Thinking like an Islamist propagandist: A senator's guide to understanding (Hugh Hewitt)

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Wednesday, May 12, 2004 | Hugh Hewitt

[JohnHuang2]

It has become apparent over the past few months that a high number of United States senators either do not understand how their words can be used against American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, or do not care that those words might be so used.

On the assumption that elected officials are not indifferent to the lives of the young men and women serving in uniform, let's try to think like an Islamist extremist, trying hard to encourage one or more of his younger charges to either participate in an attack against a heavily armored American position or to even become a suicide bomber.

A small number of rogue soldiers have handed you a tremendous propaganda gift in the photos of the abuse of Iraqi captives, especially those showing the humiliation of men by women.

But the American president has done a wise thing, appearing on Arab television and with the King of Jordan to denounce this outrage in the harshest terms. In fact, he may have even come close to turning the tide in some places by contrasting the American response to the abuse with the silence that shrouds far worse horrors in even the "moderate" Arab states. A clever man, Bush, though perhaps you suspect it is not cleverness but deep integrity that motivates the American president's condemnation.

Then Rumsfeld allows himself to be publicly hounded by partisan opponents, another stroke of genius in telegraphing to the Arab world what real democracy looks like. Again you sense the tide may have already turned on this issue, though of course who knows, but that the next batch of photos may allow you to fan the flames of hate for a brief time. But you despair that even the street is getting the picture that this is the very rare exception to the rule of American integrity.

But then you thank heaven for Sen. Carl Levin – the senior Democrat on the Armed Services Committee who allows himself to speak on television, and your videotape machine captures it via the miracle of satellite television. What does this senior American political official confess to? Roll the tape for your young jihadists:

This is not just a few guards in some kind of aberrant conduct. This is a much more systemic problem here. And military intelligence, including I have to believe the CIA have got to be held accountable, right up the chain.

Play it a few more times. In fact, send a copy to the Arab networks in case they missed it, and then distribute it to the imams teaching the young. Play the Levin quote again and again. Assure that would be jihadists around the globe have many chances to hear an admission of guilt for the "systemic" torture and murder of innocent Muslims around the world at the hands of the CIA, for that is what a senior U.S. senator said. We have the proof. The prisoner scandal is not a story of a handful of criminals in uniform, it is the story of the entire American enterprise – Sen. Carl Levin said so!

This is just one example of many from the past week, month and indeed year as partisan ambition has poisoned the minds of Democrats in the Senate. I can only imagine what the parents of servicemen from Michigan must think of their senior senator's smear of their sons and daughters, but give Carl Levin the credit he routinely takes for himself of being wise in the way of the military and nuanced in his thinking. He meant what he said, correct? He wouldn't lie and endanger Americans just for temporary political advantage, would he?

Carl Levin has not a shred of evidence that the prisoner abuse is evidence of systemic prisoner abuse. The accusation is slander of the worst sort, as shameful as Minnesota Democratic Sen. Mark Dayton's public descent into incoherence on Friday when he slandered Gen. Myers with the charge of "suppression" of the abuse story, and then rambled off into a bizarre rant about sending more tanks to Iraq, which would only engender more violence.

The Democratic Party has lost its way, saying the most outrageous things in hopes of scoring points, and doing so in a way that makes the charges ready-made propaganda for our enemies – propaganda of the deadliest sort. If they have a shred of decency left, they will stop before they do more harm. Levin and Dayton cannot recall their harmful statements which will shame their careers forever, but at least they can stop adding more tape to the arsenal of poison already in the hands of our terrorist enemies.

[Texasforever]

And his words are now fulfilled prophesy. I weep for our country.

[faithincowboys]

Wow, that is everything I've been thinking. The Democrat party doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned. To think, a couple of years ago I was a Democrat. The Democrat party is dead to me.

[GottaLuvAkitas1]

Bump

[JohnHuang2]

Hugh Hewitt MEGA PING!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump!

[coincheck]

bumparoo to the topp

[jporcus]

Absolutely right. My blood has been boiling from watching these senators berate our military for blatant political gain.

HOWEVER - I think things are changing. The public seems to be outraged about what happened to Nick Berg, a US citizen BEHEADED by the enemy, and all the while, all you can find on the TV is senators criticizing the US military. The public is putting things in perspective.

The Democrats (and a few Republicans, sorry to say) will pay - BIG TIME - for this.

[PogySailor]

He does a good job of nailing Levin. But he let the much greater treason of Ted Kennedy slide.

[RonDog]

The Democratic Party has lost its way, saying the most outrageous things in hopes of scoring points, and doing so in a way that makes the charges ready-made propaganda for our enemies – propaganda of the deadliest sort.

If they have a shred of decency left, they will stop before they do more harm..." - Hugh Hewitt

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[maica]

Good points for phone calls to Senators' offices, and local talk shows

[philosofy123]

There were a lot of shooting last night in Iraq....IT WAS THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS TAKING PICTURES!!!! Jay Leno

[RonDog]

From www.coxandforkum.com:

May 11, 2004

The Good, The Bad, The Media

After days of intense media coverage of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, one could easily get the impression that certain American soldiers and their commanders are the most evil people in the world, much less Iraq.

The latest news should put things back into perspective: Video Shows Beheading of American in Iraq

After reading a statement, the men were seen pulling the man to his side and putting a large knife to his neck. A scream sounded as the men cut his head off, shouting "Allahu Akbar!" -- "God is great." They then held the head out before the camera.

Perhaps now the media will have a better idea of who the real enemy is in Iraq. Perhaps CNN will create an in-depth investigation into the death-worship, oppression, racism and murderous barbarism that is "systemic" to the Islamist ideology driving the terrorists. Perhaps Reuters will pen an exposé on the insurgents' "chain of command" and shine the harsh light of journalistic truth on Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia for providing moral and material support to terrorists. Perhaps AP will ask Al Qaeda to apologize to the families of its victims. Then again, perhaps not.

At least President Bush seems to know better than the media who the enemy is. The question is: What's he doing about it? Will President Bush unleash our military to do whatever is necessary to arrest, kill or otherwise render harmless the Islamist threat in Iraq? Or are we going to risk still more American lives in deference to world opinion and Islamic sensibilities?

Regarding Nick Berg, the victim of this Islamist atrocity, CBS News reports: Slain Man Thought He Could 'Help'

Last week, before Berg's fate was known, his father said that his son had gone to Iraq partly out of a sense of adventure, partly for the opportunity for work, and partly because he was a "staunch supporter of the government position in Iraq and he wanted to go over there and help."

UPDATE: It took mere hours. The story that displaced the Nick Berg murder story on CNN's main page is about Abu Ghraib: Senators to view abuse images Wednesday. And The New York Times follow-up is focusing on the one aspect of the story involving the American government in Iraq instead of focusing on the killers: From a Strange Encounter With Iraqi Police to Fatal Capture.

Posted by Forkum at 10:06 PM

[Mudboy Slim]

"The Democrat party is dead to me."

We must annihilate the DemonRATS in the upcoming election, and destroy their notions of EVER regaining Power in Congress!! DemonRATS are anti-Liberty, anti-Self-Dependency, and very much ANTI-American!!

There should be no compromising with the anti-American Left, only the steady deconstruction of their vile and overfed Federal Leviathan!!

FReegards...MUD

[DLfromthedesert]

Ted Kennedy is the WORST!!! "Saddam's torture chambers are back; only now they're run by the United States" ....

These senators are nothing less than TRAITORS!!!!

[DLfromthedesert]

... a few Republicans... Can you say Traitor Hagel?

[philosofy123]

Barbarian pieces of sh*t.

[DLfromthedesert]

Yeah, which abuse is more horrendous: a picture naked with a ditzy broad, or decapitation while conscious?

Hmmmmm

[MeekOneGOP]

These Democrats have no sense of honor or of shame.

Thank God for the likes of a few like Zell Miller, "Democrats for Bush" .....

[Reagan Man]

Carl Levin is only part of the problem.

FatTeddy and his protege are the real evil troublemakers.