this may sound stupid later on

By Todd Stadler · Friday, September 28, 2001 10:11pm

I have to say that, for now, I am surprised at how well Bush has handled the reaction to the terrorist attacks.

With seemingly the majority of Americans clamoring for revenge, including the media, he has thus far shown great restraint and patience. Not to say that two weeks is a terribly long time, but compared to Clinton's rash response to the U.S. embassy bombings in 1998, Bush's actions thus far show amazing maturity.

And, of course, there is no question that we are preparing for some sort of military response. But the fact that we are attempting to clamp down, politically and economically, on terrorist lines of support, impresses me. Because it makes sense. Because it has a chance of working.

I mean, with Bush, I half expected some sort of space-based laser system that identifies terrorists and zaps them from on high. Instead, we get diplomacy. Who'd-a thunk it?

I pray that our response continues to be this reasonable, respecting other countries and international law. And if we must use force, I hope we send in the bulletheads first.