By Kristen Taufer
The war on terrorism and the economic recession were the focus of Sen. Robert Bennett”s, forum address to BYU students on Tuesday, Jan. 8.
There are three aspects of the war on terrorism: financial, diplomatic and military, said Bennett, R-Utah.
The military and diplomatic phases are progressing well, he said.
“There is no doubt as to who is the strong horse,” Bennett said. “The U.S. is the winner.”
However, the government is facing difficulties handling the financial aspect of the war, Bennett said.
The al-Qaida network has members in 67 countries that do not need to communicate with al-Qaida leaders to carry out future plans, Bennett said.
Members of al-Qaida may have received instructions years in advance, he said.
In the case of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, the hijackers had already lived in the United States for three years before the attacks and the planning stages began prior to that, Bennett said.
The government has located members of al-Qaida living in the United States, he said.
“We know pretty much where they are. We know pretty much who they are,” Bennett said.
The problem is until these people commit a crime, they cannot be arrested, he said.
“All of this takes place among the backdrop of a recession”, Bennett said.
Because this is the first recession of the information age, previous “benchmarks” cannot be used to make predictions about the outcome, he said.
Economists have conflicting viewpoints as to when the recession will end, Bennett said. But, he believes the recession will be more “shallow” but last longer than other recessions in the industrial age.
Bennett spoke for 20 minutes before answering questions from the audience. Questions ranged from oil drilling in Alaska to the upcoming elections.
The forum was hosted by the local chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, a national political science club.
Linsy Heiner, chairwoman of the speakers committee for Pi Sigma Alpha said, “In Washington D.C., lobbyists aggressively fight for just a few minutes with Senator Bennett, and he is willing to give an hour of his time to come to BYU campus.”
Bennett also addressed the College Republicans and there he emphasized the importance of becoming politically active at the college level, Heiner said.
