Saturday, January 30, 2010

Jumping At Shadows

I'm still trying to figure out how Jennifer Rubin arrives at this conclusion where she goes from "Mike Bloomberg doesn't want to pay for the increased security for putting KSM on trial" directly to "AG Eric Holder should be fired."
But something else, I suspect, more fundamental has occurred. The entire premise of the Obama anti-terrorism approach, which entailed  a willful ignorance on the nature of our enemy, a cavalier indifference to the concerns of ordinary Americans (be they 9/11 families or New York tax payers), and a headlong plunge into uncharted legal terrain has evaporated in the wake of the Christmas Day bomber and the general perception that the Obama team has not a clue what they are doing. The public is no longer willing to accept it on faith that the Obami know best. To the contrary, the illusion of competence has been shattered. Elected leaders are now willing to stand up and say what we all knew to be true. As Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert at Georgetown University quoted by the Times, observes, “This will be one more stroke for al-Qaeda’s propaganda.” And a nightmare for New York.

The question remains as the White House scramble for Plan B: what is Eric Holder still doing there? It was he, the president tells us, who came up with this scheme. (His Department also implemented the “Mirandize the terrorist” policy.) It appears as though Holder exercised no due diligence (just as there had been none exercised prior to the announcement to close Guantanamo.
Say what?  It seems to me that this proves that we actually have a thoughtful and competent AG, A Justice Department that doesn't try to rule by legal fiat, and a President that practices common sense, unlike the last guy in charge.  It also seems to me that Obama respected the suggestion from Bloomberg, and is still very much holding open the prospect of trying KSM in civilian court.  Plenty of other places to do it.

But Holder being fired over this?  You're taking this decision as a vindication of Ashcroft-Gonzo era stupidity, when as usual you can't see past the nose on your face.

Wishful thinking, madam.  I like how it's perfectly fine to torture people, but actually listening to other people's opinions is a terminal offense for an Attorney General.

Switch to decaf.

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