Why can’t Thomas Friedman say “I was wrong”? His column on Sunday argues, rightly, that President Bush’s war on terrorism fails to embrace non-military strategies that would help ensure America’s security. “I blame him for squandering all the positive feeling in America after 9/11, particularly among young Americans who wanted to be drafted for a great project that would strengthen America in some lasting way–a Manhattan Project for energy independence,” Friedman writes.
What’s strange about Friedman’s advice is that after 9/11 few journalists banged the bombing drum as strongly as he did. Why did President Bush not begin a peaceful Manhattan Project to complement the military campaign? In part, because influential voices like Friedman’s were doing little other than shouting about the military option. Belatedly, Friedman notes that turning America into a fortress state does not make us safe: “A war on terrorism that is fought only by sending soldiers to Afghanistan or by tightening our borders will ultimately be unsatisfying.”
