Bush Official Criticizes Obama For Killing Too Many Terrorists

Just how unpopular are President Barack Obama's anti-terrorism policies with his Republican critics? Even when he's killing terrorists they find flaws.

At a panel on national security policy at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday, a prominent lawyer from the Bush administration's Department of Justice said he was concerned that the higher number of terrorist executions taking place under Obama was compromising U.S. intelligence operations.

"Why have executions increased?" asked Viet Dinh, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center and one of the authors of the USA Patriot Act. Citing a recent Washington Post article on the increased targeted killing of terrorists, Dinh complained that "the president and vice president expound this fact as a fact that they are actually successful in war."

"That doesn't mean I think they are not illegitimate," he added. "No, we have every right to kill the other side's warriors. But at what cost? When we do not have an effective detention policy the only option we have is to kill them before we can detain them. And if we don't detain them, we don't know what they know and what they are up to."

The crowd applauded. Though, it should be noted, Dinh got a scattering of hisses and boos when he defended the Patriot Act.

Comments

[Truelee]

01:17 PM on 02/23/2010

If you want rationale for torture and an illegal war, hire a narcissistic psychopath to write your policies. Dinh was that guy for George Bush...there were many people like Dinh appointed by Bush.

[Don Turner]

03:28 PM on 02/22/2010

If Obama came out in favor of motherhood & apple pie, the Repuglicans would be up in arms & against motherhood & apple pie.

[Realbrother]

03:27 PM on 02/22/2010

Real Brother here.

I think this is a case of throw it up there and hope it goes in as far the the Repulbican Hypocrits, Racists and White Supremacists are concerned.

What they are trying to do is create so many issues and questions about the Obama Administration that people will throw their hands up and elect Sarah Palin. They don't realize that while people do like to avoid conflict especially with White Racists and Supremacists most are not willing to sacrafice our Country to please them.

TKCAL

[moderate1]

03:23 PM on 02/22/2010

So they post this "story" to rile all of you up and it works perfectly. Ridiculous headline. 7,000 comments. Hook line and sinker.

The guy said that the executions are legitimate, but that we would be better off detaining them to get information. However, since we don't have an effective detention policy we are relegated to a less effective means of gathering intelligence. Wow....infuriating and the headline is not at all misleading.

Stop. Evaluate the facts. Understand how HP is trying to manipulate you. Don't let them patronize you.

[Realbrother]

03:34 PM on 02/22/2010

Real Brother here.

Moderate your above post doesn't wash. You are saying that gathering "intelligence" that leads to the death of the enemy prevents us from gathering "intelligence" that would lead to the death of the enemy?

If we were able to gather enough intelligence on the people to kill them then what more intelligence would we gather by capturing them alive and torturing them to death?

Again, its Racist to assume that there's deep dark secrets that dark skinned Arabs have that we can torture out of them, its silly. No, the only intell we need is where they are and whether or not they are standing within' a hundred feet of any innocents that don't deserve the scrapnal.

TKCAL

[tjntn]

02:38 PM on 02/22/2010

To quote Sec. Clinton, "if Obama walked on water, they would say he couldn't swim".

[TuoulumneFlower]

02:09 PM on 02/22/2010

So, first they're moaning about how the President doesn't call it a "war on Terror" then when he conducts an actual WAR on terror, they complain he's killing the enemy.

God help us.

[shag11]

02:04 PM on 02/22/2010

What a joke. If we follow the Bush admins. reporting, there are several number twos to be had, as they killed one every week. I don't think we need to worry about running of terrorist to provide us with info.

[KateSpeaks]

01:35 PM on 02/22/2010

This guy is just plain nuts. Not as nuts as all the rest of the Republicans who are criticizing Obama for continuing with Bush policies by saying he is in the wrong but they agreed with Bush when he was in office. Twisted. So twisted there needs to be a new word for it. I am so sick of the hypocrisy and sliminess of that side of the isle.

Yes, I am a cynic - not by design - by necessity. Because the majority of americans don't even use a tenth of their brain and see it for what it is; they just believe the spin of the moment and anyone with a bully pulpit can rewrite history. We're doomed.

[eggman]

12:25 PM on 02/22/2010

Obama is wrong when he:

1) does something more aggressive than Bush did
2) does something less aggressive than Bush did
3) does something in any way different than Bush did
4) does something exactly the same way Bush did

Meanwhile, libruls are supposed to stop blaming Bush for everything.

[htowncarrie]

02:46 PM on 02/22/2010

Well said. Fanned!

[Jack E Lope]

11:53 PM on 02/22/2010

Want to defend the Constitution? Render, torture and eavesdrop.

Want to spread democracy abroad? Invade, bomb and occupy.

Want to bring terrorists to justice? Whip up enraged hysteria at the very idea of charging them in a court of law.

Horrified that Saddam Hussein tortured people? Get horrified when we're told we're not allowed to torture.

[Appleblossom]

12:17 PM on 02/22/2010

I think they need to look at the larger picture-just as with any organization, if you take out the top guys, the lower level ones have to manage the organization and often they are uninformed.

Killing leader A and B means that C is left in charge with underlings that have to acquire the same knowledge that A and B had. That takes time. And since this is not static, those new leaders are then killed off.

Dominos.

[eggman]

12:08 PM on 02/22/2010

"That doesn't mean I think they are not illegitimate." This has the same meaning as "That doesn't mean I think they are legitimate," which is the opposite of his next comment. And why explain what he "doesn't mean" to say rather than what he actually does mean?

Just say "It's legitimate to kill our enemies" or "It's not legitimate to kill our enemies" without all the extra weaselly words. but of course then it would be harder to deny you said what you said.

[Johnnyash]

11:34 AM on 02/22/2010

What a total a-hole. Like most Republican security "experts", he has not served one day in uniform. So just how does he propose to get these fellows to become guests in our excellent detention facilities - send invitations? What if Obama did send covert "grab teams" to other sovereign countries (who by the way do not welcome US troops on their soil) - these people are well entrenched, well guarded and are willing to fight to the death. There will be casualties to both our own troops and innocent civilians - the Repugs would then decry Obama's recklessness. I'd sooner let loose a thousand killer drones than lose one more of our brave soldiers in this war. As long as we keep stomping on these vermin every time they scurry out from the shadows they'll be kept on the run.

[Realbrother]

11:27 AM on 02/22/2010

Real Brother here.

I think in a way its Racist to suggest that we can "learn" something about "future" attacks if we capture and torture these guys. Have we not "learned" anything from 911 and the failed attacks of the past? The thinking is because these guys don't appear to be as White as Americans that there is something special we can "learn" from them that we otherwise wouldn't know.

One of the things I hope we've "learned" is that dead people have a far more difficult time attacking us in the future then captured and tortured people do.

TKCAL

[Appleblossom]

12:04 PM on 02/22/2010

After extensive research into the reasons behind the jihadist movement, it has little if anything to do with race.

It has everything instead to do with perceived and actual harms.

[Jack E Lope]

11:54 PM on 02/22/2010

You must not be referring to the Christian Jihadist movement.

[tonedef]

11:17 AM on 02/22/2010

I thought executions happen to prisoners, and assassinations happen to enemy combatants. Is he talking about our prisoners of war or enemies on the battlefield?

[hippie4ever]

11:17 AM on 02/22/2010

One person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter.