VZCZCXYZ0016
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #1807 2541358
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111358Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9207
INFO RHMFISS/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL//SCJ2//
RULGPUA/USCOMSOLANT

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