Teleporting To Conclusions On The Norway Attacks

The reason I didn't have anything political to say about yesterday's horrific attacks in Norway, including the massacre of 85 at a youth camp on Norway's Utoya Island, was because details were sketchy.  That didn't stop Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post from pinning the heinous act on Muslims.

Moreover, there is a specific jihadist connection here: “Just nine days ago, Norwegian authorities filed charges against Mullah Krekar, an infamous al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist who, with help from Osama bin Laden, founded Ansar al Islam – a branch of al Qaeda in northern Iraq – in late 2001.”

This is a sobering reminder for those who think it’s too expensive to wage a war against jihadists. I spoke to Gary Schmitt of the American Enterprise Institute, who has been critical of proposed cuts in defense and of President Obama’s Afghanistan withdrawal plan. “There has been a lot of talk over the past few months on how we’ve got al-Qaeda on the run and, compared with what it once was, it’s become a rump organization. But as the attack in Oslo reminds us, there are plenty of al-Qaeda allies still operating. No doubt cutting the head off a snake is important; the problem is, we’re dealing with global nest of snakes.”

Rubin wasted no time in blaming Muslims for the slaughter yesterday afternoon.  Then we had a suspect:  and he turned out to not be a Muslim after all, but a Christian.

While police have not officially named him, Norwegian television and newspaper reports have identified the suspect as 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik, of Norwegian origin.

A picture is emerging, gleaned from official sources and social media, of a right-wing Christian fundamentalist who may have had an issue with Norway's multi-cultural society.

Shocking, I know.  Jennifer Rubin, completely incorrect about something to the point of staggering ignorance?  That never happens!  I'm with James Fallows: Rubin owes her readers an apology.

No, this is a sobering reminder for those who think it's too tedious to reserve judgment about horrifying events rather than instantly turning them into talking points for pre-conceived views. On a per capita basis, Norway lost twice as many people today as the U.S. did on 9/11. Imagine the political repercussions through the world if double-9/11-scale damage had been done by an al-Qaeda offshoot. The unbelievably sweeping damage is there in either case. For an example of a sober, dignified, shocked but resolute and democratic way to respond to national tragedy, see the moving and impressive speech by Norway's Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, here.

And all politics aside (as they should be at this moment) the people and the country of Norway have suffered an unspeakable tragedy.  It doesn't matter who did it or why in the end, only that 95 lives have been snuffed out for no reason other than to cause tragedy and pain.

But it didn't stop Jennifer Rubin from using the event to launch into attacks on Islam, President Obama, and Democrats in general.  Remember there's a reason I call her a hack, and this is why.