In any normal situation, the President’s decision to push Francine Wheeler — a sobbing, grieving mother of a six-year-old boy killed at Sandy Hook — in front of the cameras to argue for the latest Senate gun control bill would be breathtaking for its exploitation and its cynicism. Yet now it is a regular part and parcel of a typical left-wing tactic — to suppress rational discussion with a tidal wave of emotion.
It is important to clarify that it is not necessary for rational debate to be separated from emotion, and that emotion is anything but a useless characteristic of the human condition. As rational beings, emotion guides and informs our rationality, so that our understanding of a crime can be shaped by the pain and horror seen in its wake.
So, in looking at how to respond to 9/11, the pain and tragedy of that day could not be discounted. Yet it was right that the raw emotionalism shown in those first few days could not be the sole guiding principle in determining foreign policy. Perspective had to be gained, consequences had to be predicted, and reasonable action needed to be taken. America could not merely lash out and act irrationally.