OPINION:
Your Sept. 23 editorial, “Obama’s victory-less war” (Comment & Analysis), concludes that President Obama’s comment that the United States can “absorb” a major terrorist attack - as described in Bob Woodward’s new book - was a case of “inartful phrasing,” but that his fundamental point was to point out the strength of America. I think the article totally missed the point of the story.
The context of the conversation was whether our troops should pull out of Afghanistan sooner rather than after a victory over the Taliban. The argument made by the military was that leaving early would increase the chances of a terrorist attack.
Mr. Obama’s response to that argument was “Don’t worry, America can absorb another attack.” That is the shocking mindset he has. He states that he can’t afford to lose his support in the Democratic Party, so better to take a chance on another attack. I don’t see any other way to read this disturbingstory.
TOM HINES
Vienna, Va.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.