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Jewish World Review
May 3, 2011/ 29 Nissan, 5771
SEALing Osama's Fate
By
Arnold Ahlert
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
My thoughts on the killing of Osama Bin Laden:
First, congratulations to president Obama and the Navy SEALS. As an American who still believes national security transcends ideology, as in "politics stops at the water's edge," credit must be given where credit is due. Yet the killing of Osama Bin Laden ten years after he masterminded the worst domestic attack in American history is more useful for its symbolism than its substance. Bin Laden is dead. Islamo-fascism? Not so much.
Where OBL was hiding, not in a cave in the hinterlands of Afghanistan, but in a mansion in a tony-by-Pakistani-standards luxury compound in Abbottabad, is going to generate some real repercussions vis a vis our "partnership" with Pakistan. Abbottabad is the home city of Pakistan's most prestigious military academy, and it strains credulity to believe no high-ranking members of Pakistan's military or their intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI), knew he was there. Perhaps it is time to stop giving that country the $1.5 billion per year we have been sending them since 9/11, much of which was ostensibly directed towards fighting Islamic terrorism.
Maybe that money could be better spent leveling what is reported to be al Qaeda's command and control center in the North Waziristan region. For the last few years, we have deferred to Pakistan's promises to mount an offensive in there, and our involvement has been largely limited to pinpoint predator drone strikes targeting a limited number of al Qaeda and Taliban figures. Such "precision" may serve Pakistani interests. How does it serve American interests? Every American soldier killed or wounded while we willfully allow any kind of coordinated terrorist activity to remain ongoing is an utter indictment of our current military philosophy. More on that below.
Killing OBL is being reported as a "victory." Wouldn't it make sense to pursue that particular concept on a global scale? We've spent a decade attempting to "win hearts and minds," and you can bet the farm that taking out the head of the snake will do little more than inspire jihadists to double down on their murderous intentions. Already, factions of the Taliban and al Qaeda have promised to avenge OBL's death. It is likely in the coming weeks that the West will learn how potent the forces of Islamic jihadism really are. Along those lines, maybe it's time the United States insisted on making Pakistan an "offer they can't refuse"-- as in securing that country's nuclear arsenal with American military personnel.
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Predictably, OBL's death has given to hyperventilation on both ends of the political spectrum. On the right, Charles Krauthammer opines that getting bin Laden reestablishes the U.S. as the global power. Wrong. The U.S. has been the global power since the collapse of the Soviet Union at the very least, but as I've said in several previous columns, it isn't about having the power, but what one does with it that counts. The clear cut, no-nonsense approach to war that led us to victory in WWll, the one where concern for American troops and victory trumped those of everything else, has been replaced by a toxic political correctness in which our men and women in harm's way are on equal footing with collateral damage--and cultural sensibilities.
For example, how many American troops have been killed with Iranian-made IEDs, and we wouldn't even "meddle" in their elections? We had to take the Iraqi city of Fallujah twice. Why? Because we didn't want to offend Iraqi sensibilities--until those "sensitive" people hung four American contractors from a bridge. The cultural sensibilities demand that we don't fire at mosque,s even when they contain either weapons or enemy troops. And in the latest testament to PC insanity, we bury a mass-murdering thug like Osama at sea within 24 hours of his death, out of "respect for Muslim traditions." If that mindset existed during WWll, we would have given Adolf Hitler a military funeral out of respect for military traditions.
Sorry, Charlie, but as long as America strains to be loved instead of feared, such an assessment rings hollow.
As for the left side of the spectrum, the Daily Beast's Peter Beinart now declares the war on terror to be "over," theorizing that the "Arab Spring" had already rendered OBL "irrelevant," and that "we do not face, as we did in the 1930s, a totalitarian foe with global ideological appeal." Really? Perhaps someone should notify the countless number of Islamic terrorist organizations currently operating in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. Perhaps someone should tell Iran that they no longer need to pursue nuclear weapons. Perhaps Peter himself can explain how he came to the conclusion that "a jihadist-Salafist movement [is a] vision of society most Muslims find revolting."
Based on what concrete evidence, Mr. Beinart? As recently as last week, Egypt, the most prominent player in the "Arab Spring," announced a new relationship with Iran, and Hamas and Fatah announced plans for a Palestinian reunification brokered by the Egyptian military. Egypt also announced their border with Gaza would be opened, allowing the Hamas-dominated region to be indiscriminately supplied. That would be the same Hamas designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU. Perhaps Mr. Beinart should sell his particular brand of tripe to the Israelis. Those would be the same Israelis who recently confirmed that what they bombed in Syria five years ago was a nuclear reactor, no doubt built for the same "peaceful" purposes for which Iran pursues nukes. The same Israelis for whom the Arab Spring could conceivably lead to a Nuclear Winter.
And then there's Sharia Law. Perhaps Mr. Beinart can explain how the death of one man renders the fundamental code of Islam--with its exhortation to kill infidels and relegate non-believers and women to permanent second-class status--into irrelevancy.
There's an old saying, Peter. Fool us once, as in the comatose response America took towards Islamo-fascism during the '80s and '90s- all of which led directly to 9/11? Shame on the terrorists. Fool us twice, as in going back to the very same "terror is a law enforcement issue" pre-9/11 mindset?
Shame on America.
Level-headed people know the war on terror isn't over. One trip though scope-or-grope airport security should be enough to disabuse anyone of that misguided notion. If anything should be emphasized about Osama bin Laden's death, it should be the idea that America will not rest until the perpetrators of Islamic jihad--and their enablers--are completely vanquished. There are those who say victory is impossible. They are certainly right if it is pursued within the context of winning hearts and minds and nation-building.
America is glad we got Osama bin Laden. But when the euphoria wears off, we should never lose sight of the fact that it took us ten years, even though he was "hiding in plain sight" in a country we've been told is an "ally" in the war against Islamic jihadism. If that doesn't call for some serious soul-searching regarding our overall military philosophies and methods, one is hard-pressed to imagine what will.
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Comment on JWR Contributor Arnold Ahlert's column, by clicking here.
Previously:
05/02/11: The Education plantation
04/24/11: The Bell May Toll for Jersey Toll Collectors
04/19/11: From Medical Dependency to Dependency on the Welfare State
04/14/11: Trumping the Debate
04/06/11: It Takes a Bigot to Expose a Death Cult
04/04/11: Charlie and Snookie --- and Barack
03/30/11: ‘Disabling’ America, One Lawsuit at a Time
03/28/11: The MSM Kills the ‘Kill Team’ Story
03/23/11: Another Military Scandal
03/21/11: Barry, Joe, Helen and Wisconsin Teachers
03/16/11: The Inevitable Viability of Conservatism
03/14/11: Progressives in Their Own Words
03/09/11: $61 Billion in Cuts --- Vs. $223 Billion in One Month of Spending
03/07/11: Bean Bag B.S.
03/02/11: A ‘Green’ Catastrophe in the Making
02/28/11: Ain't Noting Like the Real Thing
02/23/11: Progressive Rot vs. the ROTC
02/21/11: Wisconsin: Progressivism in All its Ugly Glory
02/18/11: News reporters --- or Narrative Shapers?
02/16/11: The Presidents Budget Proposal: An Obamination of Progressive Profligacy
02/14/11: Only Another 9/11 Will Alter the Illegal Immigration Status Quo
02/10/11: Is O'Reilly losing his touch or is he just irresponsible?
02/07/11: Tossing Britain Under the Bus
02/03/11: Starving the World In Order to Save It
01/31/11: Walking the Middle East Tightrope
01/27/11: Small-scale Terrorist Attacks: Big Strategy?
01/24/11: Jeffery Immelt: A Crony Capitalist In Charge of Job Creation
01/20/11: An ‘Intimate’ Prime-time Interview
01/17/11: Progressives: Always Angry, Newly Desperate
01/12/11: Twain vs. the Totalitarians
01/10/11: Politically Correct Passports?
01/05/11: Showdown at the Fiscal Corral
01/03/11: Reading the Constitution Aloud is a Good Start
12/30/10: Getting Our Moral Mojo Back
12/27/10: PC Airport Safety is an Oxymoron
12/23/10: Getting America Back On Track
12/20/10: A Collectivist Coalition of Convenience
12/15/10: The President Who Wasn't There
12/13/10: Tech-No!
12/08/10: A Lethal Military, Inclusive or Not
12/06/10: The ‘Unexpected’ Consequences of Progressivism
12/01/10: Leakers and Losers
11/29/10: ‘We Won’, Part One
11/22/10: Keep Your Hands Off My Constitution
11/17/10: Grope and Change
11/14/10: Taking Back Our Country, One School At a Time
11/11/10: Checks (and Balances), Please
11/08/10: Curtain Up, Progressives Down
11/04/10: Last Chance, Republicans
11/01/10: By Their Own Words Shall Ye Know Them
10/28/10: Progressive Determination to Undermine American Elections
10/25/10: Shock, but more importantly, action: De-Unionize Public Schools now
10/20/10: Multiculturalism? Check, Please
10/18/10: Healthcare: ‘Alice in Wonderland’ vs. The Constitution
10/11/10: Vote for Restoring the Rule of Law in November
10/11/10: Dems: Running From Clarity
10/07/10: Hypersensitive Hogwash
10/04/10: ‘Comprehensive’ Con Artists
09/29/10: Why Dems Are Going Down in November
09/27/10: The Unholiest of Unholy Alliances
09/22/10: Two Words for Republicans to Remember: ‘I Won’
09/20/10: Purging ‘Me First’ Politicians
09/17/10: No More ‘Lesser of Two Evils’
09/15/10: ‘Recovery’ Arms Race
09/13/10: ‘Bigots’ in the Majority --- Again?
09/09/10: Giving Voters Something to Vote For
09/07/10: Irresponsible Dems, Incomprehensible Bills
09/02/10: War Weary Americans vs. Implacable Islamists
08/31/10: A ‘Dream’ Debased
08/25/10: American ‘Bigots’ Versus Media Propagandists
08/23/10: Recovery Bummer
08/19/10: An Unholy Alliance of Radicals
08/16/10: You've Lost America, Mr. President
08/13/10: The Twin Towers of Progressive Disconnect
08/11/10: A Far Better ‘National Discussion’
08/09/10: It's ‘Only’ One Dead Nun
08/06/10: Incremental Tyranny
08/04/10: Ground Zero Mosque: Context Counts
08/02/10: The Arizona Ruling: a Gift for November
07/29/10: The United Cities of America
07/26/10: JournoList: ‘Coordinated’ Ideological Bankruptcy
07/20/10: Go For Broke Or Get Out of the Way
07/14/10: You're a Liberal/Progressive if You Believe…
07/12/10: $33-an-hour--For Sleeping On the Job
07/08/10: Extortionist Government
07/06/10: ‘Commerce Clause’ Totalitarians
07/01/10: Another Public School Travesty in MA
06/30/10: Calling YOUR Bluff, Mr. President
06/28/10: A Trifecta of Progressive Corruption
06/23/10: Plug the Darn Hole --- In Our Border
06/21/10: Our Empty-Suit-in-Chief
06/16/10: Betraying Our Children
06/14/10: Who Gets the Benefit of the Doubt?
06/07/10: Politically Correct Warfare
06/01/10: Bill Maher's ‘Black’ President
05/25/10: A Mosque At Ground Zero
05/23/10: Libs Stand Tall --- For Mexico
05/19/10: The 'Unintended Consequences' of Liberalism
05/17/10: 'Los' Suns: Stuck on Stupido
05/12/10: Union Audacity: Yes We Will!
05/10/10: Greeks, Leaks and and Double-Speak
05/05/10: Twelve Million Illegals --- or Thirty?
05/02/10: Republicans: Playing Not to Lose Doesn't Cut It
04/28/10: Arizona: Progressivism's Waterloo?
04/26/10: Son of Amnesty
04/22/10: Mortgages and Moral Meltdowns
04/20/10: Bashing Christians — Or Gays?
04/15/10: Personal Integri-‘tea’
04/12/10: Fools, Tools and Ghouls
04/08/10: (Tea) Party On
04/05/10: The Triumph of Mediocrity
04/02/10: Two For the Road
03/29/10: The Innate Immorality of Liberalism
03/24/10: The Art of War
03/22/10: I Want My Country Back
03/18/10: A Perpetual Process
03/17/10: American Exhibitionists
03/15/10: A Light Bulb Moment of Clarity
03/10/10: Little Things Mean A Lot
02/03/10: Budgetary Fork in the Road
02/01/10: Liberal Economic Illiteracy
01/27/10: ‘Roe-ing and Wade-ing’ Back to Reason
01/25/10: Arrogance When Up, Denial When Down
01/20/10: Connecting the Educational Dots
01/19/10: The Next Tea Party?
01/15/10: The Myth That Keeps on Giving
01/13/10: Airport Security Begins Away From the Airport
01/11/10: Secrets and Lies
01/08/10: Embracing Bigotry — or Rejecting Bullying?
01/06/10: Hanging by an Ideological Thread
01/04/10: Our ‘Wonderama’ Bureaucracy
12/30/09: A Day Off
12/28/09: Dangerous Myths
12/25/09: I, Me, Mine
12/23/09: A Very Harry Christmas
12/21/09: My Opinon
12/18/09: The Party of Repeal
12/15/09: Privileged Exemption
11/30/09: ‘Settled’ Science and Unsettled Children
11/30/09: American Sharia Law
11/23/09:The Trial (Travesty) of the Century
11/04/09: American Vampires and Their Political Enablers
11/01/09: ‘Opting Out’ of Insanity?
10/28/09: Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer. Brain Required
10/26/09: Communism: Nazism With Better PR
10/21/09: Just Asking
10/16/09: Cost Projections vs. Actual Costs, or Hope and Change vs. Reality
10/14/09: News you can use …
10/07/09: Incremental Insidiousness
10/05/09: MIA: Common Sense and Common Decency
09/30/09: Iran: Bad Options and Unpreparedness
09/21/09: Crying Racism: the Last Refuge of Scoundrels
09/11/09: 9/11 Cannot Be Sanitized
09/08/09: ‘Truthers’ and Consequences
09/01/09: A ‘Paper Trail’ Challenge for the Mainstream Media
08/31/09: Drowning in Amorality
08/26/09: The Republican Recovery Program
© 2010, Arnold Ahlert
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