Path to 9/11: Ace readers insightful comments

For folks on the left, Ace is one of the most hated conservative bloggers. And sometimes his comments threads can be funny but vulgar raunch-fests. Smart, but very, very vulgar.

Tonight the folks leaving comments about The Path to 9/11 at Ace’s are impressive and insightful, and mostly really temperate…quite the opposite of what the some on the left might expect:

But I think the main point they were trying to get across, was that the bad guys are the terrorist not the Administrations. They showed the failures of Clinton, and the inability of the key players to actually commit and make the hard decisions. If they edited anything, I don’t think it made a difference in what they were trying to get across. But I have to say if ABC was this willing to tear apart the Clinton Adminstration, then I’m willing to bet that tomorrow is gonna be brutal for Bush. – Spypeach

People should see this. They will have no doubt who the enemy is. And they will understand that we need to clean away all the bureaucratic BS that encrusts our war- (and crime-) fighting methods… – lmg

The Clinton administration didn’t look too great, but that’s not really critical. I find myself making allowances for it because no one else got it right, either including the Bush Adminstration–and it gets its turn tomorrow night.

Laying blame is not important; learning where we erred and re-evaluating our response, is. After all, we are all on the same side. Islamism got past Carter and Reagan, too. Clinton has illustrious company.

It was silly for the Democrats to get into an uproar about this as most people I know–Conservatives included–realize that people make mistakes, this was an unprecedented event, and the Clinton Adminstration didn’t wilfully try to make mistakes as a matter of policy. Stuff happens. Think of Hurricane Katrina. It could have happened to anyone. We must assume that they proceeded with the best of will and to the best of their ability.

My point of contention is that while a mistake is understandable, eviscerating freedom of expression in an attempt to cover it up, is not. – qwfwq

Now, how reasonable is that? Can you imagine what political discourse in this country would be like if our congressional leadership could manage such a statement?

I was struck by the fact that a lot of ordinary people just trying to doing their jobs well saved the day again and again- the guys who found the VIN number, the police officer in the Philippines, the border agent who stopped the millenium bomber. I think the movie portrayed these people as the real heroes. Yes, the Clinton administration bungled, but I think the movie was showing the failings of bureaucracy, not trying to blame the Clinton administration. The reaction of Democratic senators shows that for the Democrats, politics really is more important than national security. – JeanE.

Liked it fine enough, didn’t really think it was that hard on the Clinton Administration compared to current political rhetoric in the nation. – wickedpinto

Boy, these sure sound like a bunch of “chill wind” blowing, repressive, censoring fascists and Clinton-hating nazis out to re-write history and otherwise oppress Americans and divide the nation with their hate, don’t they?

Honestly, to me, they sound like classical liberals. And grown ups. And they sound like people who would love to see the political in-fighting fall by the wayside so we can unite as a nation and fight the real enemy, not the one across the aisle.

I would love to find a comparable group of comments on a lefty site – just so that I might feel hopeful that some how all the polarizing crap will soon stop…but it’s such a trial going over to those places…if anyone has seen such comments on the left, let me know, okay?

The sense I’m getting from the right is – okay, the past is the past, can we stop all the inter-party squabbling and flame-throwing now, and get serious, finally, together?

Is there any chance that maybe – just maybe – the left might soon get serious about fighting terrorism instead of coming out against every – literally every – measure the Bush administration has taken to fight it, instead of politicizing the hell out of a situation that needs to see mere politics put aside for the good of us all?

I’m hopeful. Probably I shouldn’t be. But I’ll always choose optimism over the alternative.

Roger Simon also wants to hope. Like many others Rick Moran is looking beyond blame, at solutions.

Michael Ledeen remembers Barbara Olsen and writes angry Because it’s really not about the damn political parties.

It’s the terrorism, stupid!

Siggy says some soul searching is in order.

Kim at Musing Minds has a post on freedom of the press that is so good, it’s been featured over at Townhall. Check it out!