Tancredo and Mecca
Tom Tancredo got everybody’s attention, but it was hard to tell the difference between conservatives and liberals on this one–they all responded negatively to Tancredo’s statement he made in Iowa last week concerning the bombing of Islamic holy sites.
Tancredo was quoted as saying:
If it is up to me, we are going to explain that an attack on this homeland of that nature would be followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina; he said in Iowa last week. Because that’s the only thing I can think of that might deter somebody from doing what they otherwise might do.
The Chicago Sun Times has a representative reaction…
That’s nuts, of course, not only contrary to every cherished American ideal, but counterproductive, as the prospect of the United States bombing Islamic holy cities would inspire, rather than deter, terrorists. Remember the overall goal of the Osama bin Ladens of the world — to create an endless war between Islam and the West. To the degree that we remain strong and stick to our ideals, we can never be defeated. By even contemplating using the tactics of the terrorists — to suggest this kind of collective punishment — only advances their agenda.
From Obama to Tancredo, this past week’s events hilight that opponents will pounce on any foreign policy statement that can in any way be framed (in this case, correctly) as outside of the “norm”.
