Posted on 01/24/2010 7:47:33 PM PST by SeekAndFind
The Washington Post supported the Obama administration's treatment of Christmas day bomber Umar Abdulmuttalab as a criminal rather than as an enemy combatant. In an editorial published yesterday, It has nevertheless retracted its support. The Post writes that it "originally supported the administration's decision in the Abdulmutallab case, assuming that it had been made after due consideration. But the decision to try Mr. Abdulmutallab turns out to have resulted not from a deliberative process but as a knee-jerk default to a crime-and-punishment model."
The Obama administration's treatment of Abdulmutallab as a criminal accorded the constitutional rights of an American citizen is absurd and indefensible. Yet the administration persists in it.
It is highly unusual to see a prominent newspaper editorial board publicly change its mind. The stated ground for the Post's original editorial position is lame. It criticizes the decision on procedural grounds. Is the Post incapable of judging its substance?
A defective decision making process is more likely to have resulted in a defective decision, but who cares what process the Obama administration used to come to the wrong decision? The administration is full of world-class liberal chin pullers who would come to the same decision if they had taken more time to think about it. They are simply on the wrong track.
Yesterday's Post editorial also concludes on a lame note. The Post can't quite bring itself to the conclusion that the Obama administration's treatment of Abdulmutallab as a criminal is in fact a mistake. Maybe, maybe not. It professes to have an open mind on that question.
It notes, on the one hand: "The administration claims Mr. Abdulmutallab provided valuable information -- and probably exhausted his knowledge of al-Qaeda operations -- before he clammed up. This was immediately after he was read his Miranda rights and provided with a court-appointed lawyer."
That sounds bad. Abdulmutallab was singing like a bird until the FBI read him a Miranda warning. Reasonable people would conclude that he stopped singing because of the warning.
But here the Post injects a note of epistemological uncertainty befitting a college philosophy class. The Post asserts, on the other hand: "The truth is, we may never know whether the administration made the right call or whether it squandered a valuable opportunity." The truth is, we may never know this only if we are prohibited from employing the most basic common sense to assess the situation.
More importantly, however, the administration's decision to treat Abdulmutallab as a criminal is mistaken on its face. It cannot be defended on the merits in principle and the administration has not chosen to do so. It is an obvious mistake that can be rectified -- the administration can dismiss the criminal proceedings and remit Abdulmutallab to the custody of the armed forces as an enemy combatant -- but it would be helpful to have reasonable administration allies like the Post editorial board say that it should do so forthrightly.
If the administration now chose to treat Abdulmutallab as an enemy combatant, he might well remain "clammed up." At that point we would have a good case in which to debate the folly of the administration's abandonment of the CIA's enhanced interrogation program.
et tu Post?
another aftershock
It squandered it to be PC for liberals.
What was their first clue, I wonder. Who knew?
oh, sweet disarray
LOL. What a difference a Brown makes.
Liberals can’t govern in reality, only in theory.
For most of the last decade their thoughts regarding terrorists have extended no further than to making sure none of the folks who attend those mosques take it upon themselves to go blow up that printing plant, or otherwise endanger any of the people working there.
As the Washington Post moves rapidly into having a major internet presence, the printing plant becomes less and less of concern to the management ~ and in fact, if they'd ask themselves the question of "hey, guys, just who would we sell that equipment to" they'd arrived at the conclusion that Abdulmutallab was not worthy of their sympathy or concern and should be remanded to the authority of the Department of Defense immediately for disposition as an enemy alien unlawful combatant.
The Leftwingtards are of the impression the Post is shedding it's Leftist reputation and becoming a right wing mouthpiece. My own thought is they are figuring out that Islamofascists are not much impressed by the subtle nuances of American politics and would willing kill any of the owners, managers, reporters, editors or pressmen/webmeisters without a thought.
The entire Obama administration as well as the WaPo editorials have always been about knee-jerk liberal politics. Why change WaPo? starting to feel alittle unsafe now that the Cowboy has left Washington?
Here’s the Washington Post Editorial retracting support for Obama’s non-treatment of Abdulmuttalab as an Enemy Combatant :
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/22/AR2010012204349.html
EXCERPT
Did the Obama administration blow an opportunity in the Flight 253 case?
UMAR FAROUK Abdulmutallab was nabbed in Detroit on board Northwest Flight 253 after trying unsuccessfully to ignite explosives sewn into his underwear. The Obama administration had three options: It could charge him in federal court. It could detain him as an enemy belligerent. Or it could hold him for prolonged questioning and later indict him, ensuring that nothing Mr. Abdulmutallab said during questioning was used against him in court.
It is now clear that the administration did not give serious thought to anything but Door No. 1. This was myopic, irresponsible and potentially dangerous.
Whether to charge terrorism suspects or hold and interrogate them is a judgment call. We originally supported the administration’s decision in the Abdulmutallab case, assuming that it had been made after due consideration. But the decision to try Mr. Abdulmutallab turns out to have resulted not from a deliberative process but as a knee-jerk default to a crime-and-punishment model.
In testimony Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, and Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, all said they were not asked to weigh in on how best to deal with Mr. Abdulmutallab. Some intelligence officials, including personnel from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, were included in briefings by the Justice Department before Mr. Abdulmutallab was charged. These sessions did provide an opportunity for those attending to debate the merits of detention vs. prosecution. According to sources with knowledge of the discussions, no one questioned the approach or raised the possibility of taking more time to question the suspect. This makes the administration’s approach even more worrisome than it would have been had intelligence personnel been cut out of the process altogether.
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The Washington Post supported the Obama administration's treatment of Christmas day bomber Umar Abdulmuttalab as a criminal rather than as an enemy combatant. In an editorial published yesterday, It has nevertheless retracted its support. The Post writes that it "originally supported the administration's decision in the Abdulmutallab case, assuming that it had been made after due consideration. But the decision to try Mr. Abdulmutallab turns out to have resulted not from a deliberative process but as a knee-jerk default to a crime-and-punishment model." ...The stated ground for the Post's original editorial position is lame. It criticizes the decision on procedural grounds. Is the Post incapable of judging its substance?
Is CommieCare™ next?
Did some terrorist try to blow up the Washington Post? Must have missed that because that would at least be a cause for change..
“It is highly unusual to see a prominent newspaper editorial board publicly change its mind.”
Business decision.
More cards are beginning to fall.
oh, sweet disarray
LOL. What a difference a Brown makes.
I guess they’re only ahead of MSNBC and the NY Times, and far behind everyone else with half a brain.
I am beginning to have hope that it WILL get better!
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