White House Memo to Al-Qaeda: Now Is the Time to Strike
It is ludicrous to suggest that a president of either party secretly wants the United States to be attacked by terrorists for his own political benefit. This is still true despite the fact that some Democrats more than suggested it — they openly declared it to be the case under President George W. Bush.
And until last week, it was equally ludicrous to suggest that a president of either party would embrace a policy that would directly lead to the death and injury of more Americans under his watch for his own political purposes. That is because before last week it was ludicrous to suggest that any president would order criminal investigations of executive branch employees for performing their duty to keep the country safe from attack.
Yet that is exactly what President Obama did when he decided to allow an investigation into the CIA’s use of enhanced interrogation techniques on high-value terrorist detainees in U.S. custody. After promising them that he was not interested in looking backwards, President Obama has now exposed every CIA operative, interrogator, and covert agent in the war on terror to prosecution for doing their job well in keeping the country safe from the plotting of al-Qaeda and its affiliates for close to eight years.
One leading explanation for what has been characterized as the president’s abrupt turnaround on criminal investigations of CIA interrogators is that it is a sop to his left-wing base, which — incredibly — is losing patience with Obama over its belief that he has governed too much from the center. That belief is symbolized best by the administration’s recent statements on health care, in which both Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and the president himself seemed to suggest that a government-run health plan was not a necessary component of a health care bill.
We need to think NOW about what Barry and the Chicagoes will do when the next terrorist outrage creates a smokescreen.
Look for:
1. Thorough Internet censorship and end-to-end surveillance far beyond anything the NSA is doing now.
2. Free speech will be trashed in the name of “national security”.
3. Comprehensive gun-grabbing.
4. Internment of red-state citizens, ostensibly to prevent the spread of diseases and/or disorder.
5. Wholesale gun confiscation.
6. Persecution of enemies based on long-established “enemies list”, most compiled by fanatical women acolytes.
7. Obama’s personal brownshirts (SS) start public actions to intimidate critics.
So yet again we have a leadership denying in one breath and raising it’s hands at the next saying “what can we do?” . . . Easy, LEAD. A leader does not spend time avoiding responsibility, a leader does not deny knowledge or blame subordinates (or previous leaders), a leader LEADS. Basic leadership is delegating authority to get things done, but never the responsibility for the results (success or failure). Basic leadership is “Follow me. do as I do” not; “do as I say (not as I do)”, basic leadership is driving forward and accomplishing, not constantly harping on the mistakes of past leaders (blaming them). Mr Obama with his (seeming) laissez faire attitude towards his subordinates (and many Czars) acts blameless in all things and at all times (and a media which does know better ignores this). The lie that Holder is doing this “on his own” (and “What can I do?”) is clear to any not politically compromised. Trouble is . . . it seems most in the media are so. So for one anything is suspect (and a target for investigation and derision) for THE ONE . . . “All is fair”?
The attack on the agency began with Ms Pelosi (the ethically, religiously, honesty and politically compromised speaker) and continues to what possible purpose? Mr Obama needs to lead, follow, or get out of the way (though it seems he is much more talented at cheap talk that decisive action).
The most logical place for terrorist attacks are New York, D.C., L.A. and Chicago. All are soft targets, all high population density. So why should fly over America care if New York gets nuked? No sweat off my back if a few million blue staters die. Those same blue staters are responsible for allowing terrorists to get the bomb, so it’s only fair that they should be there when it’s used. On them…
Us red state country bumpkins understand about reaping what you sow.
Obama is not stupid,there is a method to his madness, his actions as of late which seem to be begging the terrorists to attack us. I can think of two reasons:
1. To appease the left wing, and to score political points against republicans. To these leftist democrats and socialists, cheap political posturing and the ability to tear down the evil Bu$hitler and Darth Cheney legacy trumps the likely deaths of thousands of Americans. In particular, the PC MC loons feel it is better we let 100,000 Americans die than look bad to Europe and the Arab street, or violate the “civil rights” of terrorists or seem in any way racist.
2. The next attack will allow a pretext for massive government intrusion into the lives of Americans, and Obama is licking his chops at this opportunity. He is already asking for the power to take control of the internet and shut off the population from internet access. What more can he do? Perhaps he can then build his “volunteer civilian corps more powerful than the army”. What will this army do? After the attack, he will blame our appetite for cheap oil as the cause, and then use the army to enforce green living, for as the mayor of NYC said, “global warming is much, much worse than terrorism.”
Mark Impomeni:”And until last week, it was equally ludicrous to suggest that a president of either party would embrace a policy that would directly lead to the death and injury of more Americans under his watch for his own political purposes.”
Durr, no, it wasn’t ludicrous last week to suggest such a thing. Because that was exactly what Bush and Cheney did years ago when they authorized torture of Iraqis. They embraced a policy that enraged the Middle East, resulting in more frequent and violent attacks upon American soldiers and contractors. And the Bush admin embraced this policy for entirely political purposes – torture was used to elicit confessions that were consequently used to justify invading Iraq.
Sidenote, had some lefty like Glenn Greenwald written an article entitled “White House Memo to Al-Qaeda: Now Is the Time to Strike” anytime during the last eight years, he would have been swiftly arrested and charged with sedition/treason.
For all the right wing’s infantile whining about having your free speech silenced, you nutcases sure do get away with a whole hell of a lot.
On the unintended consequences side of things:
If we can no longer question prisoners taken in the global war on terror whatever they are calling it these days, how long before our troops decide that taking prisoners just isn’t worth the effort?
“That is because before last week it was ludicrous to suggest that any president would order criminal investigations of executive branch employees for performing their duty to keep the country safe from attack.”
They could have performed their duty, with equal success, by following the Army Field Manual. There was no need to chain people naked to a wall.
John “birther” Samford: “The most logical place for terrorist attacks are New York, D.C., L.A. and Chicago. All are soft targets, all high population density.
Plus, we actually have valuable stuff to bomb. Your flyover cities are so dilapidated and worthless that no one would even notice if someone dropped a bomb. It would just be shifting the garbage around. Al Qaeda would be all like “Hey, we just bombed Des Moines!” and the rest of the country would be like “We have a Des Moines? Where?”
“So why should fly over America care if New York gets nuked? No sweat off my back if a few million blue staters die.”
Probably because we foot your bill. Without our blue state subsidy, your red state economies go belly up, your Medicare and Medicaid go bye bye. Upside is that you all get to go back to your Christian Dark Age that you all so desperately desire. Downside is that you all end up dying of commonly treatable diseases.
“Those same blue staters are responsible for allowing terrorists to get the bomb, so it’s only fair that they should be there when it’s used. On them…
Yeah, sorry about that – that was my bad! The terrorists said they only wanted to “see it for a second,” so I just gave the bomb to them. I really didn’t think they’d run off with it! No big difference to me, though, because George Soros and Bill Ayers will give me the secret Socialist phone call warning to get out of town before he bomb hits, because their Marxist totalitarian network is connected to the Muslim totalitarian network and we all share that kind of critical information through twitter.
“Us red state country bumpkins understand about reaping what you sow.”
You just can’t stop harping on that Civil War, can you? Get over it, buddy.
Robert V,
Obama’s Director of National Intelligence and his CIA would disagree with you.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Sincerely,
Mark Impomeni
Dale,
1) No Iraqis were “tortured.” Torture has a meaning in law, and it isn’t having a humiliating photgraph taken.
2) Neither Bush nor Cheney authorized tha acts at Abu Gharib. Donald Rumsfeld didn’t either. In fact, the Bush Pentagon prosecuted the soldiers involved and disciplined the commander of the prison. So much fir condoning “torture.”
3) Terrorist violently attack American soldiers and civilians because that’s what terrorists do, not because a few bad apple American soldiers take pictures of detainees. If you disagree, explain why Daniel Pearl was beheaded, before Abu Gharib.
4) Plenty of left-wingers harrangued Bush for years, calling him a war criminal, murderer, Nazi, traitor, and more. None were arrested.
Facts are stubborn things, Dale.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Sincerely,
Mark Impomeni
Doesn’t Mr. President realize he was not elected to serve the liberals in congress but to serve US, the people of the United States?
#10 Mark Impomeni-
But, you see, Lefties like Dale *have* to figure out some way that everything bad is America’s fault, or at least Republican Americans’ fault. There cannot be any such thing as unprovoked evil on the part of Oppressed Persons of Color, who are morally privileged. If there were some hideous crime that Lefties couldn’t ultimately blame on Evil White Conservatives, their microcephalic heads would explode.
10. Mark Impomeni:
“1) No Iraqis were “tortured.” Torture has a meaning in law, and it isn’t having a humiliating photgraph taken.”
We executed Japanese soldiers who waterboarded American troops, because waterboarding is torture. Ronald Reagan signed the International Convention Against Torture in 1988, which clearly recognized waterboarding as a form of torture.
“2) Neither Bush nor Cheney authorized tha acts at Abu Gharib. Donald Rumsfeld didn’t either. “
That’s pure speculation. Which is exactly why we need a commission to investigate torture. That way we can remove baseless speculation like your statements above from the debate and replace them with actual evidence and facts.
“3) Terrorist violently attack American soldiers and civilians because that’s what terrorists do, not because a few bad apple American soldiers take pictures of detainees. If you disagree, explain why Daniel Pearl was beheaded, before Abu Gharib. “
Daniel Pearl was murdered for being a Jewish American and his murder was a horrific tragedy perpetrated by monsters. But let’s please not devolve to the intellectual level of five year olds in this discussion. Terrorists do not attack anyone simply “because they’re terrorists”, they do so because they’re pissed off.
It’s very important, however, to make the distinction between “terrorists” and “citizens of an occupied country trying desperately to expell their occupiers.” Clearly, the Bush admin had had a very, very difficult time making this distinction, if they even made the attempt at all. Clearly, you do as well.
Dale would allow the deaths of thousands because his definition of “torture” might be met by what limited discomfort was allowed. The best way to put was what done is LIMITED DISCOMFORT. It is disgusting to read the vileness and the vehemence this vileness is promolgated by the “progressives”. It is a sign of the terminal weakness inherent in a philosophy that recognizes no existence of evil (only it’s “relativeness”). Sorry, the Negusa-Nagast is WEAK, and those who pledge unthinking/absolute support are weak as well, but don’t worry, those of us who are truly committed to something more than just ourselves will save your useless asses.
Dale,
No Iraqis were waterboarded. You said Bush authorized “torture” against Iraqis. He did not. The CIA has said waterboarding was used on three al-Qaeda terrorists including KSM, and that the information worked to prevent attacks. You may fret over what was done to the man that planned the 9/11 attacks in orderto save American lives. I do not.
No torture commission is necessary to determine that Bush, Cheney, or Rumsfeld did not authorize the Abu Gharib events, which is what you were originally referring to. This has already been investigated and it. Has been shown that the actions of those soldiers were not officially authorized by the chain of command.
You alleged that “torture” led to more violent attacks on American soldiers and civilians. I have shown you that there was no torture at Abu Gharib. The brutal murders of Daniel Pearl and Nicholas Berg demonstrate that terrorists are barbarians of their own right, not driven to be killers by U.S. actions or policies.
The al-Qaeda terrorists in Iraq were by and large foreign fighters recruited by al-Qaeda to come kill Americans. They were not “freedom fighters” as you want to excuse them. There is no distinction to be made among terrorists. It is a pity that you hate your country so much as to think that there is.
Mark Impomeni
Dale:
“We executed Japanese soldiers who waterboarded American troops, because waterboarding is torture.”
Dammit, I have to waste my time refuting this horseshit argument yet again.
We executed assorted Japanese for murdering Americans. No Japanese was sentenced to death for treatment which did not lead to death, even when it was *real* torture of the pliers and bamboo-splinters sort.
Of those Japanese who were executed, the testimony in a few of those cases included waterboarding *amongst a long litany of specifications of torture and murder.* Not one Japanese was executed on a charge of waterboarding alone
The Japanese form of ‘waterboarding’ was significantly different by that practised by the CIA (in all of 3 cases), because it involve pouring water down the nose and or throat into the lungs, causing *actual* part-drowning, not the illusion of drowning.
(Incidentally, you have a sadly reality-free impression of what actually transpired in Iraq).
I’m convinced. George Bush was the worst president ever because he laid the ground work for the election of Obama who will, by the end of four years, assume the title of worst president imaginable.
Al-Qaeda must be rejoicing on a daily basis that Obama is now president.
Terrorist cells are working overtime setting up shop all over the U.S. while the Obama Cartel is in the process of destroying the U.S. Intelligence System from within.
Life is so easy for them now, that they’ll just sit back and enjoy our way of life until the next Republican President gets elected before they perform any terrorist attacks. That way they can blame it all on the Republicans.
It’s called a “symbiotic” relationship.
For me its simple. I know what John McCain supported and what the President signed when he took office at the end of January. The United States does not torture. Now, only the most serious crimes should be looked at. For the rest, it should be case closed. What happens in war, stays in the war.