Keeping Us Safe

This story may or may not mean much vis a vis the individual, but to me it means a lot about the big picture. The man worked at several nuclear power plants during the Bush administration which, as we're regularly told by the RWS™, kept us safe (as long as you don't count....)

Arrested during the Obama administration, he may or may not prove to have been a dangerous guy. But there's a point: no president can keep us completely safe. In the case of Bush, after he ignored the warnings he was handed about al Queda, the "safety" of the last seven years of his term was, to an unmeasurable extent, pure luck. (By "unmeasurable," I mean just that. I don't doubt that law enforcement was effective as well.)

Much as it's true that President Obama seems to have had remarkable success -- much more than Bush -- in apprehending and killing potential terrorists, it's also true that the real safety net is wielded by those in law enforcement and intelligence gathering. I remain unconvinced that the fight in Afghanistan is worth the effort (although it it helps keep Pakistan's nukes under control, I'd be happy to change my mind), and I'm certain the invasion of Iraq made things much worse for us in nearly uncountable ways. No matter how democratic it ends up. Terrorism isn't a place.

This guy is a warning, if nothing else, and so is this lady: there's no way to prevent all attacks. But our best hope for doing so lies not in fighting wars overseas, but in the smart gathering of intelligence and in the currying of favor among those beyond our borders willing to help. And, I must add, to the extent that there seems to be increased willingness of Pakistan to fight the Taliban, I consider that a great sign.

The credit goes to the smarter policies of the current administration.