During his Senate hearings on the civil rights of American Muslims today, Sen. Dick Durbin struck a nostalgic note when referring to former President George W. Bush:
We should all agree that it is wrong to blame an entire community for the wrongdoing of a few. Guilt by association is not the American way. And American Muslims are entitled to the same constitutional protections as every other American.
I had my differences with President George W. Bush, but he showed real leadership after 9/11, when he made it clear that our war was with the terrorists who perverted the teachings of Islam, not with Muslims who were faithful to what he called, quote, "a faith based upon love, not hate."
Given the direction the Republican Party has taken since then, it's not hard to understand why.
These efforts following 9-11 were important. They set a tone. They reminded those who might be tempted to take out their anger on an entire community that such actions were wrong. They helped assure Americans like Mr. Al-Darsani that their government would act to protect their rights. This said, these efforts were not without controversy. The appointment of a special counsel to the assistant attorney general, for example, was discussed. Should an individual be appointed to address the rights of a particular community? Such a measure was admittedly extraordinary. History, however, shows that the decision to proceed in this manner was correct. 9-11 was an extraordinary and terrible event, and thus efforts to curb post 9-11 backlash had to be extraordinary as well.
That was the testimony of Bush-era attorney R. Alexander Acosta at today's hearing. He was the Republican on the panel.
