VZCZCXYZ0016
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHBU #1807 2541358
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111358Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9207
INFO RHMFISS/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL//SCJ2//
RULGPUA/USCOMSOLANT
UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001807
SIPDIS
STATE FOR INR/R/MR, I/GWHA, WHA, WHA/PDA, WHA/BSC,
WHA/EPSC
CDR USSOCOM FOR J-2 IAD/LAMA
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO OPRC KMDR PREL
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION; S-11 ANNIVERSARY; IRAQ; 09/11/07
1. SUMMARY STATEMENT
Key international stories today cover the September 11 sixth
anniversary; as well as the "confrontation" between the US
Legislative and Executive Branches over the war in Iraq.
2. OPINION PIECES AND EDITORIALS
- "S-11 increased the power of the Bush administration's extremist
wing"
Business-financial "El Cronista" carries an opinion piece by Claudio
Fantini, international analyst, who writes (09/11) "... The (S-11)
genocidal attack sought to turn an open, cosmopolitan and tolerant
society into a closed and discriminatory one. Did it manage to do
so? If one takes into account the Patriot Act and the legislation
justifying torture and abuse, as well as the governmental complicity
with the FBI illegal wiretapping, they did manage to do so.
"Through the Bush administration, they managed to weaken US
republican institutions because the genocide that occurred six years
ago left power in the hands of the extremist wing of the Republican
government, whose radical positions ended up isolating the
superpower of the world.
"This is why those inflicting the S-11 attack obtained more than
what they had dreamt of. While they lost the comfortable position Al
Qaeda used to have in the Emir Omar's Afghanistan and the Taliban
regime..., it became a sort of inspiration for hundreds of terrorist
groups that act on their own."
- "Six years away from the worst attack"
An editorial in daily-of-record "La Nacisn" reads (09/11) "... On
September 11, 2001, the entire world felt the impact of a tragedy
that killed 3,000 people in an undeclared war against innocent
civilians from several nationalities...
"On that day, six years ago, the hatred against the US, its Western
allies and the Arab governments that Al Qaeda calls 'servile' became
the worst attack in history against a country that had been
considered invulnerable until then.
"... From September 11, 2001, on, US President George W. Bush, who
was considered 'accidental' because of the tricky elections in which
he had defeated Democratic competitor Al Gore in November 2000,
started to brag about being 'the president of war.'
"In that war against evil, which was declared in Afghanistan against
the Taliban regime and in Iraq against the Hussein regime, his
premise was almost a warning 'you can be either with us or with the
terrorists'...
"... From the very moment Bush and his British counterpart at the
time, Tony Blair, declared the global war on terrorism, they also
curtailed citizens' rights. Should we be less free in order to
continue being free? This started to be the question at issue.
"Two pre-emptive wars were not enough to prevent Al Qaeda from using
the same methodology (public means of transportation) to produce
panic on the territory of US partners in the war against Iraq -
Spain in 2004, and Great Britain in 2005..."
- "A window to war and the US political future"
Oscar Ral Cardoso, international analyst of leading "Clarn,"
opines (09/11) "... The reports that General David Petraeus... and
Ambassador Ryan Crocker... submitted to Capitol Hill yesterday have
become a window of opportunity for the near political future of the
US. They foretell a tough political confrontation between the
Executive and Legislative branches over the continuity of the
campaign in Iraq.
"... The fact that Bush has lied so often since 2003 about the
invasion and the occupation of Iraq is of no help to his
spokespersons, Petraeus and Crocker...
To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our
classified website at:
http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires
WAYNE