national security

Tortured Logic

Calvin Freiburger Barack Obama, Dick Cheney, Islamofascism, national security, torture

Torture is back in the news, thanks in large part to President Barack Obama’s recent speech attacking the national security policies of the Bush Administration (despite reserving for himself the right to authorize torture) and ex-Vice President Dick Cheney’s speech setting the record straight.

Among those outraged by Bush, Cheney and company is Alonzo Fyfe, who argues:

Every political speech describing what the American government may do to foreign captives should be viewed as a speech on what the speaker would allow foreign governments to do to Americans.

Of course, nobody is talking about what the government can do to “foreign captives” or “foreign nationals.”  We’re talking about what it can do to “terrorists,” meaning “foreign nationals whose goal is to kill civilians.”  Advocacy of torturing foreign terrorists cannot be interpreted as moral permission for another country to torture any Americans aside from those engaged in terrorist activities against that country.  And frankly, if a foreign government finds itself in that situation, I certainly wouldn’t object to their torturing an American-born terrorist to obtain information necessary to save lives.

As for the scenario of unjust governments or terrorist groups torturing captive US soldiers or civilians, then pointing to American waterboarding as justification, it’s preposterous.  If our enemies’ actions were only, or even primarily, motivated by a desire to retaliate for comparable grievances, 9/11 never would have happened.  Neither would the USS Cole bombing, the Khobar Towers, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing…you get the point.

Personally, I’ll take saving innocent lives over trying to psychoanalyze what might lead monsters to violate senses of moral restraint they don’t even have.

McCain’s Ace in the Hole

Calvin Freiburger 2008, Bolton, Europe, foreign affairs, Georgia, GOP, McCain, national security, Obama, Russia, stupidity
With Russia’s attack on Georgia and Barack Obama’s bumbling reaction, now is the time John McCain ought to be hammering the most powerful case for supporting him: in an increasingly dangerous world, America needs serious leadership instead of incompetence. McCain’s own reaction to the conflict is more coherent and substantive than Obama’s, and displays McCain’s knowledge of the issue, but unfortunately doesn’t offer a lot more than “we need to instantly mobilize people to talk about what we’re gonna do.”
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If disgruntled conservatives are gonna be convinced to support McCain, it will have to be on foreign policy and national defense grounds. The good news is, he has one ace in the hole (if he realizes it): the support of John Bolton, former US ambassador to the United Nations. Bolton has a clear view of both the threats facing America and the international community’s inability/unwillingness to deal with them, as well as a proven ability to speak plainly about them, without regard for Beltway hand-wringing. He’s earned the respect of the Right, the venom of the Left, and, if utilized by the campaign, could go a long way toward bringing the case for a strong, clear-eyed foreign policy to the American people in an accessible way.
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But beyond that, I’d like to see McCain signal just how serious he is about a meaningful foreign policy change by pledging to put Bolton in a prominent post in his administration. More “realistic” (read: timid) conservatives and Republicans would probably advise against such a move, based on how much liberals would howl about it. I say let ‘em. Heck, they’re calling McCain a racist without anything to go on; what makes you think you can appease these people? Just do the right thing, and defend it with that “straight talk” we hear so much about from ol’ John.

Around the Web

Calvin Freiburger border fence, Buckley, Coulter, Hollywood, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Iraq, McCain, national security, Obama, Ron Paul, treason, video games
The man, the myth, the legend: Ron Paul.
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The “first phase” of the so-called virtual fence will be delayed “for at least three years.” Here’s a simple idea: 1.) Big wall, 2.) Men with guns on wall. Voila! (Hat tip: Ol’ Broad)
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An argument for staying in Iraq from…Angelina Jolie?!
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John McCain’s legally ineligible to be president? (Uh, no.) Boy, Maverick’s goodwill with the Times sure didn’t last.
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Filthy British traitor George Galloway is at it again.
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Terrorist Solidarity Ribbons: and Hollywood wonders why we question their patriotism. (Hat tip: Conservative Grapevine)
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Ann Coulter pays tribute to William F. Buckley.
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“Barack Obama is a U.S. Senator from Illinois who enjoys nap time and finger painting. He is running for president.” Yeah, I really want this guy to defend the nation.
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Use the Force…sort of. New gaming technology reads signals directly from the player’s mind.

President Bush on FISA

Calvin Freiburger Bush, Congress, Democrats, FISA, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, national security, treason
This morning, President Bush excoriated the House of Representatives for failing to renew FISA:
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At the stroke of midnight tonight, a vital intelligence law that is helping protect our nation will expire. Congress had the power to prevent this from happening, but chose not to.
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The Senate passed a good bill that would have given our intelligence professionals the tools they need to keep us safe. But leaders in the House of Representatives blocked a House vote on the Senate bill, and then left on a 10-day recess.
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Some congressional leaders claim that this will not affect our security. They are wrong. Because Congress failed to act, it will be harder for our government to keep you safe from terrorist attack. At midnight, the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence will be stripped of their power to authorize new surveillance against terrorist threats abroad. This means that as terrorists change their tactics to avoid our surveillance, we may not have the tools we need to continue tracking them — and we may lose a vital lead that could prevent an attack on America.
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In addition, Congress has put intelligence activities at risk even when the terrorists don’t change tactics. By failing to act, Congress has created a question about whether private sector companies who assist in our efforts to defend you from the terrorists could be sued for doing the right thing. Now, these companies will be increasingly reluctant to provide this vital cooperation, because of their uncertainty about the law and fear of being sued by class-action trial lawyers.
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For six months, I urged Congress to take action to ensure this dangerous situation did not come to pass. I even signed a two-week extension of the existing law, because members of Congress said they would use that time to work out their differences. The Senate used this time productively — and passed a good bill with a strong, bipartisan super-majority of 68 votes. Republicans and Democrats came together on legislation to ensure that we could effectively monitor those seeking to harm our people. And they voted to provide fair and just liability protection for companies that assisted in efforts to protect America after the attacks of 9/11.
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The Senate sent this bill to the House for its approval. It was clear that if given a vote, the bill would have passed the House with a bipartisan majority. I made every effort to work with the House to secure passage of this law. I even offered to delay my trip to Africa if we could come together and enact a good bill. But House leaders refused to let the bill come to a vote. Instead, the House held partisan votes that do nothing to keep our country safer. House leaders chose politics over protecting the country — and our country is at greater risk as a result.
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House leaders have no excuse for this failure. They knew all along that this deadline was approaching, because they set it themselves. My administration will take every step within our power to minimize the damage caused by the House’s irresponsible behavior. Yet it is still urgent that Congress act. The Senate has shown the way by approving a good, bipartisan bill. The House must pass that bill as soon as they return to Washington from their latest recess.
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At this moment, somewhere in the world, terrorists are planning a new attack on America. And Congress has no higher responsibility than ensuring we have the tools to stop them.

News Around the Web

Calvin Freiburger Andy McCarthy, crime, Hillary, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Islam, JB Van Hollen, Larry Craig, law, McCain, military, national security, Obama, pro-life, Robert Spencer, scandal, Texas, treason, Wisconsin
Valentine’s Day and Islam: not exactly the best combination.
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More excellence from Wisconsin’s disappointing Attorney General.
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The Texas criminal appellate court has upheld the recognition of the killing of preborn twins as double homicide.
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Andy McCarthy notices an area where John McCain can genuinely distinguish himself from Clinton and Obama. McCain doesn’t.
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Remember Larry Craig? Yesterday the Senate Ethics Committee lowered the hammer on him.
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More liberals “supporting” the troops. Just don’t question their patriotism.
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Oh, and Indiana Jones is back.

Crunch Time for the Future of Conservatism

Calvin Freiburger 2008, Bork, conservatism, Coulter, GOP, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, McCain, National Review, national security, pro-life, Reagan, RINOs, romney, Tancredo, War on Terror
John McCain, conservative standard-bearer? Ronald Reagan would have a thing or two to say about that.
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Today President Reagan’s son Michael writes about McCain’s utter contempt for conservatives, and here’s Hugh Hewitt making the case for rallying around Mitt Romney, just as such serious, responsible, and distinguished conservatives as Mark Levin, Judge Robert Bork, Dr. John Willke, Ann Coulter, Tom Tancredo, National Review, and Walid Phares have done.
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And for those Fredheads still unwilling to let go, here’s one of your own making the case for doing the right thing. I understand many of you dislike Romney. He’s not a perfect candidate. But for God’s sake, the difference between him and McCain is night and day.

This Campaign’s Gone to the Dogs

Calvin Freiburger 2008, Andrew Sullivan, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, humor, national security, scandal, torture
This is the worst skeleton in Mitt Romney’s closet? Actually, that would be a refreshing change (hint hint, fellow right-wingers…). By the way, Andrew Sullivan’s horrified reaction to the story is a pretty good barometer to his sensibilities on his pet issue, the eeeevil of how America treats terrorist prisoners.

Disaster Averted at JFK

Calvin Freiburger Islamofascism, national security, War on Terror
Au contraire, John Edwards – this war thing is real, and still going on:
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NEW YORK — Federal authorities announced Saturday they had broken up a suspected Muslim terrorist cell planning a “chilling” attack to destroy John F. Kennedy International Airport, kill thousands of people and trigger an economic catastrophe by blowing up a jet fuel artery that runs through populous residential neighborhoods.
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Three men, one of them a former member of Guyana’s parliament, were arrested and one was being sought in Trinidad as part of a plot that authorities said they had been tracked for more than a year and was foiled in the planning stages.
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“The devastation that would be caused had this plot succeeded is just unthinkable,” U.S. Attorney Roslynn R. Mauskopf said at a news conference, calling it “one of the most chilling plots imaginable.”
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In an indictment charging the four men, one of them is quoted as saying the foiled plot would “cause greater destruction than in the Sept. 11 attacks,” destroying the airport, killing several thousand people and destroying parts of New York’s borough of Queens, where the line runs underground.

Amnesty Again

Calvin Freiburger 2008, Bush, conservatism, GOP, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, immigration, national security, Ted Kennedy
By now you’ve heard about the immigration “compromise” plan unveiled on Capitol Hill this week.
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Bobby Eberle gives voice to the Right’s universal (well, near universal) frustration over the announcement. El Rushbo, Mark Taylor, and Rich Lowry’s takes are also well worth checking out.
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My take: I’ve never supported a guest worker program or amnesty, so this is more of the same Bush-Kennedy-McCain drivel. But the President seems to have found a brand-new way to make things worse: “The Bush administration insisted on a little-noticed change in the bipartisan Senate immigration bill that would enable 12 million undocumented residents to avoid paying back taxes or associated fines to the Internal Revenue Service, officials said.” Soooo………what keeps this from being amnesty, exactly? What is the fair trade-off for the incredible strain we’re inviting on the country’s social structure?
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As Duncan Hunter noted in the debate, the government has built a whopping two miles of border fence to date. Think about that:
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6 years.
2 miles.
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Although, there has been some silver lining this week: it’s not a done deal yet (Hugh Hewitt’s got contact info for a bunch of GOP lawmakers here), and the whole affair illustrates that on yet another major issue, there’s only one viable conservative choice.
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UPDATE: Kate has given us a heads-up of a lengthy cliff notes version of the legislation.