A Liberal with Sechel

Although on most Jewish subjects I vehemently disagree with Alan Dershowitz, I have noticed over time that, unlike his landsman the distinguished senator from Massachusetts, on Israel and on security the civil libertarian takes an independent and common sense tack.

He advocates preemption of terror, even at the price of some civil liberties.

Dershowitz: "The shift from responding to past events to preventing future harms is part of one of the most significant but unnoticed trends in the world today. It challenges our traditional reliance on a model of human behavior that presupposes a rational person capable of being deterred by the threat of punishment. The classic theory of deterrence postulates a calculating evildoer who can evaluate the cost-benefits of proposed actions and will act — and forbear from acting — on the basis of these calculations. It also presupposes society's ability (and willingness) to withstand the blows we seek to deter and to use the visible punishment of those blows as threats capable of deterring future harms. These assumptions are now being widely questioned as the threat of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of suicide terrorists becomes more realistic and as our ability to deter such harms by classic rational cost-benefit threats and promises becomes less realistic."


That makes (with Sen Lieberman), two normal Democrats dedicated to the continuity of Western civilization.

Almost a trend.

Hat tip: Jewish World Review, and Tony Blankley.

Dershowitz
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