Keeping a Safe Watch; 9/10 and the age of Obama (NRO interview of Debra Burlingame)

National Review Online ^ | October 20, 2009 | Kathryn Jean Lopez

[Sergeant Tim]

KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ: Is the Obama administration keeping America safe?

DEBRA BURLINGAME: When Barack Obama was sworn in as president, I actually had a sliver of hope that he would surprise his worst critics and govern from the center — the smart pragmatist. That hope pretty much evaporated on January 22 when he signed a series of executive orders shutting the Guantanamo Bay detention center by a date certain and suspending the trial of 9/11 conspirators — who were at that moment sitting at Gitmo, crowing about their role in the murder of 3,000 of our fellow human beings. Surrounded by 16 retired admirals and generals, the signing ceremony was clearly meant to showcase Obama as a strong, decisive commander in chief who was making a clean break from the policies of the previous administration. But it was a mistake wrapped in stagecraft. It has gone downhill from there. In nine short months, the list has grown long: abandoning our allies, appeasing our enemies, wavering on the request for additional troops for the war he declared we must win, launching criminal investigations of CIA agents. I fear he is taking us back to the policies of the 1990s, and this is worse than a “pre-9/11 mindset.” At least on 9/10, we didn’t appreciate the true extent of the danger. We do now.

LOPEZ: How do you know that?

BURLINGAME: Obama is about image and rhetoric. The retired flag officers portrayed as battle-tested warriors applauding in that White House photo op are human-rights activists; some are lawyers — recruited, sponsored, and funded since 2005 by the organization Human Rights First. ... (READ THE REST AFTER THE JUMP)

[wayoverontheright]

The Obama administration's foreign policy can be likened to Nicholas Berg's venture into Iraq. Berg finds himself in the midst of mortal danger, and believes his ideological siding with those who oppose America will protect him from harm.

After being told by the military he should carry a gun if he were going to venture out, he refuses, and we all know what happened to him.

Obama clearly subscribes to the Nicholas Berg Doctrine, as relates to foreign policy, and America will be just as safe as poor Nick was.

[ntnychik]

Keep America Safe website (Liz Cheney, Debra Burlingame, Bill Kristol)

http://www.keepamericasafe.com/

[potlatch]

Thanks nit, I’ll check it out.