Are You Safer Now Than You Were Four Years Ago?

THAT’S the question we should all be asking.  Republicans, especially, have been obsessed with national security and 24/7 paranoia over The ENEMY striking again.

Now that Osama bin Laden has been killed and al Qaeda’s threat has been reduced — not stopped, just mitigated — the non-stop “Be Very Afraid” meme has faded.

And according to Republican “logic” (if that’s not an oxymoron), President Obama deserves full credit for this.  Our increased sense of safety and security can be laid entirely at the feet of President Barack Obama.

Think about it.  For the seven-plus years of George W. Bush’s post-9/11 presidency, everything Bush-Cheney did was credited for “keeping us safe.”  The Patriot Act, eliminating Habeas Corpus, invading Iraq:

“Welcome to the post-9/11 world.  This is how it is now.  Get used to it.”

“Have we had any more terrorist attacks since 9/11?  OK then, quit whining.”

“Whatever President Bush is doing, it’s working.”

So accordingly, whatever President Obama has been doing since January 2009 — it’s working.  We’re safer.  When was the last time you saw a screaming headline about a probable terrorist attack?  Or a hysterical warning that “Our harbors and railroads are wide open to a terrorist attack!”  “ANYONE could poison our water supply, killing thousands of Americans!”

It’s been awhile.  This proves beyond a doubt that being the global bull-in-a-china-shop was the wrong approach.  It’s much much better for America to use Soft Power — that exacting combination of military might AND diplomatic finesse.

Go ahead and call it “apologizing for America” if you must.

But hey — it’s working.