Amidst his usual bombast, Charles Krauthammer has a point when he says that America, and yes, George Bush, needn't be overly defensive about their treatment of Muslims since 9/11:
As in Obama's grand admonition: "We cannot paint with a broad brush a faith as a consequence of the violence that is done in that faith's name." Have "we" been doing that, smearing Islam because of a small minority? George W. Bush went to the Islamic Center in Washington six days after the Sept. 11 attacks, when the fires of Ground Zero were still smoldering, to declare "Islam is peace," to extend fellowship and friendship to Muslims, to insist that Americans treat them with respect and generosity of spirit. And America listened. In these seven years since Sept. 11 -- seven years during which thousands of Muslims rioted all over the world (resulting in the death of more than 100) to avenge a bunch of cartoons -- there's not been a single anti-Muslim riot in the United States to avenge the massacre of 3,000 innocents.
Bush's little-remembered trip to the Islamic Center might have been the finest moment of his presidency.
I gotta hand that one to Bush. He did do the right thing there, and I remember it. I remember thinking: Bully for George.
Of course, to be fair, this is still when I was a 17-year-old Republican. ;) But I think we should be fair and recognize when a disliked politician does something we think is grand and noble.
Bully for George.
Posted by: Kyle | January 31, 2009 at 07:35 AM