Let’s emphasize that again: The plot was foiled because a large number of people were under surveillance concerning their spending, travel and communications. Which leads us to wonder if Scotland Yard would have succeeded if the ACLU or the New York Times had first learned the details of such surveillance programs.
As the time since 9/11 has passed, many of America’s elites have begun to portray U.S. government policies as a greater threat than the terrorists themselves. George Soros and others have said this explicitly, and their political allies in Congress and the media have staged a relentless campaign against the very practices that saved innocent lives this week. We doubt that many Americans who will soon board an airplane agree.
Here is an excellent piece by the Wall Street Journal editorial board on the success of anti-terror efforts that are increasingly opposed by liberals and elites:
Americans went to work yesterday to news of another astonishing terror plot against U.S. airlines, only this time the response was grateful relief. British authorities had busted the “very sophisticated” plan “to commit mass murder” and arrested 20-plus British-Pakistani suspects. As we approach the fifth anniversary of 9/11 without another major attack on U.S. soil, now is the right moment to consider the policies that have protected us–and those in public life who have fought those policies nearly every step of the way.
It’s not as if the “Islamic fascists”–to borrow President Bush’s description yesterday–haven’t been trying to hit us. They took more than 50 lives last year in London with the “7/7″ subway bombings. There was the catastrophic attack in Madrid the year before that left nearly 200 dead. But there have also been successes. Some have been publicized, such as a foiled plot to poison Britain’s food supply with ricin. But undoubtedly many have not, because authorities don’t want to compromise sources and methods, or because the would-be terrorists have been captured or killed before they could carry out their plans.
It is good to keep in mind that few of the successful anti-terror operations are public knowledge. Those responsible for counter-terrorism do not reveal who was arrested or how they were tracked unless the revelation advances the anti-terror campaign. No doubt it would be politically very helpful to Blair and Bush if these successes were reported. But in contrast to the sniping pols who have no responsibility — these are responsible men.
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