America is not at war with ISIS but not because wars are messy things. Nonetheless, they do have very well defined rules known formally as the Law of War, as ratified in a number of international treaties to which the United States is a signatory party.
One of the more significant mandates during wartime is the humane incarceration of captured enemy combatants - they are legally held (w/o. any criminal charges) in a prisoner of war camp for the full duration of the conflict. In order to criminally prosecute a captured soldier of ISIS, the United States would undertake to obtain a war crime's conviction in a military tribunal for which, and only for which, that ISIS terrorist would be subject to punishment by a specified term of penal incarceration (e.g. life in prison) or a death sentence for particularly egregious crimes against humanity.
Accordingly, President Obama will never go to war with any terrorist entity - to do so would require our sending all captured terrorist combatants to GITMO for indefinite interrogation by intelligence officers in order to ascertain the future combat attack plans against the Homeland by our enemy/adversary.
Instead, the current Administration is determined to have every terrorist taken into custody given a criminal trial in a civilian court after having "lawyered up" and shut up, so as to preclude any unfettered interrogation that will provide crucial knowledge of the futher planned attacks on our nation.
So yes, like elections, words have consequences. Indeed, words can hurt people, innocent people, who would be better protected were our Commander in Chief decide to follow the Law of War and treat captured ISIS combatants humanely at our World Class Prisoner of War Camp - GITMO - where they can talk until the Cows Come Home, thereby giving us the crucial information required to degrade, dismantle and destroy ISIS, so as to better manage their problematic plan to soon behead each and every one of us.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Sunday, September 7, 2014
It's a Wonderful Life
This Blog has endeavored to never engage in the politics of personal destruction, as such taudry and tacky sleaze is best left to the Clinton's smear operatives. My dedication to a pedantic porch of high level policy critique has demonstrated that persons of good will can debate the wisdom of the government's myriad mis-steps without demonizing the top decision maker. From all honest sources, it should be clear that our current President is a loving husband and father who is a genial companion for most every five hour dinner party held in the Italian countryside. Born in the ultimate laid back paradise of Hawaii, President Obama is as cool and composed leader (from behind) as has ever occupied the Oval Office.
That complimentary biography stated, we now must veer into the somewhat murky venue of Presidential bearing, as this "optic" measurement of leadership capabilities is taken every day by both our nation's allies and adversaries. Evil rulers, most dangerously Putin and the Iranian mullas, watch Mr. Obama's speeches, press conferences and official public utterances to compare with his follow through actions to determine whether he is both resolute and a man of his word. Indisputably, a Red Line drawn in Syria, when crossed with full impunity, undermines, possibly irreparably, the credibility of our Commander-in-Chief.
A not implausible argument can be advanced that when thousands of Syrian innocents were murdered by a poison gas attack in a rebel held suburb of Damascas, and no consequences ensued, the measure of Mr. Obama was taken and found wanting by Russia's Stalin-wantabe, leading to the invasion of Ukraine, the shoot down of the Malaysian airliner and the seizure of the Crimean province.
This crisis in eastern Europe has been compounded by the rise if ISIS, the Hamas war of terror against Isreal and the Mexican government's decision to hold hostage indefinitely a US Marine, while holding our entire southern border hostage to tens of thousands of illegal immigrants. Let's face it, in a messy world, absolutely no one is afraid to mess with us, in our face even - at least until it falls to the ground with the rest of the head.
So, in the face of an entire World on Fire, Mr. Obama departs to Wales for the NATO summit, billed as a crucial gathering in which he will galvanize the Europeans to a steadfast commitment to degrade, dismantle and destroy ISIS and to free Ukraine from Russia's rapacious grasp. In this context of the West being routed and the dead bodies of too many to count innocents dominating the evening news for weeks on end, this NATO Conference had to be a most solemn and grave event dominated by life and death consultations.
So, how did Mr. Obama end his post-NATO summit presser: "Thank you very much people of Wales. I had a wonderful time." What an excellent adventure for our accidental tourist, who also found leisure time for a visit to Stonehedge on the way back. Soon, we will return to the high moral plane of national policy concerns; but for now, I defy anyone to convince me that the current occupant of the White House has the demeanor of a serious and resolute war time leader.
That complimentary biography stated, we now must veer into the somewhat murky venue of Presidential bearing, as this "optic" measurement of leadership capabilities is taken every day by both our nation's allies and adversaries. Evil rulers, most dangerously Putin and the Iranian mullas, watch Mr. Obama's speeches, press conferences and official public utterances to compare with his follow through actions to determine whether he is both resolute and a man of his word. Indisputably, a Red Line drawn in Syria, when crossed with full impunity, undermines, possibly irreparably, the credibility of our Commander-in-Chief.
A not implausible argument can be advanced that when thousands of Syrian innocents were murdered by a poison gas attack in a rebel held suburb of Damascas, and no consequences ensued, the measure of Mr. Obama was taken and found wanting by Russia's Stalin-wantabe, leading to the invasion of Ukraine, the shoot down of the Malaysian airliner and the seizure of the Crimean province.
This crisis in eastern Europe has been compounded by the rise if ISIS, the Hamas war of terror against Isreal and the Mexican government's decision to hold hostage indefinitely a US Marine, while holding our entire southern border hostage to tens of thousands of illegal immigrants. Let's face it, in a messy world, absolutely no one is afraid to mess with us, in our face even - at least until it falls to the ground with the rest of the head.
So, in the face of an entire World on Fire, Mr. Obama departs to Wales for the NATO summit, billed as a crucial gathering in which he will galvanize the Europeans to a steadfast commitment to degrade, dismantle and destroy ISIS and to free Ukraine from Russia's rapacious grasp. In this context of the West being routed and the dead bodies of too many to count innocents dominating the evening news for weeks on end, this NATO Conference had to be a most solemn and grave event dominated by life and death consultations.
So, how did Mr. Obama end his post-NATO summit presser: "Thank you very much people of Wales. I had a wonderful time." What an excellent adventure for our accidental tourist, who also found leisure time for a visit to Stonehedge on the way back. Soon, we will return to the high moral plane of national policy concerns; but for now, I defy anyone to convince me that the current occupant of the White House has the demeanor of a serious and resolute war time leader.