Karl Rove and 9/11

Karl Rove understands fear and is shameless about using it for politics. He claims Democrats have a pre-9/11 view of the world but as we know Bush's view of the world neither makes us more secure nor economically strong. Citizen's Rent has a post in answer to Karl Rove. Here's the first part:

So Karl Rove says that Democrats have a "pre-9/11" view of the world. (WaPo article) He says that likes it's a bad thing. But there's something to recommend in a pre-9/11 mindset.
• Pre-9/11, we hadn't invaded a country that didn't have WMD on the basis of inaccurate intelligence and hyped threats.
• Pre-9/11, countries that represent real threats - Iran and N. Korea - were afraid of our military might.
• Pre-9/11, we were the legitimate champions of human rights and the role model to the world on how to treat those detained in the course of war - we thought the Geneva Conventions mattered.
• Pre-9/11, we had robust alliances with nations across the world, who cooperated with us on international issues that threatened us all.
• Pre-9/11, we had an executive branch that seemed to believe it was subject to the law and not above it.
• Pre-9/11, civil liberties mattered and fear wasn't sufficient reason to undermine the foundational principles of our country.
• Pre-9/11, Americans trusted that the checks and balances built into our democratic system would protect them from on over-reaching executive branch.
• Pre-9/11, we could criticize the government without being called treasonous or unpatriotic.
• Pre-9/11, we could meet peacefully to discuss how to fight the policies of the government without being spied upon and labeled a credible threat to the security of the United States.