Reply #15: Excluding the middle [View All]

[carolinayellowdog]

Dear Nancy,

There is much to praise in this piece and I have always liked your posts. But here I will point out that I think you are adopting a misleading frame, playing into Harris's hands and fulfilling his stereotype of liberals in denial about terrorism. Why adopt the formulation "THE real enemy" and "THE obvious foe"? That implies, falsely, an either/or dichotomy, as if the American people can't possibly be threatened BOTH by our own government AND by external foes. Islamic extremism is hardly a "neo-con induced windmill"; it's a horrendously destructive force in the world THAT HAS BEEN INFLATED VASTLY BY THE INEPTITUDE AND MALICE OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION. (And is mainly a danger to residents of Islamic countries and Europe.)

Cheers,

CYD