Only the media and political geeks could build a scandal over a non-issue and force the White House into a defensive posture.
According to the Washington Post...
"The best indicator of how seriously this White House is involved in a political scandal may be how emphatically it refuses to comment."
"By that standard, the CIA's destruction of its torture tapes is shaping up to be a doozy of a White House story."
"At yesterday's briefing, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino didn't even pretend to take reporters' questions about the tapes seriously.
"No matter what was asked, her answer was the same: 'I'm going to refer you to the Justice Department, who is working on the preliminary inquiry with the CIA. . . . I think that's a question that is best put to the Justice Department, and the Justice Department will be able to answer for you. . . . I'm going to refer you to the Justice Department. . . . I'm going to refer you to the Justice Department on that.'"
"Perino, of course, knew full well that the Justice Department wouldn't say a thing, either."
"White House officials are refusing to answer any of these explosive questions," CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry complained on air yesterday.
I personally commend whoever made the decision to destroy those tapes for having the initiative and foresight to know that should those tapes have been released in the course of judicial proceedings, the honor and prestige of the United States of America would have been, once again, sullied for political purposes and that, in the process, those who "blame America first" would have given aid and comfort to all of America's enemies, both foreign and domestic.
What could the President do?
For once, I would love to see President Bush retreat from that "Yalie/Harvard Northeast Upper Crust Patrician Gentleman" posture and simply tell the truth as it exists in real life.
I cannot imagine any President other than Theodore Roosevelt, the last real man to occupy the White House, having the courage to simply go before the media and tell the truth.
"I am the President of the United States and it is my Constitutional Duty to protect all Americans from our enemies, both foreign and domestic."
"The truth, while not often pretty, cannot be packaged as a fairy tale to the American people."
"The people we capture on the battlefield, those who are pointing guns at us and those who plan the battles and send out their troops against us ARE NOT AMERICAN CITIZENS and they have precious few rights other than not getting shot if they surrender."
"These are people who only respect strength and believe that the weakness and indecisiveness of the United States will lead to its downfall. And that all they have to do to win their ideological battle is to simply survive, to persevere and kill a relatively few people each and every news cycle to have the media do their job for them and call for our retreat or surrender."
"What we do to secure information is not the type of torture that is practiced anywhere else in the world that involves mutilation before death. Here are pictures of the torture that is being performed on our troops and allies. Gruesome. Hard to look at... but this is what is happening."
"For those of you who are pacifists, believers in diplomacy, the Geneva Convention and truly believe that if we give up all coercive methods of interrogation, that the enemy will treat our captured or kidnapped soldiers in a similar manner: you are either misinformed or have not studied history -- and are probably delusional."
"We are not blind and we are not stupid. We know that the enemy and their sympathizers have an organized attempt to subvert our institutions using our own freedoms and laws against us. At times, it may appear that the media is complicit in aiding and abetting the enemy propaganda efforts in their struggle to overturn our country and force us into the religion of subservience."
"To this end, I am taking the following affirmative actions: "I am removing the lawyers from the official and unofficial White House chain of command. There will be no more endless debates and policy position papers over what is legal, what is illegal and how we can confuse the two to someone's political advantage. The sole criteria will now be what is right and what is clearly wrong; with the deciding factor being the protection of our soldiers and the American people."
"While I am cognizant of the historical role and need for a proactive media to ferret out and report wrongdoing, I am calling upon the media to self-censor anything which may be used as propaganda by foreign sources to the extent it can be used to recruit additional resistance forces, raise funding for military purposes or incite further violence against our troops. I will hold a monthly briefing that names the media organization, the reporter and the story and why the reported item was suspect. I will leave it up to the media and the American people to decide what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. The people can take whatever action they wish: from turning to another media source to refusing to support those who sponsor the suspect media sources."
"As for Congress, I am requesting the Congress form a bi-partisan, non-political oversight committee with the appropriate credentials and security clearances to receive the appropriate operational details of ongoing campaigns. They will be required to attend all meetings personally and staffers and other such intermediaries will not be welcome. Should any of these people leak classified information to the media or any other source, they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. It is hoped that Congress will see fit to select members, not on the basis of seniority or party favors owed or due, but on the basis of wisdom, propriety and patriotism. While I will listen to their concerns and respect their views, I will still be the sole Commander-in-Chief and will reserve all of the Constitutional rights of the Presidency." There will not be hundreds of "armchair" generals pursuing their own diplomatic and military campaigns; some of which negate or usurp the constitutional rights of the presidency.
"I am enlarging the United States Military and forming a new joint operational command. The overlapping duties and capabilities of each service will be examined and subject to reformulation. We will adopt the Navy-style of operational command -- there will be a clear delineation of responsibilities and duties; and no more diffusion of command responsibility."
"As for special interests and our domestic problems, I will call on Congress to introduce a new transparency into funding appropriations. Every funding request will be be on a standalone basis: describing the sponsor(s), the amount requested, the benefits of funding the initiative and any of the major special interests or lobbyists who are supporting or arguing against the funding."
"I am embarking on a study to de-politicize all Administrative agencies and to formulate a plan to eliminate those agencies and departments which do not serve a useful function to assist the people of our nation."
"As for immigration, I want Congress to send me a simple immigration initiative which shuts down our borders to illegal human and other traffic. I want Congress to propose a rational immigration policy based on "net tangible benefits to the United States" of allowing certain people to start on their path to citizenship. Benefits such as critical skills, ability to support oneself and one's family. We will deal with the temporary and unskilled labor pool on an "as needed basis." Permits will valid only for a specific period of time."
"I am requesting the Department of Homeland Security to complete a tracking system which logs visitors in and out of this country and provides lists on a weekly basis on those who may have overstayed their visas."
"I am giving every illegal alien now present in the United States 60-days to register with the appropriate authority as an illegal alien. To provide a current, verifiable address and any biometric identification as necessary to eliminate questions of identity. Should any illegal alien fail to register, they will be immediately deported if apprehended for any criminal act. There will be a brief judicial review and no allowances for hardship or family considerations. It will be up to the illegal alien to respect all of the laws of the United States. People who are apprehended will permanently denied citizenship and re-entry, even as a visitor, to the United States. For those that believe this is harsh and unusual treatment -- please allow me to note that we will be acting under the guidelines of reciprocity which I shall now address."
"I am requesting that Congress honor the reciprocity between nations in such a manner as to not convey any rights and privileges to foreign nationals that are not available to American citizens when they travel or attempt to live abroad."
"I am requesting Congress and the Supreme Court to re-visit the 14th Amendment to insure that children borne by foreign nationals while on American soil assume the nationality of their parents."
"I am requesting Congress to abolish the concept of dual citizenship for foreign nationals who are required to take an oath of allegiance to the United States upon becoming citizens."
"We are living in uncertain times and facing uncertain dangers. It is my goal to insure that our citizens will enjoy the benefits of freedom and their Constitutional rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
"It is time that we come together as a great nation, using our differences to arrive at a higher truth and purpose instead of pushing us farther toward a balkanized and decaying nation."
"We must help ourselves before we help others and I promise you that we will no longer squander our national resources on those who do not believe that our generous nation gives freely of itself and acknowledges the sacrifices made by Americans to provide a better life for all peoples of this great nation and of the world at large."
"While I know that I cannot complete all of the above initiatives in the time that I have left in office, I call upon all of the presidential candidates to take a pledge to put forth their own programs in the spirit of this effort."
"God Bless America."
Now, as a start, would that be so bad? I leave it up to the readers to debate the issue and comment where appropriate.
What can YOU do?
Do not vote for any candidate or current politician who is willing to subvert the safety, security, sovereignty and economic strength of the United States or limit an individual's right of self-defense for personal power, prestige or profits.
-- steve
Quote of the Day: Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice. --H.L. Mencken
A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…
The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius
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