In his explosive essay on torture, Colin Powell’s former chief of staff, Lawrence Wilkerson made this comment in passing:
“More Americans were killed by terrorists on Cheney’s watch than on any other leader’s watch in US history. So his constant claim that no Americans were killed in the “seven and a half years” after 9/11 of his vice presidency takes on a new texture when one considers that fact.”
Huh? Say what you will about the Bush administration’s approach but it is true that we haven’t had any more 9/11-style terrorist attacks. What’s Wilkerson getting at?
This: 4,294 Americans have died in Iraq. Our justification for being in Iraq is that we’re fighting terrorists. Therefore, those American soldiers have been killed by terrorists. Of course, some of those deaths resulted from accidents, friendly fire or being in the middle of sectarian warfare that might not be considered “terrorism.” But that’s not really an argument Iraq war supporters can make since the point of being there was battling terrorists. Certainly more have been killed by terrorists than died on 9/11.
So why do we feel Americans haven’t been touched by terrorism since 9/11? The truth is, we make an unconscious distinction between soldiers and civilians, between deaths here and deaths there. Soldiers volunteer to be in harm’s way; civilians don’t. Deaths in a combat zone on the other size of the world don’t rock our social order the way office buildings exploding too.
As a civilian on American soil, I’m relieved that it’s not my family being attacked. But that way of thinking does implicitly de-value the lives of soldiers. They have mothers and spouses and children, just like the 9/11 victims did. That they’re dying to keep me safe makes their sacrifice even greater — and our gratitude more intense.
So let’s give new prayers of thanks — and stop insulting the memory of the soldiers by saying no Americans have been killed by terrorists since 9/11.
posted May 16, 2009 at 2:09 am
Steve,
I think you’re missing the first point. He is pointing out that Cheney cannot just dismiss the first 8 months of the Bush/Cheney administration. He is pointing out, correctly, that on 9/11 more Americans were killed by terrorists than had ever previously been killed on US soil.
He goes on to point out that just because no further attacks occurred after 9/11 does not mean that we should just dismiss the attacks that did happen.
posted May 16, 2009 at 7:28 am
Steve,
I agree with Shawn. Wilkerson is simply pointing out a flaw in Cheney’s logic. I would think you might agree, since you say we should “stop insulting the memory of the soldiers by saying no Americans have been killed by terrorists since 9/11.” It is Cheney who says this, not Wilkerson. Cheney wants Americans to believe that no one was harmed at all on his watch. But in fact 9/11 happened on his watch, and so did the many thousands of casualties in Iraq. You shouldn’t be questioning Wilkerson’s piece. It is Cheney’s repeated washing-of-his-hands that you should be focused on.
posted November 1, 2010 at 3:13 pm
You’re a fucking idiot. And Wilkerson’s a fucking idiot too.
If you only count the Americans killed by al Quaida in Iraq, I seriously doubt that’d be 4,000. Let us not forget that WE CHOSE to go over THERE. We invaded another country. And ask yourself: How would Americans react if Iraqi soldiers stormed our country to ‘fight terrorists’ here, or ‘liberate’ us from our President? Would we welcome them with open arms? Or would we try to kill them!? In fact, we already did this, and it was called The American Revolution.
To call Iraqi insurgents terrorists is to call American revolutionary soldiers terrorists too. Heck, we had LESS reason for invading them than the British did invading us. To call Iraqis terrorists is to commit an atrocity against the thousands and thousands of civilians who have died in that country because of us. We’re the bad guys in this war; deal with it.