KSM, New York City and My Growing Isolationism

680 miles. That’s how far I drove on Friday between our house outside of Philadelphia and our future hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. That’s also the distance between Karachi, Pakistan and Kabul, Afghanistan. And, interestingly enough, that was about how long it took me to have a sea change with regard to American presence in the latter nation.

Get them out. Now.

Since the morning of September 11, 2001, I’ve been all for the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Like it or not, radical Islam declared war on us a long time ago, the three thousand dead on that day was a gigantic wake-up call, and we absolutely needed to take the fight to the terrorists. We were at war. We were fighting and killing radical Islamic terrorists in their backyards so they wouldn’t kill us in ours. And for seven years, it worked.

Now, however, in the wake of the second terrorist attack on American soil since Barack Obama took residency in the White House—the murder of an Army recruiter in Arkansas by Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad was the first, and Nidal Malik Hasan’s shooting spree the second—it has finally become completely and undoubtedly evident that this president and this administration is no longer interested in fighting a war to ensure the safety and security of Americans on their own soil. The decision to bring 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad to New York City for a federal trial was the last straw. And so long as Barack Hussein Obama is no longer taking this fight against radical Islam seriously, I don’t want another American dying or even getting a paper cut for this president.

I’m done with it. Call me a flip-flopper if you’d like. I don’t care. Why should sons and daughters and mothers and fathers already sacrificing so much sacrifice their very lives for a president who doesn’t think enough of them or their service to acknowledge properly the slaughter of 13 of their Army brothers and sisters here at home ? Why should they die while he dithers ? Why should little boys and little girls stand at their father or mother’s gravesite when this president refuses to stand up against political correctness and fight this war for real ?

Conducting a law enforcement operation rather than fighting a war has made the United States of America look weak and toothless. Frankly, we’ve looked that way since the second day of Barack Obama’s presidency, when he vowed to close the state-of-the-art terrorist detainee facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba without so much as an inkling of where he would deposit the terrorists inside. And the toothlessness continued this past spring, when the president entertained the idea of capitulating with the ACLU and releasing photographs of alleged detainee abuse, images that would undoubtedly incense an already incensed Muslim population and cause the death of more troops. Between then and now, we’ve seen the Justice Department’s decision to investigate the intelligence community for doing the work necessary to keep our country safe, and heard unsubstantiated statements made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that intelligence officials intentionally lied to Congress. We’ve watched as this president decided to order that all detainees captured on the battlefield be read their Miranda rights, and now we have the chance to see Khalid Sheikh Mohammad transported to within a few blocks of the buildings he worked to bring down for a fill American civilian trial.

What happened to the promises made by Barack Obama that KSM and the others would receive a full military trial ? There’s a reason that these animals aren’t permitted into the civilian system — for one, they would be granted the same rights and privileges as the Americans they killed. And, second, in the civilian criminal system, there are a wealth of technicalities and such which will be at the disposal of those defending the indefensible. These men were captured and held in a way which was never, ever anticipated would lead to a civilian trial. Besides the inherent problem in publicizing our intelligence-gathering information, a civilian trial could lead to dismissal outright. Attorney Gen. Eric Holder promises execution, but since when is a promise from this administration worth more than a penno. If you want Khalid Sheikh Mohammed executed, then just execute him already. Due Process Rights are reserved for Americans, not those who wish to murder them.

Regardless, the victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001 deserve better. Likewise, the victims of the attack which will likely happen in New York City during the course of Barack Obama’s big show trial deserve better as well. This is politics and ignorance and the politics of ignorance, plain and simple, and it is a game increasingly well-played by this president.

I’ve said in the past, and continue to say, that I prefer our servicemen and servicewomen fight this war and win with honor. However, when they have to watch their six just as much as they must scan their surroundings, the war is over. These men and women are fighting a political battle for President Obama, fighting for things like health care reform and cap-and-trade and political capital rather than against Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and purveyors of radical Islamic jihad. Winning, for this president, is no longer—and has never been—an option.

Bring our fighting men and women home right now. In bringing Khalid Sheikh Mohammad to New York City, Barack Obama is willing to risk the safety and security of New Yorkers for his political agenda, and time after time we see that he uses the military for the same purposes. He perceives more of a threat from vociferous conservatives than bomb-strapped radical Muslims. He has a problem with America as a superpower. Consequently, he’s not taking the Global War on Terror seriously. Why should the very brave men and women he so disdains die for him and his indecisiveness ?

ANOTHER NOTE : Incidentally, I heard today someone floating the idea of a million-man march in protest to this decision, to take place in New York City. I think it’s an excellent idea. But I doubt anyone in the White House will listen.