Phony Outrage On The Left
By Christopher G. Adamo
From a policy perspective, the Iraqi prisoner abuse situation can be summed up in a few sentences. The mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison was unquestionably counter to United States policy, and thus forbidden. Those engaging in it did so in violation of clearly established standards of conduct. Their actions have been condemned by officials at the highest levels of government. They should be held accountable, and they will be. Case closed.
Admittedly, the perverse nature of the particular incidents is highly disturbing. That certain men and women who wear the uniform of the United States military could take pleasure in sexually deviant deeds suggests the presence of deeper underlying moral problems within their ranks. Are we perhaps reaping unintended consequences from the “Don't ask, don't tell” policy of the last decade?
Nevertheless, the individuals making the most noise about this sordid affair are demonstrating far more about themselves than those whom they accuse. Last week's Senate hearings offer ample proof. Every publicity-hungry liberal in the room, from Carl Levin to Ted Kennedy, couldn't wait to spew sanctimony in front of the cameras. Among the worst, and most inexcusable, was Arizona Senator John McCain. More than any other senatorial inquisitor, McCain, having spent time as a POW in the “Hanoi Hilton,” knows what true torture and suffering is, and could have quickly put the entire situation into proper perspective. Instead, he seized it as an opportunity for shameless grandstanding.
Particularly while “questioning” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, McCain made it obvious that his intent was not to gain information, but to make a political statement. By concurring with the excesses of “outraged” liberals, he cheapened the significance of his own past while undermining the plight of others such as Jeremiah Denton, whose landmark work “When Hell Was In Session” gives an excruciating account of the fate of American prisoners of war at the hands of the North Vietnamese. Denton's book ought to be required reading for all those who need to understand the real meaning of torture and abuse.
Of course when it comes to pious hypocrisy, few can compete with New York Senator Hillary Clinton. Getting a jump of several days on the hearings, she flatly and shamelessly asserted that responsibility for the actions of a few out-of-control American troops rests directly with George Bush. This is quite the admission from the once-professed “co-president” who conveniently forgot any information pertaining to the blatant lapses in national security that occurred on her husband's watch. Nor did she or her husband ever accept responsibility or offer even the slightest hint of remorse or introspection in the aftermath of such horrendous fiascos as the Waco massacre.
Ditto for John Kerry who, though excoriating President Bush for supposedly exploiting images of 9-11 in campaign ads, has now seized upon these pictures as a fundraising tool. Once again he has proven his willingness to undermine the morale and credibility of American combat troops still engaged in foreign hostilities, in order to serve his own interests.
It is impossible to overemphasize the role being predictably played by the liberal media as this situation is blown completely out of proportion. Who can ever forget the manner in which they, in the immediate aftermath of 9-11, thoroughly suppressed images of terrified Americans jumping to their deaths from the burning towers? Ostensibly, they sought to prevent further inflammation of the already heightened rage among Americans that might be vented against innocent Muslims. Yet they hold no comparable concern now that America's mortal enemies may be similarly enraged.
Nor is the media at all likely to ceaselessly replay the horrific beheading of Nicholas Berg with any of the frequency that the Abu Ghraib photos are receiving. Though Rumsfeld has warned that some of the unreleased pictures are more appalling than anything the public has yet seen, they undoubtedly pale in comparison to the grisly murder of Berg. Such a contrast is just the thing the Americans need, if they are to recognize the grim nature of the terrorist enemy they still must confront. But the media cannot risk “clouding” the present discussion by introducing this information.
Certainly, excesses are committed during every major conflict. However, by the intensity of their efforts to exploit the malicious actions of a few (for the sole purpose of weakening the President's chances for re-election), liberals prove once again that their true loyalties lie not with their country, but only with themselves.
|
