Sullivan supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States and was initially hawkish in the war on terror , arguing that weakness would embolden terrorists . He was " one of the most militant " supporters of the Bush administration 's counter-terrorism strategy immediately following the September 11 attacks in 2001 ; in an essay for '' The Sunday Times '' , he stated , " The middle part of the country — the great red zone that voted for Bush — is clearly ready for war . The decadent Left in its enclaves on the coasts is not dead — and may well mount what amounts to a fifth column . " Eric Alterman wrote in 2002 that Sullivan had " set himself up as a one-man House Un-American Activities Committee " running an " inquisition " to unmask " anti-war Democrats " , " basing his argument less on the words these politicians speak than on the thoughts he knows them to be holding in secret "
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Andrew Sullivan