OBL Tape and Kerry's Rhetoric

Both candidates for President are honest about their desire to defeat terrorism in general and Osama bin Laden in particular. What I want to explore is whether out-of-control campaign rhetoric unintentionally gives aid and comfort to the enemy.

John Kerry has used the Book of James during the campaign, ""Words without deeds are meaningless -- especially when people are dying every day." I want to look at a different passage in James. James 3:2-6

2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. 3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Pastor Rick Warren refers to people described in this passage as "verbal arsonists".

After the Oklahoma City bombing President Bill Clinton accused talk radio of being "purveyors of hate and division". He told the Detroit Free Press, "I cannot defend some of the things some of these more extreme talk-show hosts have said, even more extreme than that in these little short-wave programs that plainly are encouraging violence." President Clinton has a point. Words do have consequences and "verbal arsonists" can indeed provoke violence.

Now, let's look at some quotes from the Osama bin Laden video:

Then, what happened was that he was impressed by the monarchies and the military regimes, and he was jealous of them staying in power for tens of years, embezzling the public money without any accountability. And he moved the tyranny and suppression of freedom to his own country, and they called it the Patriot Act, under the disguise of fighting terrorism. And Bush, the father, found it good to install his children as governors and leaders.

Now John Kerry:

Let me tell you what I think makes someone unfit for duty. Misleading our nation into war in Iraq makes you unfit to lead this nation. Doing nothing while this nation loses millions of jobs makes you unfit to lead this nation. Letting 45 million Americans go without healthcare makes you unfit to lead this nation. Letting the Saudi Royal Family control our energy costs makes you unfit. Handing out billions of government contracts to Halliburton while you're still on their payroll makes you unfit. That's the record of George Bush and Dick Cheney. And that only scratches the surface. I believe it's time to move America in a new direction; I believe it's time to set a new course for America. And together, you, John Edwards and I will do that on November 2nd.

Bin Laden:

He was more interested in listening to the child's story about the goat rather than worry about what was happening to the towers. So, we had three times the time necessary to accomplish the events.

According to the Washington Post:

At a morning appearance before minority journalists in Washington, Kerry faulted Bush for spending seven minutes reading to Florida schoolchildren after learning the World Trade Center had been attacked. "Had I been reading to children and had my top aide whispered in my ear that America is under attack, I would have told those kids very nicely and politely that the president of the United States has something that he needs to attend to," Kerry said.

In fact Kerry's communication director has an eery simularity with bin Laden:

"John Kerry is not the type of leader who will sit and read 'My Pet Goat' to a group of second-graders while America is under attack," said Kerry campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter, a reference to the book Mr. Bush continued reading with children for several minutes after his chief of staff informed him of the second World Trade Center plane attack.

Kerry needs to have much greater self control in his speech. As the Book of James would say, John Kerry's tongue is a "world of evil". He simply does not have the character to be President.

Comments

[*** Dave]

I agree completely that Kerry's words give comfort to the enemy.

That said, Pres. Bush needs to show more of the same hypothetical restraint. If John Kerry is, in fact, elected, will some folks take to heart the accusations leveled against Kerry as to his fitness to be CinC, and act accordingly?

Both candidates have, with their vitriol (and that of their supporters) damaged the ultimate winner's ability to function in a post-election world.

[Jeff McNair]

John Stewart's comments on Crossfire a week or so ago go along with the comments above. Our "news" programs are either decidedly partisan in the perspective they give on the news, or in the name of balanced coverage they pit two opposing positions together and the verbal arson begins. I agree with Stewart in that the media has to share the blame for the devisiveness in our country. Instead of a program called "Crossfire" how about one called "Shared ground" or something like that. It probably wouldn't get the ratings.

In the upcoming election, I just wish I had more choices. I agree with both candidates on some issues, but where are the pro life democrats, or the republicans who are a bit more socially liberal.

[Rich]

Dave, Dean Esmay had an interesting thread concerning what would conservatives do if Kerry won. Here's was my response. Note I made this comment before the OBL tape.

If it is a President Kerry I plan on doing the same thing than if it was a President Bush, I will pray for him but with even extra fervor. As bad as things are now, the bad guys will be enboldened even more under Kerry before he does anything. That means wearing my knees out starting November 3.