McCain Smear of Obama Disgusts Richard Clarke
Greg Sargent listens to the garbage from Team McCain so we don’t have to:
Aggressively moving to shift the debate away from domestic issues to national security, the McCain campaign hit Obama with some of the most incendiary language of the campaign, accusing Obama on a conference call with reporters moments ago of having a “September 10th mindset.” The latest attack, which has strong echoes of the tactics Bush used against John Kerry four years ago and that Republicans used against Dems in 2006, comes in response to comments Obama made yesterday to ABC News about the attackers of the World Trade Center in 1993. In the interview, Obama suggested that the failure to try Guantanamo detainees was harming American credibility in the Muslim world, adding that the 1993 attackers had been dealt with in accordance with the Constitution and that “they are currently in U.S. prisons, incapacitated.” The McCain camp is seizing on the comments as evidence that Obama doesn’t understand that such an approach is inadequate to the current war on terror — even though Obama has repeatedly outlined an aggressive approach to hunting down terrorists. “Once again, we have seen that Senator Obama is a perfect manifestation of a September 10th mindset,” McCain foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann said.
I guess this means Team McCain approves of these internments at Guantanamo even if they skirt the provisions of our Constitution. Or as Obama put it:
What it means is, is that they have been willing to skirt basic protections that are in our Constitution, that our founders put in place. And it is my firm belief that we can track terrorists, we can crack down on threats against the United States, but we can do so within the constraints of our Constitution. And there has been no evidence on their part that we can’t. And, you know, let’s take the example of Guantanamo. What we know is that, in previous terrorist attacks — for example, the first attack against the World Trade Center, we were able to arrest those responsible, put them on trial. They are currently in U.S. prisons, incapacitated. And the fact that the administration has not tried to do that has created a situation where not only have we never actually put many of these folks on trial, but we have destroyed our credibility when it comes to rule of law all around the world, and given a huge boost to terrorist recruitment in countries that say, “Look, this is how the United States treats Muslims.”
Richard Clarke also weighed in:
“I’m frankly disgusted at my friends on the McCain campaign,” Clarke said, perhaps being a bit optimistic in describing those folks as still being “friends” of his. Clark referred to the McCain camp’s claim that Dems only favor a law enforcement approach to terrorism, and accused McCain advisers of “completely and utterly distorting the record of that party.” “They said that about Bill Clinton,” Clarke continued. “They said that about John Kerry. And now they’re saying it about Barack Obama. I’d like them to show where in the record Barack Obama has favored only a law enforcement approach.”
Then again – the slime that has infested the modern GOP will likely attack Mr. Clarke. As you know, they’ve done it before.
Update I: George Will calls “McCain’s Posturing On Guantanamo” – Contempt of Courts. Hat tip to Andrew Sullivan. It would seem that at least some conservatives are siding with Obama’s position and not McCain’s posturing.
Update II: Greg Sargent notes that Rudy “an noun, a verb, and 9/11” has resurfaced – as confused as ever!
Update III: Conservative Steven Taylor joins George Will and Andrew Sullivan in condemning the current Administration stance with respect to Gitmo. Hat tip to Glenn Greenwald who chides John Yoo for having to lie in his attempt to defend the current Administration stance with respect to Gitmo.