By way of Think Progress, Fox Analyst Suggests That Captured American Soldier Should Be Killed by Captors
Fox News Strategic Analyst Lt. Col. Ralph Peters appears to view trials as something of an unnecessary expense. Here was heard this week telling Fox News that, if captured U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl, did leave his post — then “the Taliban can save us a lot of legal hassles” by killing Bergdahl.
The clip indicates that there is more commonality between some Americans and Al Qaeda than previously assumed. What is really striking is how the Fox host tries to moderate the comments by saying that no one wishes harm to come to any soldier — only to have Peters tell her to think about the other soldiers.
If we assume the worse about Pfc. Bowe Bergdah, proceed with a trial by media pundits/analysts and a few right-wing blogers we could save the tax payers a few dollars by not gathering the facts and calling witnesses and use Fox News to send a message to the Taliban to do the Right a favor and carry out an execution. The very conservative Blackfive blog is suggesting people be patient about passing judgement, but this comment is typical of some of the far Right’ thinking (there are simlar comments at Michelle Malkins blog. Until she schrubs them anyway).
Froggy said…
This guy has already embarrassed the country by foolishly leaving his post without permission, and then getting himself sold to the taliban. There are many people over there risking their lives to find this guy, and if one of them is KIA trying to repatriate him, that would be a massive tragedy and a terrible waste. Many resources needed to support the ongoing offensive have been diverted to look for this jerk, and perhaps we have already lost some guys due to a lack of something they should have had at their disposal. I certainly hope not, but that is distinctly possible.
In Froggy’s world no soldier ever trips, loses an ammo clip, makes a wrong turn or makes any other human error, because if they do they deserve to die. All that stuff about Semper Fi is jettisoned by the Right as soon as a comrade in arms may or may not have followed the letter of the Uniform Code of Conduct. Some conservatives seem ready to mail the Taliban the bullets to get rid of Bergdah not only in lieu of a trial, but based on unconfirmed reports. These would be the same people that thought draft avoider Dubya and multiple deferments Cheney could do no wrong.
Washington Monthly puts Obama’s slight slip in the polls in perspective,
Economic conditions are still awful in much of the country; the president has not had a major legislative success story in a while; and it’s understandable that the public would start to feel anxious and impatient.
But in context, a 59% approval rating is quite strong under the circumstances, and Obama’s leads over the GOP should send a signal to policymakers about which direction the nation would prefer to go.
Public approval of Congressional Republicans is at 36%. Republicans that are doing the pee pee dance might also want to consider that Obama is slipping a couple points because progressive Democrats are very disappointed with Obama’s Wall Str cuddling economic plans and his Bush-lite policies on executive powers. So far Obama is a shoe in for reelection. The two things that will change that are a jobless recovery (10% or worse unemployment) and continuing to ignore the progressive side of the Democratic Party.
From last week, CIA Investigation Will Go Deeper Than Cheney’s Program
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), chair of the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, told the Huffington Post that the 9/11 secret counterterror program that is being characterized as “non-operational” was much more than it’s being made out to be.
The House intelligence committee’s investigation of the Central Intelligence Agency, announced on Friday by Chairman Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas), will include probes by subcommittee chairs to penetrate deeper into CIA behavior.
Schakowsky’s subcommittee has been given the green light to investigate its legality and is already preparing a major document request.
Stand back, a Congressional investigation, someone is maybe, sometime in the indefinite future, going to get their hand slapped. Today, one of the minority of Democrats willing to stand up for the Constitution and rule of law slaps down Obama’s Intel Chief, Senator Russ Feingold Hits Obama’s Intel Chief: You’re Wrong, CIA Officials May Have Broken Law
According to a story on Thursday in the Washington Post, you stated that the failure to notify the congressional intelligence committees about a program recently cancelled by CIA Director Leon Panetta did not violate the law. I disagree and believe that the program in question fit squarely within the notification requirements of the National Security Act. I therefore request that you provide me with your analysis, and any analysis by the DNI General Counsel, supporting your conclusion.
Who knows, maybe their will be some actual consequences.
Virginia congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA) has a great future in the Republican party. He’ll party, lie and distort just like they did in 2003, Eric Cantor’s Cant
Virginia congressman Eric Cantor may be a GOP rising star, but he sure is a hypocrite. How else to describe someone who’s a leading critic of President Obama’s Recovery Act and joins his congressional colleagues to urge Virginia’s Department of Transportation to apply for stimulus money for high-speed rail? If that isn’t two-faced, what is ?
He’s also a demagogue: ” Millions of jobs will be crushed by the Administration’s policies.” Say what? The stimulus may have been too small and overemphasized tax cuts, but it’s helped states, including his own, with longer unemployment benefits, expanded food stamps and subsidies for people who’ve lost jobs to extend their health insurance. It’s also kept teachers in the classroom, cops on the street and got workers rehired. Hours after Cantor delivered the GOP’s weekly radio address blasting the stimulus, Vice-President Biden announced that $ 1.5 million of the bill’s money would go to the Richmond Police Department to retain officers. And $20 million is going to Chesterfield County, a suburb of Richmond, to help 275 teachers from being fired. Virginia’s working men and women should remember that Cantor fought hard to cut a provision in the stimulus bill that was designed to help low income workers.
If Cantor really cared about helping working Americans and the Bush legacy unemployed he would adjust his agenda from trying to stop Democrats to trying to help Democrats help America. He’d have to be a grown-up to do that so expect more meaningless blather from one of the brightest stars of the Con Crew.
The Long Goodbye 