Arguing that Democrats know how to fight real wars, not just political ones, Peter Beinart notes that Harry Truman would have given the terrorists hell. Indeed. And that would have been mild compared to the likely response of fellow Democrat Andrew Jackson.
JOHN adds: Yes, and remember what Jefferson did to the Barbary pirates. Those days are long gone, of course, but still: if a Democratic administration takes office in 2009, the last thing it will want is a successful terrorist attack on American soil. I think Democrats would be just as energetic, and go just as far as the Bush administration has gone, with regard to defensive measures. For example, I think they would use the NSA to monitor international terrorist communications, analyze telephone calling records, etc. Very likely, they would have less regard for civil liberties than the Bush administration has shown. Where I think a Democratic administration would probably fall short is in taking the battle to the enemy overseas.
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