Credit where it is due
Me too, it's just surprising coming from this particular president. I do have a real problem with his "I can order US citizens killed with no oversight" position though, even W didn't take executive power that far.
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“The totally convinced and the totally stupid have too much in common for the resemblance to be accidental.”
-- Robert Anton Wilson
Privateers and mercenaries used to be legitimate occupations until fairly recently on the timeline. Now such people would be viewed as criminals wholesale.
Actually, I think that our president should ultimately be judged based on how well he credits the people who did this mission and those who were involved in training them. This is the proper station of a figurehead, and it is honorable conduct for a commander-in-chief.
Privateers and mercenaries used to be legitimate occupations until fairly recently on the timeline. Now such people would be viewed as criminals wholesale.
Actually, I think that our president should ultimately be judged based on how well he credits the people who did this mission and those who were involved in training them. This is the proper station of a figurehead, and it is honorable conduct for a commander-in-chief.
Privateers can still be commissioned by Congress by way of Letters of Marque and Reprisal. It is constitutional and legal.
ruveyn
They're called Xe now, aren't they? (hm, I wonder why they changed their name?) I'm definitely not a fan. PMCs proved themselves to be a liability in Iraq
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Opportunities multiply as they are seized. -Sun Tzu
Nature creates few men brave, industry and training makes many -Machiavelli
You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do
Liked Bill O'Reilly's article today about credits for the SEALs operation. The piece is about the politics of how information was obtained, leading us to bin Laden in Pakistan.
Truth vs. Ideology
http://www.billoreilly.com/site/rd?saty ... id%3D31987
part of the article:
But still, the far left won't budge. No matter what the facts are about the effectiveness of coerced interrogation, they will deny them. Infuriating.
The sane policy going forward is this: The president, and only the president, should have the power to order coerced interrogation, including waterboarding, if national security is endangered or American lives are on the line. One man makes the decision, and his orders are carried out by an elite intelligence team answerable directly to him.
So, if President Obama doesn't want to order waterboarding, fine; that's on him. But the elected leader of the nation should have the power to make the decision.
It is ironic that many on the far left openly celebrated the death of Osama bin Laden. So, guys, let me get this straight: It's okay for U.S. forces to shoot a terrorist in the head, but not okay to waterboard him if lives are in danger? Good grief.
It is long past time for Americans to reject ideology that endangers human beings. We live in a dangerous world chock full of doomsday weapons. Common sense should dictate how the federal government defines strategies to protect us. How many times have you heard ideologues say that coerced interrogation does not work?
Well, it does. Ask Bin Laden. Wait, we can't.
That article tries to conveniently skip a few important details. While KSM was water boarded, he apparently did not give up this key information at that time. It was some six months later, when in a more conventional program.
Many experts say the real problem is that the enhanced techniques don't work. What works is slower, more touchy feeling, understanding what really makes your target tick.
Or so I've read.
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Mom to an amazing young adult AS son, plus an also amazing non-AS daughter. Most likely part of the "Broader Autism Phenotype" (some traits).
iamnotaparakeet
Veteran
Joined: 31 Jul 2007
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 25,091
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Many experts say the real problem is that the enhanced techniques don't work. What works is slower, more touchy feeling, understanding what really makes your target tick.
Or so I've read.
Puppy dogs would do the trick.
Here is a conservative who voted for McCain saying Obama was right and kept his promise on how he'd get Bin Laden.
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article ... ents/#ctop