Ive been thinking about... Monday Morning Quarterback: How easy it is to be a MMQ – particularly if you suffer from circumstantial amnesia. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the CIA never told her about enhanced interrogation. The CIA disputes her denial. Published reports say the CIA briefers took “copious, contemporaneous notes” of the briefings. You might suspect Leadership aides took notes as well—an observation shared by other media pundits. The people have a right to inspect the evidence and thereby decide which side is telling the truth. Enhanced Interrogation: Those outside the intelligence community are at a disadvantage in evaluating the effectiveness of these techniques. Yet, the majority opinion seems to fall on the “appropriate in special circumstances” side. In any event, the record should be clear that the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate and House intelligence committees were briefed when such enhanced interrogation is under consideration. These briefings and pertinent Department of Justice guidance as to the scope and severity of the proposed techniques must provide a “safe harbor” for our CIA operatives engaged in the unpleasant business of protecting the homeland. Disclosure: I’m bothered less by the disclosure of the report than the highly partisan nature of its conclusions. Think about it: the Democratic investigators failed to interview any of the CIA employees who conducted the Congressional briefings – including the CIA’s directors and deputy directors. Nevertheless, the scathing report was published for consumption around the world. Seems the “gotta get Bush” mantra just doesn’t die in some quarters of progressive world. Antiseptic War: Such is the preferred method for our avowed anti-war President. Here, collateral damage (ie. civilian deaths from drone attacks) fails to produce the requisite degree of outrage on the left. I’m not being critical of what appears to be episodic, mostly successful drone missions; they have taken out many a bad guy in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It’s just the situational indignation among progressive types that is so striking. A final thought: The advent of television and social media have forever changed the way Americans view war – a good thing because the carnage of conflict should never be lost on a civilized people. Yet, the ugliness of it all must not take our eye off the ultimate goal: the defeat of radical Islam. A report that demonizes American patriots who were following instructions from the highest authority in the aftermath of a mass terror attack contravenes this noble goal.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 19:41:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015