by Tina Grazier
RELATED Rasmussan Reports: “Fifty-eight percent (58%) of U.S. voters say waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation techniques should be used to gain information from the terrorist who attempted to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day. ** Seventy-one percent (71%) of all voters think the attempt by the Nigerian Muslim to blow up the airliner as it landed in Detroit should be investigated by military authorities as a terrorist act. Only 22% say it should be handled by civilian authorities as a criminal act, as is currently the case.”
Soon after taking office President Obama set the tone in his administration regarding terrorists when he made clear these important things:
1. Terror attacks would henceforth be called “man caused disasters”.
2. War efforts would be referred to as “overseas contingency operations”.
3. Waterboarding was declared “torture” and would no longer be used as an interrogation technique.
4. Terror suspects would be given the same rights that American citizens enjoy and would be tried in American courts.
The President’s signal was clear. The last administration was wrong about terrorists. America is dealing with a criminal element and a certain number of “isolated incidents” should be expected. We will bring these criminals to justice but they will be afforded Constitutional rights. Americans can now relax.
After eight years of being kept safe within our own borders America has, in the last few months experienced two such “isolated incidents”. Only luck and the heroism of an alert passenger ensured that the people on flight 253 were spared a fiery death. The Fort Hood incident unfortunately ended more tragically. In each case it was quickly disclosed that there had been sufficient warning to prevent the attacks. Why the dots were not connected is a question for the experts in various departments to determine but ultimately the answer is as simple as looking to a leadership that has no intention of connecting the dots. This is glaringly obvious and quite frightening in terms of what tomorrow may bring. As reported in The Sun (UK), soon after the foiled “man caused disaster” Umar Abdulmutallab “had bragged to FBI agents that there were more young men plotting to launch attacks on the West.” Under normal circumstances this terrorist would be correctly labeled an enemy combatant and would be isolated and interrogated to discover what he could tell us about the “men plotting to launch attacks on the West”. Instead he has been treated as a common criminal, read his rights, and now has a lawyer who has advised him not to answer such possibly incriminating questions.
Writing in The Wall Street Journal Victoria Toensing,
who supervised all terrorist cases as deputy assistant attorney general in the Reagan administration, made a cursory list of questions she would ask:
Where was Abdulmutallab trained? Who trained him? Where is the training facility located? Where is the stash of PETN, the explosive used in the bomb? What are the techniques he was told to use for getting through airport security? Was there a well-dressed man who helped him board the plane without a passport as claimed by another passenger? And, most important, are future attacks planned?
The problem with all of these questions, pertinent as they may be, is that they presuppose a war posture and the Obama administration does not recognize Umar Abdulmutallab as an enemy combatant. The questions therefore become moot.
Mistakes are made in every administration and in war the unexpected often makes for difficult and trying times that can end in tragedy. But when the man at the top takes a very casual approach during a time of war that posture trickles down to all related departments. When the man at the top prefers a legalistic approach he is likely to appoint and hire people who focus on crime and not war. (see Jack’s article, “Fire Janet Napolitano”) The Obama administration has not taken the threat from these terrorists, who clearly see themselves as being at war with us, seriously enough to inspire excellence in various departments or to keep Americans safe. In fact, the most important thing to the Obama administration seems only to be ensuring that American Constitutional rights are afforded men like Umar Abdulmutallab.
Get used to it people, “man caused disasters” happen and the Obama administration doesn’t do war so clearly strong leadership is and will be lacking. This adds up to the most relevant security failure facing America today.