At least they're consistent? Obama's choice to treat the underpants bomber as an ordinary criminal is, like the KSM trial decision, bad for national security and wholly unnecessary. Yesterday Michael Mukasey pointed out that the intelligence to be gained from Mutallab is time-sensitive. Obama either doesn't understand this or doesn't care.
From today's Krauthammer column: "The system worked. Well, it did for Abdulmutallab."
He was singing quite freely when seized after trying to bring down Northwest Flight 253 over Detroit. But the Obama administration decided to give him a lawyer and the right to remain silent. We are now forced to purchase information from this attempted terrorist in the coin of leniency. Absurdly, Abdulmutallab is now in control.Mr. Krauthammer on the nature of the conflict and the folly of closing Guantanamo:And this is no ordinary information. He was trained by al-Qaeda in Yemen, and just days after he was lawyered up and shut up, the United States was forced to close its embassy in Yemen because of active threats from the same people who had trained and sent Abdulmutallab.
This is nuts. Even if you wanted ultimately to try him as an ordinary criminal, he could have been detained in military custody -- and thus subject to military interrogation -- without prejudicing his ultimate disposition. After all, every Guantanamo detainee was first treated as an enemy combatant and presumably interrogated. But some (most notoriously Khalid Sheik Mohammed) are going to civilian trial. That determination can be made later.
This is a fanatical religious sect dedicated to establishing the most oppressive medieval theocracy and therefore committed to unending war with America not just because it is infidel but because it represents modernity with its individual liberty, social equality (especially for women) and profound tolerance (religious, sexual, philosophical). You going to change that by evacuating Guantanamo?You can be sure that Obama, with his all-cultures-are-cool-except-ours mindset (which, by the way, is pure fantasy, or hypocrisy -- he certainly enjoys the fruits of American culture), would not acknowledge the truth of any part of CK's characterization of radical Islam.
Also read Tom Maguire, who can't take much more of this:
RTR of all of the above.What, is Team Obambi still on the "transparency" shtick? Let's see - health care, the most sweeping social reform of this generation, is being carried out in secret because the American people really don't want the President to honor his repeated promises to hold these negotiations on C-Span.
But handing Al Qaeda and the world a declassified road map to the current weaknesses in the American intel effort? Sure, that's what the American people are demanding when they talk of transparency.
I didn't see the televised version so I need some help - was Obama able to keep a straight face through all of this?
Most recent posts here.
I felt safer when Bush and Cheney ran things. They seem to know what they were doing. I cannot say that for BO and his WH. They are weak, inexperienced, naive and half of the time they lie, the other half of the time they do not tell the truth. They are weak - we know it, and so does rest the world. The Republicans have made mistakes, but nothing compared too what BO, the WH and the democratic Senate and House have done. The have give the American people a "bad taste" It is because of these liberal, career politicians, many Americans are so disgusted. The Congress has set the rules, vote themselves pay raises and benefits, write bills and do no not read them, and they have become privileged.
ReplyDeleteBut we do have something they want, our vote, use your vote wisely.