Yesterday the LA Times reported that in a stunning reversal of the recent, successful, strategy against Al-Quaeda and it’s associated terror network worldwide the Obama administration has decided to restore the FBI, as the lead “worldwide” counter-terror agency, relegating the CIA and the military to supporting roles in the Global War on Terror.
“Under the ‘global justice’ initiative, which has been in the works for several months, FBI agents will have a central role in overseas counter-terrorism cases. They will expand their questioning of suspects and evidence-gathering to try to ensure that criminal prosecutions are an option, officials said.
Though the initiative is a work in progress, some senior counter-terrorism officials and administration policy-makers envision it as key to the national security strategy President Obama laid out last week -- one that presumes most accused terrorists have the right to
contest the charges against them in a ‘legitimate" setting.’
The approach effectively reverses a mainstay of the Bush administration's war on terrorism, in which global counter-terrorism was treated primarily as an intelligence and military problem, not a law enforcement one. That policy led to the establishment of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; harsh interrogations; and detentions without
trials.
The ‘global justice’ initiative starts out with the premise that virtually all suspects will end up in a U.S. or foreign court of law.”
Here are just a few of the reasons why this is a recipe for disaster.
The FBI was ineffective at dealing with Al-Quaeda in the 1990’s. From 1993- 2001 we saw the first attack on the Trade Center, the bombing of the Khobar Towers, the attacks on the US in Kenya and Tanzania, the USS Cole, and the 9/11 attacks. All these attacks were perpetrated by al-Quaeda affiliates. Until 9/11 the FBI investigated these incidents and prosecuted a few identified individuals. This approach encouraged rather than deterred the attacks of September 11, 2001.
The FBI is so mistrusted as an intelligence source regarding the global network of Islamist extremism that the New York City Police department has posted its own police officers abroad as intelligence gathering agents to enable New York to detect and prevent another attack on the city.
At its roots, the FBI is a police agency. This creates problems for it as an intelligence gathering agency. The FBI primarily exists to make cases that can be successfully prosecuted by US Attorneys. The institutional culture is reactive and investigative, not preventive.
The FBI, until 2001, was a full partner with the DEA in the “War and Drugs.”
Its track record against loosely organized foreign adversaries is hardly encouraging
The new Obama approach puts Eric Holder in charge as America’s top anti-terror official. This is the same Eric Holder who has a record of supporting pardons for members of home grown terrorist groups like the BLA and FALN. Today Fox News reports:
“Charges brought against three members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense under the Bush administration have been dropped by the Obama Justice Dept.
The charges stemmed from an incident at a Philadelphia polling place, Election Day 2008 when three black panthers were accused of trying to threaten voters and block poll and campaign workers by the threat of force -- one even brandishing what prosecutors call a deadly weapon.
The three, Minister King Samir Shabazz, Malik Zulu Shabazz and Jerry Jackson were charged in a civil complaint with violating the voter rights act by using coercion, threats and intimidation. Shabazz allegedly held a nightstick that prosecutors said he pointed at people and menacingly tapped it. Prosecutors also say he ‘supports racially motivated violence against non-blacks and Jews."
Eric Holder just let three more domestic terrorists off the hook.
According to the LA Time’s sources, any terror suspect, caught by any US agency, anywhere in the world will be directed to FBI custody. For soldiers and Marines operating on the battlefield this means capturing an enemy is now a law enforcement operation.
This creates several problems. Many of my friends in law enforcement call their badge a ‘license to be sued.’ While soldiers are competent at taking and securing detainees, they now will be in a position to be second guessed by everyone from non-military federal agents, to Justice Dept. lawyers, federal judges and juries.
We will now be assigning all terrorists, including those captured on the battlefield with an equivalent set of rights of US citizens arrested for crimes and misdemeanors here at home. Imagine a Taliban insurgent captured in Afghanistan will now have rights never accorded to those American enemies who abided by the ‘laws of war.’ We’ll treat al-Quaeda better than German POWs of WWII.
In fact the next set of detainees will be afforded better legal protections than most American criminal suspects because white shoe, elite, liberal law firms will be climbing all over each other to represent al-Quaeda suspects arrested by the FBI. If OJ Simpson got off because he hired a dream team imagine what will happen if Osama bin Laden is “arrested” instead of just shot by Special Forces.
His lawyers will argue everything from lack of jurisdiction, to cultural insensitivity, to the twinkie defense if it will prolong his trial their moment in the spotlight. If bin Laden was not a true extremist right about now he would be calling a lawyer and arranging to turn himself in, his chances would be so good.
Well America, get ready for more terror!
See Also:
TheLocke
Narcisstic Views
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