We are so far off course as country and as a people right now, it's amazing anyone can tell their ass from their elbow.
Our Senators can't approve adequate dwell time for our soldiers; or stand up and end the war by de-authorizing it (hate tip Bill Richardson) but they can unite to crap on MoveOn?
Then today, there is the falling-all-over-ourselves to attack President Ahmandinejad from going to pay his respects at Ground Zero.
Outrage! The cry goes out and the lemming fall out over themselves to yell OUTRAGE every louder. Just like they did with Larry Craig, a single shot to the head won't do anymore, bring out the Uzi.
Of course, missed in this torrent of attacks, is one fact. And one practical one.
First, the fact.
Iran helped us after 9/11. They provided valuable intelligence into what the situation was in Afghanistan and about the Taliban.
They were our ALLY. A four letter word for friend.
The second reason is that letting anyone go pay their respects at Ground Zero is the right thing to do.
Castro wants to head on down, feel free.
Anyone who wants to go stare at that whole in the ground and ponder the horror that happened, feel free.
In fact, we should all go down there. Here's what I think about. I remember the smell a few days after 9/11. It is the smell of death, it's sweet, kind of sickly sweet.
I never will, and never want to, forget that smell.
But you know what also struck me about today? Our so-called leaders crying outrage and then I read this great post from my friend Kristen Breitweiser.
Kristen's husband died that day. She fought for the 9/11 Commission and she knows more about the real war on terror than anyone I know.
Here's what she wrote:
What I would have preferred was some real statesmanship.
Real statesmanship would be a presidential candidate with the courage to encourage potentially dangerous, misinformed leaders like Ahmandinejad to visit Ground Zero, in the hopes that they might learn something.
Real statesmanship would mean proposing a new dialogue with Ahmandinejad and other Iranian leaders, searching for some common ground between America and Iran while there's still time to avert disaster.
Real statesmanship would not be intimidated by the O'Reillys and the Ann Coulters of the world. Real statesmanship would not view this kind of diplomacy as weak, but wise. Real statesmanship would not be based on knee-jerk reactions, but on long-term vision.
So far not one presidential candidate has seized the opportunity to do something "out of the box" and important on Iran -- like actually meeting Ahmandinejad at Ground Zero and challenging him to a real dialogue.
She's right.
The rest of her post is here.