5/11/09

This weekend, Dick Cheney and Newt Gingrich were once again on the Sunday news programs promoting the same old failed policies that have failed to make America safer. Cheney argued that by stopping torture the Obama administration has taken away a vital tool in dealing with terrorism – even though intelligence experts believe that torture has resulted in the deaths of “at least hundreds but more likely thousands” of Americans at the hands of terrorists. Gingrich made ridiculous claims that Guantanamo detainees will be getting welfare in the United States – even though there is no evidence to support this. Senators such as John Cornyn and James Inhofe oppose the new defense budget, which focuses on 21st century threats instead of fixating on wasteful spending and Cold War weapons systems. Meanwhile, after eight years of reckless saber-rattling and an almost exclusive focus on the military – conservatives still oppose reasonable and tough diplomacy.

Dick Cheney advocates torture – a failed and reckless policy that has not made America more secure and has led to the death of Americans. Yesterday on Face the Nation, former Vice President Cheney said, “what we’ve seen happen with respect to the Obama administration as they came to power is they have moved to take down a lot of those policies we put in place that kept the nation safe for nearly eight years from a follow-on terrorist attack like 9/11. Dealing with prisoner interrogation, for example, or the terrorist surveillance program. They campaigned against these policies across the country, and then they came in now, and they have tried, very hard, to undertake actions that I just fundamentally disagree with.” And when asked by Bob Schieffer, “You say that the administration has made this country more vulnerable to attacks here in the homeland?” Cheney replied, “That’s my belief, based upon the fact, Bob, that we put in place those policies after 9/11.” But the reality is that intelligence experts believe torture has resulted in the deaths of “at least hundreds but more likely thousands” of Americans at the hands of terrorists. General Petraeus instructed his troops not to use torture in Iraq because it doesn’t work and hurts the fight. And the interrogator who located the notorious terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi believes that Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo were the main reasons fighters came to Iraq to attack Americans. The Washington Post also noted that a CIA inspector general report contradicts Cheney’s claims. The report concluded that “it is difficult to determine conclusively whether interrogations have provided information critical to interdicting specific imminent attacks.” [Dick Cheney, 5/10/09. Harper’s Magazine, 12/18/08. David Petraeus, 5/11/07. Washington Post, 5/9/09]

Newt Gingrich makes hysterical claims about terrorists getting welfare. Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, said on FOX News, “The idea we're going to put alleged terrorists on welfare and have you pay for them and me pay for them, so they get to be integrated into American society — remember, all these people were brought in on the grounds that they were trained in terrorist camps. So we're now going to take a guy who we don't have conclusive proof and we're going to put him in American society paid by the American taxpayer because his home country won't accept him?” This claim seems to have little basis in fact. The Obama administration is developing a plan to shut Guantanamo and ensure that the most dangerous terrorists do in fact stay behind bars and are not released, while those who are judged to not present a threat will be released. The reality is that some small number of these detainees may return to the fight, but that risk is far outweighed by the hundreds if not thousands of Americans who have already died at the hands of terrorists motivated as a result of Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. [Newt Gingrich, 5/10/09]

Obama administration rolls out a defense budget which reflects 21st century priorities, as conservatives fall back on tired critiques. Through their criticism of the defense budget put forward by Secretary Gates and the Obama administration, conservatives have ignored current and future challenges, choosing instead to rely on outmoded arguments to score political points. The New York Times reported today that Senator James M. Inhofe (R – OK) said that the Administration “is taking us down a path that leads to a weaker military that is poorly equipped,” accusing the President’s administration of not making defense a “top priority.” And last week, Senator John Cornyn (R – TX) remarked before an audience at the American Enterprise Institute that despite there being “so many security threats emerging or growing, the administration envisions a military that will have less strength to meet them.” Secretary Gates anticipated this criticism in the January issue of Foreign Affairs, writing that “[t]he United States cannot expect to eliminate national security risks through higher defense budgets, to do everything and buy everything. The Department of Defense must set priorities and consider inescapable tradeoffs and opportunity costs.” And, as the New York Times reported today, “[m]any of those most directly involved in today’s war say that the Gates budget proposal sets the priorities right,” and that the budget is consistent with current efforts to address both conventional and unconventional military challenges, which have “created the most capable American military in the nation’s history.” Gates explained the strategic rationale behind his defense budget at the Army War College, saying that an “underlying theme in the budget recommendations is the need to think about future conflicts in a different way, to recognize that the black-and-white distinction between conventional war and irregular war is an outdated model. In reality, the future is and will be more complex, where all conflict will range along a broad spectrum of operations and lethality, where even near-peer competitors will use irregular or asymmetric tactics, and non-state actors may have weapons of mass destruction or sophisticated missiles.” [Senator John Cornyn, 5/07/09. Sen. James Inhofe, 5/10/09. Secretary Gates, Foreign Affairs, January/February 2009. NY Times, 5/10/09. Secretary Gates, 4/16/09]

Conservatives continue to advocate a reckless foreign policy that includes little diplomacy and has not worked for the past eight years. The Obama administration has adopted a comprehensive approach to address the many foreign policy challenges left behind by the Bush administration. While these challenges – such as Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Pakistan – can’t all be turned around in a day, the Obama administration has reached out, reestablished American credibility and prestige and begun using diplomacy effectively. Just in the past few days there have been positive developments on the diplomatic front. Last week the AFP wrote, “[Acting Assistant Secretary of State Jeffry] Feltman and National Security Council Senior Director Daniel Shapiro are on their second visit to Damascus since Obama took office in January pledging to engage with all Middle Eastern countries, including Washington's foes such as Syria and Iran.” Negotiations for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) are beginning and just today it was announced that jailed journalist Roxanna Saberi will be freed by the Iranian government. As Secretary Clinton said about diplomacy, “It is I think old thinking to say that we have a disagreement in one area, therefore we should not work on something else that is of overwhelming importance. That's just not the way we think. If you look at what we are doing on START and non proliferation, that has to do with the future safety of the world and the United States and Russia bear a special responsibility.” Yet conservatives continue to attach themselves to the bluster-based foreign policy of the Bush administration that failed so miserably. The Heritage Foundation’s Kim Holmes said recently, “in a larger sense, our adversaries and friends alike perceive a potential U.S. vacuum of leadership - and international leadership abhors a vacuum, and other people are going to do things to fill that vacuum... In the case of North Korea, we are clearly worse off than we were a few months ago. What have we got by reaching out to the Iranians? Not much. They are working on their missiles; there's not much change in their posture. Pakistan is certainly more of a worry now, not just in the tribal areas, but in Pakistan proper, and the danger of getting control of nuclear weapons, which would be a nightmare.” But the reality is that the Bush administration’s terrible foreign policy legacy that shunned diplomacy is what has created or exacerbated most of these problems. [AFP, 5/9/09. AFP, 5/8/09. WS Journal, 5/11/09. Washington Times, 5/11/09]

What We’re Reading

Iran will release American journalist Roxana Saberi, her lawyer announced.

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Israel for the second leg of his Middle East tour. He expressed support for a Palestinian state and acknowledged the deaths of six million Jews in the Holocaust.

Pakistan increased its efforts against the Taliban in Swat valley, adding an artillery bombardment. Pakistan claims its military killed 200 insurgents last weekend, and 700 in the last four days.

King Abdullah of Jordan described the Middle East peace plan he devised with President Obama, as a “57-state solution,” warning that if peace is not achieved, there will be another conflict in 12-18 months.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that NATO exercises in Georgia hinder improvements to U.S.-Russian relations.

The Iraqi Oil Ministry and the Kurdistan Regional Government reached an oil export deal. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Baghdad. Five U.S. soldiers were shot and killed at a main American base in Baghdad.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Egypt, hoping to reduce tensions.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates will face a tough week of hearings on the Pentagon budget, amid skepticism over reforming military spending.

Terrorism traffic through Syria increases again.

Iran’s Guardian Council will release the list of approved presidential candidates on May 22.

The U.N. decried a “bloodbath” in Sri Lanka in which 1,000 Tamil civilians, including over 100 children, were reported killed.

China far outpaces the U.S. in building cleaner coal-fired plants.

Commentary of the Day

Richard A. Clarke discusses the importance of cybersecurity.

Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, examines the problems with the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Selig S. Harrison looks at the ethnic tensions in Pakistan.

George Pitcher comments on Pope Benedict XVI’s role in the Middle East.

Max Hastings criticizes U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.