In Defence Of Defence

Democratic Congress in the United States is furious at what they term the wholesale deception that was perpetrated by the Bush administration, orchestrated by former Vice-President Dick Cheney, that gave orders to the CIA to develop a mission of targeted assassinations of al-Qaeda operatives, with specific instructions that the under-cover, extremely covert operation not be revealed to Congress.

Well, what might they expect from a Republican administration, one that had been handed an internal disaster of huge proportions, and a black eye as well, for which they were accountable through intelligence neglect, courtesy of fanatical jihad?

This was an emergency response to a situation that galvanized the world in outrage at the monumental catastrophe mounted against United States citizens, which gained world-wide sympathy for the shocking trauma suffered by the country as a whole, with its sudden realization of exactly how vulnerable they had become.

The executive branch galvanized its security and intelligence arms to action, in the very real fear that the 9/11 attack represented the first salvo, and more, far more, was to come.

What price safety of a nation? The CIA operatives who cultivate secrecy and are trained to act as modern-day dark knights with a mission to dispatch all those who present a grave and present danger to the nation have been accused of masterminding and executing professional assassinations in the past.

How might this situation be seen as deserving less of a response than previous historical situations presenting as dangers to American interests? Congress was made aware, in 2001, when then-President Bush authorized the targeted killing of al-Qaeda agents.

The recent manufactured outrage manifested by the Democrats revolves around the $1-million spent on a secret 8-year intelligence operation in the development of 'hit squads' whose mission it would be to kill al-Qaeda leaders. An operatopm that was in the planning stages and which was taken seriously, but which never progressed to execution.

The program remained in existence on paper, while it never resulted in operational status, and was closed by the new CIA Director, Leon Panetta. Why the uproar? Why now does the House Intelligence Committee demand that the CIA provide documents about the program?

Ah, to launch a full-fledged investigation, to crucify the Republicans and their CIA henchmen (scapegoat George Tenet), to prove how superior the Democrats are morally to the previous administration.

Targeted assassinations?

What are the unmanned aerial vehicles, the drones (UAVs) being increasingly utilized in Pakistan and Afghanistan, other than robotic assassins. This is a Democrat-majority government in the United States, heavily reliant on a growing fleet of drones whose purpose it is to target and to bomb and to successfully eliminate Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders wherever and whenever they can be isolated.

Thus far al-Qaeda operatives, spokespeople, weapons experts, chemical and biological experts, commanders and logisticians have been dispatched through the medium of the drones, seen as "high-value" targets. The Obama administration, in fact, has stepped up the use of the Predators. What is this but the superiority of unfathomable depths of hypocrisy?

Oh. Right. The CIA's failure to brief Congress was in violation of U.S. law.