Politics: The Blame Game

With the midterm elections two months away, it appears that culpability for failing to prevent the 9/11 attacks is going to be a major issue. Bill Clinton went ballistic when Chris Wallace asked him whether his administration did enough to capture Osama Bin Laden, responding that he had tried and failed to get Bin Laden while the Bush administration effectively did not try and even ignored a comprehensive plan to get Bin Laden that the Clinton folks had left behind. This prompted a response from Condoleezza Rice that the Bush administration was at least as focused on terrorism as the Clinton administration had been, and that there was no comprehensive strategy left behind. It appears that both parties are going to try and pin 9/11 on the other, with Republicans attempting to make Democrats look feckless and weak, and Democrats attempting to make Republicans appear incompetent and unwise. The 9/11 Commission Report lays blame on both administrations for failing to prevent the attacks. Yet, in politics admitting to blame is generally considered political suicide, so that certainly won't happen.

In the end, most Americans I believe will blame both parties and both Clinton and Bush for the failure. The result will be that this issue will not be a particular winner for either side politically. The big question is whether the key foreign policy issue of this election is the war in Iraq, or prevention of future terrorism. If the electorate views the Iraq war as the key foreign policy issue, then Democrats will have an advantage. If the electorate is more concerned with preventing future terrorism, then the Republicans will be well served. Look to see which of these two issues (which are admittedly related) predominates over the next two months, as that will provide an indicator of how the national midterm elections will turn out.