Ayers and Tsarnaev side by side. Photo courtesy of Cold Warrior.
I have listened, with fascination and horror, to the President’s words since the Boston bombing.
I found them a dispassionate litany of the obvious that did little to inspire or encourage. Among them, he noted:
… on days like this there are no Republicans or Democrats – we are Americans …
…that all Americans stand with the people of Boston.
and
… we salute all those who assisted in responding so quickly and professionally to this tragedy.
Missing was any outrage at the perpetrators of the heinous act or grit and determination in his intent to find who did the deed.
Speaking of the bombers, the President merely said:
… we will get to the bottom of this. And we will find out who did this; we’ll find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice.
and
I just want to reiterate we will find out who did this and we will hold them accountable.
I contrast his words with those of George W Bush in the aftermath of 9/11.
His was a call to the defense of a nation under attack; a clear delineation of the acts of terror as evil and a full on promise that there would be no rest until those responsible were tracked down. The phrase rang out and lingers even after almost 12 years, “Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done.”
President Obama, in contrast, appears to be merely doing the minimum expected of him. Perhaps for good reason.
Just a week before the Boston bombings Bill Ayers, infamous for being a domestic terrorist in the late 60s and early 70s, confirmed that Barack Obama had, indeed, launched his political career in his living room. The living room of the home he shares with Bernadine Dohrn, also a domestic terrorist.
Ayers and Dohrn were instrumental in the founding and running of an organization known as the Weather Underground Organization (WUO), or just the Weathermen. The WUO were even more radical than the group from which they sprang, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
From their genesis in 1969, the WUO planned and executed a number of “bombings, jailbreaks and riots.” 1970 was their banner year.
All told, given the sheer number of bombs they built and deployed it is a miracle they never killed anyone. They actually killed more of themselves than anyone else. Three of their own were killed in March of 1970 when one of their bomb factories exploded.
But it wasn’t for lack of trying. From December of 1969 to September of 1975, Ayers’ and Dohrn’s organization bombed police stations, military installations including the Pentagon, the US Capitol, US and international corporations, state and local government offices and private homes in almost 30 separate bombings.
The group’s final act was in 1981 where members robbed a Brinks truck of $1.6MM and killed two cops and a Brinks guard.
Dorhn was on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list for almost 3 years. The reason she and the others didn’t do serious time wasn’t because they weren’t guilty. Rather, the FBI also broke the law in compiling the case against them and the evidence gathered was dismissed.
But no one doubts that Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn intended death, mayhem, destruction and terror even worse than that currently gripping Boston. The Boston bombers targeted a city on a single day. The WUO bombed the nation from coast to coast for years. Ayers himself said of those years that he felt they didn’t do enough although he later claimed that sentiment was to be applied only to his non-violent actions.
This is the couple from whose home Barack Obama launched his political career. Why would I expect him to now be critical of behavior identical to that of his original inner circle? Why would I expect him to be serious about bringing justice to murderous thugs who target the innocent? To do so would require him to “bring the full weight of justice” to bear on his supporters, friends and mentors.
To me his remarks are not presidential at all. He’s merely saying what he thinks he’s supposed to say. I don’t buy it for a moment. To me … he’s just putting on Ayers …
SEE ALSO:
Tale of Two Terrorists by John Murtagh (son of one of WUO’s intended targets) @ New York Post;
FBI Hunting Sleeper Cell Connected to Boston Bombers @ UK Mirror;