Dick Cheney's 'Stupid' Comments About Obama and War
By Jacob Sullum
In the wake of last week's attempted airplane bombing, former Vice President Dick Cheney is once again complaining that President Obama avoids using the word war in connection with Al Qaeda:
As I’ve watched the events of the last few days it is clear once again that President Obama is trying to pretend we are not at war. He seems to think if he has a low-key response to an attempt to blow up an airliner and kill hundreds of people, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if he gives terrorists the rights of Americans, lets them lawyer up and reads them their Miranda rights, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if we bring the mastermind of Sept. 11 to New York, give him a lawyer and trial in civilian court, we won’t be at war.
He seems to think if he closes Guantanamo and releases the hard-core Al Qaeda-trained terrorists still there, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if he gets rid of the words, "war on terror," we won’t be at war. But we are at war and when President Obama pretends we aren’t, it makes us less safe.
This is stupid for several reasons. First, as I've noted before, Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have repeatedly described the struggle against Al Qaeda as a "war," although they may not say the word as often as Cheney or Bush did. (Responding to Cheney, White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer cites "numerous...public statements that explicitly state we are at war" with Al Qaeda).
Second, the Obama administration uses martial rhetoric in the same way the Bush administration did, as an excuse for legal shortcuts. Despite Obama's symbolic (and broken) promise to close Guantanamo by January 22, it is far from clear that his policies regarding detention of terrorism suspects will be substantially different from his predecessor's.
But the stupidest thing about Cheney's comments is the notion that an insufficiently martial attitude explains the intelligence screwups that prevented the would-be underwear bomber from getting the scrutiny he should have—at the very least, a secondary screening that probably would have discovered the explosive device under his clothing. Does Cheney really imagine that if only Obama said war more often, the information about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab would have been properly shared and utilized? Does competence require a declaration of war?
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Cheney, Palin, and Limbaugh on a plane and let them fly over to the Al Queda and let them take care of that situation, because they DO have ALL the answers.
As I see it, the former VP is essentially correct. Mr. Obama talks the talk but is not walking the walk. By his actions, he believes that " terrorism " is essentially a law enforcement issue to be dealt with primarily by local police . He does not seem to believe that state sponsorship of terrorists such as Al Queda, Al Fata, etc. will last much longer than a few more years.
He is wrong. The states sponsoring terrorism are in effect waging a real war against the US by proxy: it is the only way we can be challenged militarily without direct confrontation. Sooner or later, if allowed to continue, a real foothold will be acquired here in the US and the open society which gives us great latitude to work and take leisure without question will be gone: a true victory for extremists.
Second, Mr. Obama seems to be indifferent to the consequences of losing an open society. Closed societies have closed, very limited options for business and expansion: if any is allowed. Closed societies also allow the rise of racism and discrimination based on religion and/or gender. The rough equality of equals we enjoy today will become master and servant tomorrow.
Let the successes in Iraq be our guide. The only way terrorism sponsored by states can be defeated is by giving the people in those states the opportunity and tools to succeed.
With all the things President Obama should be critizied for, the use of a particular word is way low on the list. On or near the top should be his idiotic HS Sec. Ms. Janet claimed that the "system worked" because the stupid bomber didn't kill everyone. She is way in over her head and that will get people killed. That is what Obama should be nailed for.