I have no outrage toward President Arroyo or the people of the Philippines - only toward those Abu Sayyaf bastards.
Having followed this story closely for over a year, there is no certainty that the outcome would have been different if we had sent 20,000 of our own troops and conducted the jungle rescue operation alone. Martin Burnham was kept in shackles - and it's clear that the Abu Sayyaf planned to execute him at the first sign of a rescue attempt.
I'm impressed by the compassion and concern expressed by the majority of Filipinos for the American hostages - even more than for their fellow citizens. I think are determined to rid their country of this scourge. But it is extremely difficult.
You may recall that a few months ago in Afghanistan, we had some American missionaries who were being persecuted and imprisoned by the Taliban. When the Northern Alliance moved in to Kabul, the Taliban removed them from their cells and carried them south. We were unable to mount a direct rescue effort, but fortunately, some friendly Afghans found them and alerted our forces to their whereabouts and we were able to extricate them to safety.
And I hate to bring this up, but our own CIA was accidentally involved in the shootdown of a plane carrying a missionary family in Peru recently, with fatal results. So having the U.S. involved does not absolutely guarantee the safety of American missionaries in foreign countries.
My sister is a missionary, and has been on some extremely dangerous missions. She knows the risks.
The political reality is that Arroyo has allowed the U.S. to do every practical thing possible in her country, against some opposition by a vocal minority. President Bush has expressed his appreciation for her efforts, and I agree with him.
There is one matter where the Philippines government has fallen short of U.S. expectations - the extradition of the fugitive felon Mark Jimenez. I expect the Philippines to meet our demands for his return immediately.
I'm afraid I must disagree with you, however. I remember well the missionaries' plight in Afghanistan. They knowingly put themselves in harm's way, choosing to remain in a potentially hostile environment.
I find that very different from going to a foreign country to celebrate an anniversary, prior to any terrorist action on US soil, and falling victim to terrorists. The Burnhams may be missionaries, but they were blindsided by their abduction.
The Burnhams are also not military. They depended on the military to protect them, much as I pay my taxes to the US government and expect the US military to protect me in return. I would NOT expect anyone, military or otherwise, to risk their life for me had I knowingly put myself in a hostile situation. My fate would be due to my own folly.
My opinion of the president of the Phillipines is unchanged. If she had been sincere about saving the Burnhams she would have allowed US intervention rather than worrying about losing face in accepting assistance. Our special forces are exponentially better equipped to handle a situation such as the Burnhams' than the Phillipines military.
Again, thank-you for providing this forum. You have done the Burnhams a great justice.