Despite the rather snarky lede—
Two days after the dramatic arrest of Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad, Republicans were engaged in a full-bore effort to rewrite the good-news narrative.
"Yes, we have been lucky," House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio) said Thursday, "but luck is not an effective strategy for fighting terrorism."
Whatever the merits of their argument — and, where terrorism is concerned, it is prudent to keep cockiness at bay — there is a political imperative at work as well. "Democrats are always suspect on national security, and anything that makes them look weak on national security creates an opportunity for Republicans," said Whit Ayres, a GOP pollster.
–is this really nothing more than issuing the GOP talking points for a non-story? We know that all the GOP wants is to put into people’s mind that the Dems are weak on terrorism. The Post obliges.
While Republicans praised the FBI and local authorities, they noted that the intelligence agencies have — for the third time since the Fort Hood attack in November — failed to interrupt an individual before the act. "I look at the Christmas deal," said Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (Calif.), referring to the attempted airliner bombing over Detroit, "and I look at this deal, and I say, ‘Wow, one of these times they are going to get it right.’ "
Does anyone really believe that we can stop all attempts to detonate a bomb if someone with half a brain wants to? Yes, we have been lucky. But someone is going to succeed.
Instead of acting as a stenographer for the GOP’s talking points, might it been helpful for The Post to examine how other countries have dealt with such random bombings? Israel, of course, comes to mind. We might not like the solution. Or might the reporters have asked the Republicans leadership, “What would you do differently?” How would you stopped someone—a citizen, with little suspicious behavior, from attempting such an attack?
Alas, that doesn’t fit into the easy narrative that too many journalists buy into—conflict. No matter how ludicrous the charge, it is conflict and reporters can easily write their “he said, she said” story.