Just When I Thought The President Couldn’t Surprise Me…
I admit, there is some part of me that is ever so slightly aghast that our Commander in Chief had ordered the CIA to hunt down and kill or capture a fellow American citizen. It wasn’t that long ago that such an order from the President would have caused such wailing in the hallowed halls of Congress that the marble may well have needed repair. We would have been treated to lurid headlines the likes of which we hadn’t seen since, well, the last outrage perpetrated by President Bush.
But, as they say, that was then and this is now. We all know the double-standard exists and there isn’t a lot of good that can be done railing about it. On the other hand, this aggressive stance toward a known and rather public enemy of the country is new (and more than a little bit of a surprise).
So what do we make of it?
I’m completely on board with the President on this. I think we should be vigorously hunting everyone who wages war on our country, whether they wear a uniform and comport with the laws of war or not. In fact, those Anwar al-Awlaki like who hide in cities and villages and target women and children should be at the very top of our “turn into a greasy smear” list. This administration is big on incentives and I can’t think of a bigger incentive to get good behavior than the unmistakeable message that we will send team after team of relentless killers to hound those who do not play by the rules to the very ends of the Earth. It should be very clear to the guy who wants to be the next al-Awlaki that the day he takes the job, his life expectancy will be measured in days, if not hours.
On its face, this looks like a smart and aggressive move in our war against The Enemies Whose Names Shall Not Be Uttered. Of course, this administration also has a well-deserved track record for sending out contradictory messages and for being less than vigorous about fighting our enemies so we should probably save the cookie until there’s actually an accomplishment or two.
UPDATE: Glenn Reynolds unveils the hoary, but still funny, punchline.
Other Posts of Interest:
- The President’s Islamist-Fighting Strategy: Catch, Release…Explode?
- Is the President Committing Political Suicide with KSM?
- Why Guantanamo Bay Won’t Close Next Year.
Category: Fighting the Islamists
You rely on straw-men an awful lot, do you know that?
Can you please provide some sort of example of "long ago that such an order from the President would have caused such wailing in the hallowed halls of Congress"?
See you say stuff like that as if just saying it makes it so.
Hey, speaking of killing terrorists, remember how Bush said he was going to get bin Laden "dead or alive" and then sort of lost interest and instead invaded Iraq? Do you think that was a good idea? Do you know that the Taliban, al Qaeda's real ally is stronger than ever and is a real threat to Afghanistan and the West? Do you think that the Bush Administration may have not done a very good job in dealing with them?
See how I talk about stuff that actually happened rather than stuff that didn't? You should try it sometime, it makes for a stronger argument.
I'm said that because it did. Look back at the stories written when it was learned that George Bush had authorized "assassinations" for non-citizens. Google is a wonderful thing.
also, I have a whole archive of posts on the Iraq War, Afghanistan, and how we've dealt with each. Go spend some time reading instead of asking questions I've already answered a few times. See how I talk about stuff that actually happened then directed you to go educate yourself? Give it a shot, but just a little at a time. I don't want you to strain yourself.
>Google is a wonderful thing.
So that'd be no, you can't provide any examples to back up what you're saying?
See I'm not making any claims here, you are so it's your responsibility to provide the proof. It's weird that you don't seem to understand that basic concept.
So please provide an example of congress being upset in the past about this UNPRECEDENTED policy of Obama's.
(Hint: the fact that it's UNPRECEDENTED may make that a bit tricky)
No, that's a "do your own homework". I have no responsibility to you at all. You are a guest here and it is your obligation to respect my "home", which does not include silly demands that I do the work you're too lazy to do yourself. If you really want me to dig up supporting exampels, as if I were writing a scholarly paper, you can drop 50 dollars in the tip jar. That'll get you every example I can find in 45 minutes, plus 15 minutes to write them up and provide them for you.
Fifty bucks for one hour of work. That's cheap for an experienced writer.
Awesome! So it's your readers that are responsible for your statement's accuracy? What a novel concept, you'd make a fine lawyer.
So to summarize this unprecedented action by Obama was done under Bush and unspecified congressmen screamed about it.
Of course how they complained about something that was never done is a bit of a mystery but one you refuse to solve because it would take you an hour to do so despite suggesting that a simple Google search would do the trick.
Well you sure showed me!
See this is the sort of thing that Bush did that people were actually screaming about:
George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld covered up that hundreds of innocent men were sent to the Guantánamo Bay prison camp because they feared that releasing them would harm the push for war in Iraq and the broader War on Terror, according to a new document obtained by The Times.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_an…
See the difference between that and targeting a self-confessed clear and present danger?