Happy New Year, Al-Qaeda

When we found out no WMDs in Iraq when U.S. intelligence assured otherwise, I was both disappointed and ashamed of my nation’s intelligence failure. You might say that we acted rather unintelligently. It was a humbling moment in our nation’s history.

Thankfully, America is not shattered by a single failure. Part of being American is this uncanny ability to bounce back, to get back on the horse, to keep on fighting. It is what got us through the Great Depression; it is what got us through Watergate; it is what is getting us through our history of racisim. Essential to the American spirit is to resist being defined by our failures, to persevere in working hard to do good.

What inspired these patriotic thoughts, you might ask?  My inspiration happens to be the wonderful new years gift which the CIA presented to Al-Qaeda last week.  This is not a minor story; this amounts to significant redemption (in one sense of the word) for American intelligence, as well as a significant victory over the terrorist organization which bombed our nation and opposes democracy everywhere.

It’s a great way to celebrate the new year, if you ask me.