Why do they hate us?

Ask a Stupid Question...

The Defense Science Board, a Pentagon advisory panel, was tasked with figuring out why it is that we can't seem to communicate our bright shining vision to the Islamic masses. The underlying assumption was that if we could only communicate better, then the Islamic world would stop hating us. Unfortunately for the Bush administration, which has doggedly pursued the "They hate us for our freedom" line, the Defense Science Board's report came to the staggering conclusion that it's not that we can't communicate, it's that we've been running around the world acting like an arrogant imperial power, showing utter contempt for the rest of humanity, particularly the Islamic world.

Or in the words of the Defense Science Board:

"Muslims do not 'hate our freedom,' but rather they hate our policies."

Let's hear that again, and mind you, this is the Pentagon speaking: "Muslims do not 'hate our freedom,' but rather they hate our policies." Now, will someone please tell George Bush to stop the "they hate our freedom" drivel and start focusing on our policies?

Shortly after 9/11, a professor of journalism at the University of Texas was saved only by his tenure from a political firing when he opined that 9/11 might have less to do with our freedom, and more to do with our policies. Now, three years later, we have the Pentagon echoing his words: "Muslims do not 'hate our freedom,' but rather they hate our policies."

The report goes further, criticizing the basic framework of the "war on terror:"

"The focus is more on capturing and killing terrorists than attitudinal, political, and economic forces that are the underlying source of threats and opportunities in national security"

Get that, Rumsfeld? It's not about killing bad guys, it's about engaging with the rest of the world, figuring out why these guys are blowing up Americans, and dealing with the "attitudinal, political, and economic forces" that are behind it all. And guess what? Raising the number of troops in Iraq to its highest level ever won't do that.

The list goes on and on: Muslims are upset that we prop up tyrannical regimes in the Middle East, that we completely screwed up Iraq after we invaded it, that we are trying to "liberate" people who don't particularly want to be liberated, etc., etc..

Now, if I had gone on CNN last week and said all of this, I would be branded a typical liberal hand-wringer who was giving comfort to the enemy and letting terrorists dictate US policy. But no, this is the Pentagon speaking. Not official Department of Defense policy, but even better--their best and brightest minds sitting down and trying to figure out what's going wrong. And what conclusion did they come to? One more time:

"Muslims do not 'hate our freedom,' but rather they hate our policies."

Ooooh, that's got a sweet sound. Let's hope that Emperor Bush--and the NeoCons who make policy for him--will hear it.