Ask Obama – does evil exist?

When a conversation begins concerning terrorists, sit back and listen for a few moments. As smart conservatives, it’s hard to avoid jumping right into a discussion and taking a stand, but hold out if you can.

What can be an effective first question? How about does evil exist? The answer from the group members will dictate the flow of the conversation. So Senator Obama, does evil exist?

Michelle Malkin’s syndicated column today brings us back to Sept. 2001 when Barack Obama was a state senator in Illinois and worked at a law firm. After the attacks on Sept. 11, Obama posted an op-ed piece in a Chicago newspaper.

Obama – in what I believe to be his full piece below – starts asking the who’s-at-fault question quite early, suggestion we need to draw wisdom from the attacks. He states the attacks derive from an absence of empathy on the part of the attackers. No shit?

Look – ask the question. Does evil exist? If one answers that evil does not exist and that it is all a matter of perspective just walk away. The argument is not worth your time. (I’ve only had one person answer this way.)

If they say that evil does exist, as the next question. Can you negotiate with evil?

No matter what anyone says, you can not negotiate with evil. Even if you do negotiate with evil, it will not work out at all. Those who are evil are also liars.

History repeats. Evil must simply be crushed.

Evil exists. You can not negotiate with evil, and your not going to be able to get evil to sit down with Dr. Phil for an anger management session either.

Here is what I think is all or most of Obama’s op-ed piece from Sept. 19. My emphasis added.

Even as I hope for some measure of peace and comfort to the bereaved families, I must also hope that we as a nation draw some measure of wisdom from this tragedy. Certain immediate lessons are clear, and we must act upon those lessons decisively. We need to step up security at our airports. We must reexamine the effectiveness of our intelligence networks. And we must be resolute in identifying the perpetrators of these heinous acts and dismantling their organizations of destruction.

We must also engage, however, in the more difficult task of understanding the sources of such madness. The essence of this tragedy, it seems to me, derives from a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers: an inability to imagine, or connect with, the humanity and suffering of others. Such a failure of empathy, such numbness to the pain of a child or the desperation of a parent, is not innate; nor, history tells us, is it unique to a particular culture, religion, or ethnicity. It may find expression in a particular brand of violence, and may be channeled by particular demagogues or fanatics. Most often, though, it grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair.

We will have to make sure, despite our rage, that any U.S. military action takes into account the lives of innocent civilians abroad. We will have to be unwavering in opposing bigotry or discrimination directed against neighbors and friends of Middle Eastern descent. Finally, we will have to devote far more attention to the monumental task of raising the hopes and prospects of embittered children across the globe—children not just in the Middle East, but also in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and within our own shores.

LGF has more. Ace has more.

Note the last sentence in the first paragraph. Another question for Obama would be to ask him if he would be serious identifying the perpetrators of these heinous acts and dismantling their organizations of destruction as president.

Doesn’t seem so.