was astounding.

[Utah Girl]

Exactly right. It is not Israel's fault there isn't peace in the Middle East, the Arab states will not stop until Israel (and the Jews) are obliterated.

[Utah Girl]

I'm reading that book right now! Excellent, I really like Sammon's writings. And the press is reprehensible.

[The Great Satan]

I don't know if they fear a US victory, as much as they fear the unknown of what will follow.

What they fear is that the public will rally around the President, as they always do in wartime -- even during billyjeff's wag-the-dog war on behalf of the KLA -- and the Democratic Party will go into eclipse for the foreseeable future. That's the long and the short of it.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

You forgot the CLYMER AWARD WINNER Alert!!! Sheesh, Fineman is a real 'major leaguer'.

[Lightnin]

Rarely mentioned in the media is the simple fact that W scored higher on his SAT test than did Algore.

[tet68]

Howard, bitter fruit is better than weeping lamentations and
political and religious slavery.
I have a tip for you, get used to it, this is just beginning. They haven't even gotten started yet, nor have we. As I told a friend tonight, when he asked if we have the
treasure or political will to deal with Islam, we don't have it yet, but after the next attack, when tens of thousands lay dying from some hideous scourge, then,
THEN we will have the will to do what it takes.

[The Great Satan]

Actually, he didn't -- but his college grades were better.

[My2Cents]

I bought the book for the cover. :-)

[My2Cents]

Also, didn't Al Gore flunk out of divinity school? I mean, what kind of moral black hole flunks out of divinity school?

[My2Cents]

BTW, reading the account of Bush's meeting with families of those who lost their lives or were missing at the WTC brought tears to my eyes. Bush is an incredibly decent man, and I thank God every day he is President.

[Utah Girl]

And law school. Al either flunked out or dropped out of law school. He was grooming himself for his entire life to be prez.

[highpockets]

But they are based in distant lands

This peaceful cult would never attempt to infiltrate the country it has called the "evil empire".

This cult would not teach the young to hate "infidles" and the act of lying to "non-believers" as a admiral quality.

This cult would never inspire average devotees to commit murder.

This cult of death, ISLAM strives to fulfill the Rodney King mantra " Can't we all just get along?".