MEDIA REACTION; S-11 ANNIVERSARY; IRAQ; 09/11/07

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001807 SIPDIS STATE FOR INR/R/MR, I/GWHA, WHA, WHA/PDA, WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC CDR USSOCOM FOR J-2 IAD/LAMA SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO OPRC KMDR PREL SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION; S-11 ANNIVERSARY; IRAQ; 09/11/07 ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT Key international stories today cover the September 11 sixth anniversary; as well as the "confrontation" between the US Legislative and Executive Branches over the war in Iraq. ¶2. OPINION PIECES AND EDITORIALS - "S-11 increased the power of the Bush administration's extremist wing" Business-financial "El Cronista" carries an opinion piece by Claudio Fantini, international analyst, who writes (09/11) "... The (S-11) genocidal attack sought to turn an open, cosmopolitan and tolerant society into a closed and discriminatory one. Did it manage to do so? If one takes into account the Patriot Act and the legislation justifying torture and abuse, as well as the governmental complicity with the FBI illegal wiretapping, they did manage to do so. "Through the Bush administration, they managed to weaken US republican institutions because the genocide that occurred six years ago left power in the hands of the extremist wing of the Republican government, whose radical positions ended up isolating the superpower of the world. "This is why those inflicting the S-11 attack obtained more than what they had dreamt of. While they lost the comfortable position Al Qaeda used to have in the Emir Omar's Afghanistan and the Taliban regime..., it became a sort of inspiration for hundreds of terrorist groups that act on their own." - "Six years away from the worst attack" An editorial in daily-of-record "La Nacisn" reads (09/11) "... On September 11, 2001, the entire world felt the impact of a tragedy that killed 3,000 people in an undeclared war against innocent civilians from several nationalities... "On that day, six years ago, the hatred against the US, its Western allies and the Arab governments that Al Qaeda calls 'servile' became the worst attack in history against a country that had been considered invulnerable until then. "... From September 11, 2001, on, US President George W. Bush, who was considered 'accidental' because of the tricky elections in which he had defeated Democratic competitor Al Gore in November 2000, started to brag about being 'the president of war.' "In that war against evil, which was declared in Afghanistan against the Taliban regime and in Iraq against the Hussein regime, his premise was almost a warning 'you can be either with us or with the terrorists'... "... From the very moment Bush and his British counterpart at the time, Tony Blair, declared the global war on terrorism, they also curtailed citizens' rights. Should we be less free in order to continue being free? This started to be the question at issue. "Two pre-emptive wars were not enough to prevent Al Qaeda from using the same methodology (public means of transportation) to produce panic on the territory of US partners in the war against Iraq - Spain in 2004, and Great Britain in 2005..." - "A window to war and the US political future" Oscar Ral Cardoso, international analyst of leading "Clarn," opines (09/11) "... The reports that General David Petraeus... and Ambassador Ryan Crocker... submitted to Capitol Hill yesterday have become a window of opportunity for the near political future of the US. They foretell a tough political confrontation between the Executive and Legislative branches over the continuity of the campaign in Iraq. "... The fact that Bush has lied so often since 2003 about the invasion and the occupation of Iraq is of no help to his spokespersons, Petraeus and Crocker... To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires WAYNE