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Senior Intelligence Officials: Attempted Terror Attack "Certain"

The five senior leaders of the U.S. intelligence community told a Senate panel they are "certain" that terrorists will attempt another attack on the United States in the next three to six months.
If true, why do you think the jihadists feel emboldened?






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October 23, 2008

Exclusive: Listen to Our Troops

Stephanie Hessler

Our troops on the front lines deserve the commander-in-chief they trust most to lead us to victory in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A recent poll of military persons, including active duty troops, asked: which of the presidential candidates would do a better job handling these wars? 74% chose John McCain. Only 19% chose Barack Obama. Among the most sacred duties a President has is to defend our troops in time of war. Sen. Obama, however, has supported at least three policies that call into question his plans to lead our armed forces. 
 
First, Sen. Obama voted not to fund our troops fighting in Iraq. Only 13 other senators voted to cut off funding for our troops. Even his running mate, Senator Joe Biden said, "As long as we have troops on the front lines, it is our shared responsibility to give them the equipment and protection they need." As Obama parted ways with a bi-partisan supermajority, he illustrated just how far he is from the mainstream on this issue. Come January, can we really give our troops on the front lines a commander-in-chief who sided with just a small fringe faction to cut off their funds?
 
Second, Obama supports letting alien enemy combatants held at Guantanamo Bay enter our court system to ask judges to set them free. In fact, he praised the controversial Supreme Court decision, Boumediene v. Bush, which extended such privileges to alleged foreign terrorists. This policy may have an adverse effect on the battlefield. Now, our troops may be dragged into court by unlawful enemy combatants to defend their military decisions to detain them. Furthermore, it is unknown what rules of evidence will govern these legal proceedings, leaving our armed forces with no guidance as to what proof they need to gather in the combat zone before they capture the terrorists. Moreover, in these proceedings, our government may be forced to disclose classified information that could get into the hands of enemy combatants. This will undoubtedly make our mission to fight terrorism harder and the terrorists’ mission to fight freedom easier. Finally, this burden on our military resources may be unsustainable and could result in more unlawful enemy combatants being released. Released detainees may be free to return to the battlefield, as at least 30 have done so far. For example, Abdul Ghaffar, returned to Afghanistan to allegedly become a leader of the Taliban; and Abdullah Saleh al-Ajmi went to Iraq where he performed a suicide attack that killed several people. As Justice Scalia said, allowing enemy combatants to enter our courts “will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed.”
 
Third, Obama continues to support a rapid timeline for troop withdrawal; a plan that apparently most of the troops do not support. There has been enormous progress in Iraq, including growing capabilities among the Iraqi security forces. General Petraeus, however, has warned that “withdrawing too many forces too quickly could jeopardize the progress of the past year.” He explained that such a strategy could have a dangerous outcome: “a failed state in Iraq would pose serious consequences for the greater fight against Al Qaeda, for regional stability, for the already existing humanitarian crisis in Iraq, and for the efforts to counter malign Iranian influence.” For this reason, troop withdrawal should be based on conditions on the ground In other words, Obama’s strategy could embolden the enemy as well as undermine the progress for which our troops have fought and shed blood. It seems that most of our troops do not want to come home at such a cost. 
 
It is no wonder that the overwhelming majority of the troops would not choose Obama to be their commander-in-chief. Those of us at home often wonder what we can do that will actually make a difference for our troops in the field who sacrifice so much for us. Could the answer be to give them the commander-in-chief that they trust most to bring us to victory, Sen. John McCain?
 
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Stephanie Hessler is a former Counsel for the Constitution for the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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