Change: Making deals with terrorists

Let's face it. Barack Obama is fundamentally incapable of leading or defending our country. From Andy McCarthy:

Today, New Year's Eve, while everyone's attention is understandably on family and friends, we learn (thanks to the ever alert Bill Roggio, reporting on the Standard's blog) that the administration has now released Qais Qazali, Laith's brother, who is the head of the Iran-backed terror network, in addition to a hundred other terrorists. In violation of the long-standing, commonsense policy against capitulating to kidnappers and terrorists because it just encourages more hostage-taking and murder, the terrorists were released in exchange for a British hostage [Peter Moore] and the remains of his three contract guards (whom the terrorists had murdered).

So, as the mullahs, America's incorrigible enemies, struggle to hang on, we're giving them accommodations and legitimacy. And the messages we send? Terrorize us and we'll negotiate with you. Kill American troops or kidnap civilians and win valuable concessions — including the release of an army of jihadists, and its leaders, who can now go back to targeting American troops. [emphasis added]

Jennifer Rubin:

One struggles to understand this mindset. While the Obami prepare to rearrange the checkers on the TSA board and perhaps toss a player or two overboard, we get the sinking sensation that there is some bizarre set of priorities and some very cock-eyed worldview in operation here. Who are we assisting, and how does any of this make us safer?

We struggle to understand the Obama administration because we give them too much credit. Obama has never lived in the real world. His mindset of moral equivalence and Western culpability for all the ills of the world doesn't allow him to acknowledge evil or embrace the basic tenets of self-defense or a just war. As Ms. Rubin wrote back in July:

President Obama, like college student Obama, still fails to grasp the moral and political dimensions of the struggle we are involved in, still lacks any appreciation for the nature of totalitarian despots and of the motives compelling them to seek nuclear weapons. He is still fixated on the notion that weakness can resolve international threats. Unfortunately, the consequences for student Obama were not potentially fatal to his country. The reality is different today.

And the chickens are coming home to roost.

We know we're in trouble when even Maureen Dowd gets it right:

I thought our guard might be down because of the holiday; now I realize our guard is down every day. [. . .]

In his detached way, Spock was letting us know that our besieged starship was not speeding into a safer new future, and that we still have to be scared.

Heck of a job, Barry.

And that was before this possibly illegal swap was made.
More from Hot Air.

Happy New Year!


Linked at Michelle Malkin (buzzworthy)

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