National Security

Since 9/11, I have consistently tried to remind myself that Islamist terrorism is the greatest single potentially devastating threat to our civilization. We can and will survive market crashes. We will have a much harder time surviving a WMD attached to an Islamist suicide bomber in a major city. And that's the central reason I endorsed John Kerry in 2004 and it's a prime reason I'm supporting Barack Obama in 2008. We cannot afford the incompetence and flawed worldview of Bush, Cheney and McCain (and Sullivan 2002-2003) to be rewarded any longer. It's too risky. Conor Friedersdorf puts his finger on a key question here:

Last week, a federal judge ordered the release of 17 wrongly imprisoned Chinese Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay, and Maryland police acknowledged putting 53 people on state and federal terrorists list because of their opposition to the Iraq War and the death penalty. At the same time, the presidential campaign of Senator John McCain asserted that its opponent for the presidency "pals around with" unrepentant terrorists.

What do those news events have in common? In each case, public officials used the specter of terrorism to accrue power, even though none of those targeted actually threaten the safety of Americans.

McCain-Palin is not a serious national security ticket.