Stupid Bush news
The New York Times tries to make us believe that President Bush was tempted to send US troops into the streets to arrest the Lackawanna Six with this headline;
Of course, according to the article, Darth Cheney advocated for the US of Federal troops to round up the terrorists. It was a proposal that was never acted upon. I wonder how many people know these discussions go on every day as every administration engages in legal navel-gazing. But now this’ll become the standard answer to everyone who asks themselves if they should vote for a Republican.
Decades after Nixon ruminated over sending the IRS after his enemies, it is part of the “Evil Nixon” caricature the Left likes to put forward. Nixon never used the IRS against his enemies – he merely asked the question once. Bush never sent troops to take out the Lackawanna Six, but a year from now that’s not what the conspiracy nuts will be saying.
Still, at least one high-level meeting was convened to debate the issue, at which several top Bush aides argued firmly against the proposal to use the military, advanced by Mr. Cheney, his legal adviser David S. Addington and some senior Defense Department officials.
Among those in opposition were Condoleezza Rice, then the national security adviser; John B. Bellinger III, the top lawyer at the National Security Council; Robert S. Mueller III, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Michael Chertoff, then the head of the Justice Department’s criminal division.
The discussions did not proceed far enough to put military units on alert.
And yet, somehow, it’s news.
Actually, it makes no sense to use US troops the way law enforcement these days are trained and equipped almost exactly like the military. The only feasible reason is to make a political statement. And I don’t think the American people want to hear that political statement.
If it was the Obama Administration having this discussion (and who says they aren’t) The New York Times would be applauding him for keeping a cooler head. So where’s the applause for Bush making the right decision?
Category: Liberals suck, Media, Military issues
Nixon brings up the possibility of using the IRS on one’s political enemies, Clinton actually does it.
Bush (or the administration) brings up the possibility of violating Posse Commitatus and using the military on REAL enemies…I think you can see where I’m going with this.
Just remember, many of you posting here are “right-wing extremists” for having served, and therefore in the eyes of the Obama administration are “enemies of the state”.
In fairness, it should be mentioned that Bush did use the military to detain Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen captured on U.S. soil. I think that indicates that discussion of the domestic use of the military for anti-terrorism purposes was more than mere “legal navel-gazing” – it did happen to a certain extent.
On the other hand, Bush should be commended for deciding not to use the military against the Lackawanna Six. History bears out the claim that normal law enforcement operations and the criminal justice system were completely adequate to handle those guys.
Sadly, I am convinced that somehow, this will be linked in some manner, however tenuous, to Sarah Palin.
H3ll, we constantly warplan all sorts of operations, invasion of Canada, retaking the Panama Canal. We do it, on the off chance that, no matter how remote the possibilities of actually doing it are, we get ordered to do it, and it’s better to have the plan on hand than to be running around trying to do stuff on the fly.
But yeah, another article by the NY Slimes to (again) draw attention away from the current president and his disastrous policies.
Lurker–initially detained, yes. But tried and imprisoned, no. That was done in the civilian legal system. But what the moonbats can’t/won’t figure out is that the Lackawana Six (among others) were ultimately tried and convicted in the civilian justice system–actually, they pleaded guilty and testified about other activities to the FBI. Finally, there is legal precedent for military apprehension/trial–look up Ex-Parte Quirin. IIRC, that was under a Democrat administration. Just sayin.
This is a diversionary tactic on the part of the MSM — their messiah is having trouble in the polls, and his legislative efforts have proved disastrous.
The fact that this plan is 7 years old, was never implemented, but is nonetheless considered a big “news” story tells you all you need to know.
Agreed, Richard, the State Run Media is dragging a dead carp across the trail, trying to distract people with installment #417 of BDS. The estimates on State Run Healthcare are north of $3T now, the honest estimates, at least. Even the dems are starting to say that the $1T figure is at best disingenuous, at worst just a lie. So, trot out another BDS conspiracy, complete with a dash of Darth Cheney.
The implication that the media want you to believe is that there would have been troops in the streets to accomplish this. Instead of Special Agent Doe of the FBI making the arrests it would have been Special Agents Smith, Hancock and Jones from NCIS, Army CID, or Air Force OSI making the arrest in their roles as duly appointed federal LE agents, not a declaration of martial law and deployment of troops…
Lest we forget that Billy Jeff put the IRS onto the NRA, or Bush 41 onto Pat Robertson….honestly…