When Barack Obama was a presidential candidate, he ran against George W. Bush, who of course wasn’t even in the race. Having been sworn in to a job that he pursued with relentless energy, he spent most of his first two years blaming his predecessor for the country’s woes. Time has run out on that political tactic, but the deep seated conviction that everything that Bush did must be undone has resulted in some unwise policy decisions, according to Alabama senator James Jeff Sessions:
Over the past two years, America has come alarmingly close to multiple large-scale attacks by terrorists linked to al-Qaeda. For President Obama to effectively secure this country against attacks, he must stop weakening the capabilities of the CIA and diminishing our intelligence-gathering efforts.
On April 10, for instance, it was publicly reported that Umar Patek had been apprehended by Pakistani officials. Patek is described by foreign and domestic intelligence officials as a central figure among Islamic extremists in Southeast Asia and is said to possess a “gold mine” of information about al-Qaeda sympathizers across the region. The Bush administration had offered a $1 million bounty for his capture in 2005.
Yet the CIA, it was reported this month, had taken no steps to detain or interrogate Patek. The CIA’s deeply diminished role in interrogating newly captured terrorists is one of several dangerous roadblocks that this administration has thrown up, constraining our ability to gather crucial intelligence and, ultimately, putting this country at grave risk.
The CIA’s reluctance to act is hardly surprising, given the second-guessing and retroactive inquiries to which it has been subjected in recent years. In April 2009 the president ordered the release of highly classified memos detailing the legal authority the CIA relied upon to guide its interrogation efforts after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He also forced the CIA to limit its interrogation methods to those contained in the Army Field Manual, much of which is publicly available to the very terrorists who would be the subject of such interrogations.
In August 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder took the extraordinary step of appointing a special prosecutor to launch a criminal probe of the CIA’s interrogation efforts, an investigation that is ongoing. These actions are counterproductive and ignore the lessons of recent history.
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” is a quote attributed to Sun Tzu, the brilliant Chinese general from the 6th Century BC. Perhaps this was why the president is taking General Petraeus out of the fight and placing him atop the CIA. That will be a new battle ground for the general, as he seeks to reassure the entrenched bureaucracy that he understands and supports their efforts.
Rolling Holder back might make a good first fight.
These days, I’m sickened and amused at the inept view of Constitutional issues being “silly.” It communicates the mindset of a man who has no respect for the rule of law, unless, of course, he feels it is in his favor.
So….not seriously considering the “provide for the National defense” portion of that finely crafted document is more nauseating amusement.
And then he fly off to be on Oprah and three fund raisers to handle important things…like most all of what he says is badly interpreted by us, the citizens. Yes, the economy, the Endless Wars, the energy policy…all important matters, but…the most important is really his campaign. Do not doubt me….and he said it, didn’t he, by his speech and his immediately followed up actions.
Like any leader, we have come to know: Their real heart is shown by their actions.
The good to come of this will be Gen. Petraeus forming up an inside network loyal to him, and bent on conducting war from a rejuvenated civilian intel front. Obama’s too stupid to realize what he’s just done, which is to bring in a lion amongst the lambs. It will take a while to make the transformation, but the Company can be downright scary when they’re on their game.
I think Lex is right that Holder will get rolled back, and I’m looking forward to the debates that ensue. Holder’s simply not bright enough, and too much of an ideologue, to match Petraeus’ wits and demeanor.
PS As for Panetta, thank God it’s only for 20 months. Please, God, let it be only 20 months.
I was thinking the same. The cross discipline mix will most likely make things really lethal….
“By their Works ye shall know them” as the Good Book says. And also by what They *don’t* do that they should. Mr Obama evidently feels that ‘visiting the afflicted’ in six of our Southern states which have endured hundreds of tornadoes with almost 300 citizens killed and many more citizens have lost everything they owned, is less important than bopping down to Cape Canaveral to see the final shuttle blast off, partying hearty and putting the arm on rich guys to donate to his presidential campaign.
Oh, Barry, Barry, when will you ever grow up?
Marianne
Had to read that last line twice. First pass netted “fist fight”, which would be ok by me.
Destroying Holder would be a far better result.
Yes, indeed. Mr. Holder is even more evil than his clueless boss.
Who is more evil, the appointee, or the man that appointed him?
Plenty of room left under the Obamabus for Slow Eric.
& there’s a campaign coming up where Barry will need to demonstrate some kind of substantive change. Of which he’s got none, yet.
The Honorable Jeff Sessions is the junior senator from Alabama.
http://sessions.senate.gov/public/
I am sure James is a decent fellow too, whoever he is.
Yeah, it takes a bit of the admiration away from his visit to the weather-torn South, when you realize that his campaign stop in FL was already planned well in advance of the storms. Even an idiot like our jug-eared leader can see a convenient happenstance when he sees one. Of course, we all know just how important the state of FL is to his ongoing FOUR YEAR CAMPAIGN FOR REELECTION…..uhhh, I mean term as POTUS.