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protection that it was willing to pay for. We've been telling government for
years that we need more money to fight this thing. We told them this would
eventually happen but Congress wouldn't give us cash. Doesn't anyone watch
C-Span any more to see what their own government is doing? Maybe they're
just too busy watching Jerry Springer. What do you think?"
I shrugged, not really understanding what he was on about, not that it
mattered. I just got the feeling the place we were going to wasn't one where
I wanted to be.
"Did any of the complainers see the intelligence chiefs talking about
the new terrorism? We kept telling Congress, live on TV, there wasn't enough
money to build intelligence networks in the areas where these scum are
operating and that they needed to untie our hands so we could deal with this
situation. We've told them for years that this is a clear and present danger
within America's borders that needs to be taken on and defeated but, hey,
guess what? Congress just said no, looking at ways of saving a nickel." He
took a long, slow breath of frustration before continuing.
"So why didn't America demand more protection from their Congressmen?
Because they were watching one of their two hundred other channels and
didn't catch the news. Didn't catch Congress telling us we didn't need more
capability. Telling us we were just looking for something to replace Cold
War. Know why Congress did that? Because they think that's what the people
think, and they don't want to upset them, because they don't want to lose
their vote. Now everything is different. Now we have all the nails we need
to shut the stable door, but the horse has already bolted.
"Goddamn it, Nick, why didn't things change after the terrorist attack
on the USS Cole? Seventeen American sailors came home in body-bags why
didn't that open their eyes? And what about the bombing of the air force
base in Saudi Arabia? Or the embassy staff in Africa? Or our soldiers
mutilated and dragged through the streets of Somalia? Why wasn't anybody
letting us do anything then?
"Because those guys up on the Hill were just too damned busy worrying
about the civil rights of paedophiles and rapists, worrying about interest
rates on credit cards that the voters use to buy wide screen digital TVs to
make them feel life is good. But those home-movie centres don't seem to get
C-Span. Nobody knows what's going on, and that's just how Congress wanted to
keep it. Then they have the gall to ask us: "Why did they attack the
innocent people? Why didn't they go after the military?" Well, the answer
is, that's a done deal, but no one took any notice."
He picked up his mug and looked genuinely sad, the first time I had
ever seen him like that. He seemed to be lost in his own world for a while
until I cut in.
"So now what?"
"Now?" The mug went down.
"We've got the money. A billion-dollar down-payment. The problem is
finding a way to fight these people. They don't have anything to defend.
It's not like the Cold War, or any war, that we've seen before. There's no
real estate to fight over, and the notion of deterrence doesn'tapply to
these guys. There's no treaty to be negotiated, no arms control agreement
that's going to guarantee our security. The only way we can deal with them
is to hit them hard and fast and take them down. You know it's crazy only a