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July 10, 2008

Exclusive: Five Reasons Why Liberals May Dislike the Betancourt Rescue

Gabriel Garnica, Esq.

As a proud native of Colombia, I am aware of both that nation's inherent beauty and its tough times over the past 50 years. Although I am an American citizen now, I still smile whenever I hear any good news from the land of my birth, and the recent Betancourt rescue was no exception. Unfortunately, I must temper my pride with cynicism when I consider the five reasons why liberals were likely not leaping for joy when they heard news of the rescue.

1. The rescue mission made Marxist rebels and America-hating terrorists look foolish, and whenever such people look foolish, it hits home for liberals.

Given the fact that Al Gore seemed so willing to embrace such luminaries of freedom and human rights like Kim Jong II and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Nancy Pelosi seemed more like a contestant on The Bachelor when meeting Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, I will assume that liberals regularly have crushes on twisted despots and tyrants.

We all recall how weepy Katie Couric became when describing the hunt for Saddam Hussein, practically looking like she was a cheerleader for Hussein's escape. No doubt about it; make purveyors of cruelty who hate America the clowns and you have ruined the day for the law firm of Gore, Pelosi and friends.

2. The rescue mission made Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Bush's support of that fine leader look good.

Gore and Pelosi have both treated Colombian President Uribe like he was a combination of Hitler and Stalin despite the fact that he may well be this country's most loyal and popular ally, carrying an approval rating over well over 80% after nearly six years in power. Despite the absurd claims of liberals and Human Rights Watch that Uribe oversees great corruption and human rights violations, the facts show quite the opposite.

Over his tenure, violence and corruption in Colombia has shown a steady decline, and to point fingers at Uribe for human rights violations while ignoring what is going on in Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti is prima facie evidence of stupidity, blind bias or, most likely, rampant hypocrisy.

There is no doubt that Uribe came out of this rescue smelling like roses, and he acknowledges Bush as a great partner in his success, so none of this can please those whose pastime is bashing Bush and any friend of Bush.

3. American Citizens were rescued without a single shot fired.

If making Uribe and thus Bush look good were not enough torture for liberals, the rescue mission was one of the most daring and successful operations by any nation in years. It succeeded in rescuing the most important bargaining chips of ghouls without one shot being fired, and it demonstrated that good military intelligence combined with daring, courage and an assertive attitude can accomplish wonderful things.

Above all, from an American perspective, the mission rescued three U.S. military contractors without a scratch on any of them or one single shot being fired, robbing liberals of any chance to wail about the loss of American lives at the expense of Wild West tactics.

4. The Rescue was good news.

For the liberals, bad news is usually good news. It feeds their sense of "I told you so" which works because they paint every effort of peace-loving, brave and confident forces of freedom as ill-conceived, ill-timed and doomed to fail. Liberals thrive in chaos, destruction and failure.

They are the vultures who wait for disaster and then swoop in for the political kill.

The Betancourt rescue was no such disaster, no such failure, no such bad news for Uribe, for Bush or for any rational person. Rather, it was, as today's teens love to say, "all good", except for those whose bread and butter are America's downfall. This time, the vultures were left with their mouths open, waiting for the political fallout that never came.

5. The Rescue Mission Reminds One of Operation Entebbe

On July 4, 1976, nearly 32 years to the day of the July 2, 2008 Betancourt rescue, a similarly daring counter-terrorism hostage rescue mission occurred in which members of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) rescued all but four hostages out of 105 hostages remaining from the hijack of an Air France jet which had left Israel and was bound for Paris. The two Palestinian and two German hijackers were later joined by three additional terrorists at Entebbe Airport in Uganda, supported by the pro-Palestinian forces of Uganda's notorious tyrant, Idi Amin. The hijackers threatened to kill the hostages if numerous detainees held in Israel and other countries were not released.

While there are some distinctions between these two outstanding examples of successful tactical military operation, there are notable similarities. Both missions involved excellent military intelligence, shrewd and creative planning and execution of daring plans and the outmaneuvering of terrorist forces by forces of freedom. Considering the large number of Entebbe hostages, the minimal loss of life was remarkable.

Another interesting comparison between the two missions is that, in both cases, there was an arrogant, cruel and delusional despot in the background whose interests and agenda were tainted by the raids. Entebbe had its Idi Amin and the Betancourt mission had Hugo Chávez, every bit as much a tyrant and enemy of freedom as Amin was. Chávez has assisted FARC, the thorn in Colombia's side, for many years because he would love nothing more than to destroy Colombia's democracy. He hates Uribe and detests Bush, and even tried to be the catalyst for the release of these and other hostages, probably more as yet another pathetic ploy to appear important than out of any noble intent.

Both the legendary Entebbe mission and this similarly historic Betancourt rescue stand as testaments to what forces of freedom, aided by excellent planning and execution and inspired by a determination to crush forces of cruelty, can accomplish.

The reader may ask why liberals would dislike these two missions. Simply put, they represent everything the liberals are not. Both efforts were fueled by aggressive, proactive and precise military operation. They both remind us that the forces of evil are best answered with assertive action and not diluted appeasement drivel. They display the greatness of two nations unjustly hated by much of the world: the U.S. and Israel, which have both been the target of the liberals' unique brand of international diplomacy.

My personal favorite similarity is that both missions left egg in the face of despotic imbeciles who have covered their pompous ignorance with army uniforms and fancy titles while spitting at freedom, peace and the rule of law and pointing fingers at others for outrages they committed on a daily basis.

Conclusion

Every once in a while history shines a light on ignorance, misguided agendas and blatant unfairness. Every once in a while, history also shines a light on the good fruit springing from seeds planted in good soil. On rare occasions, one event manages to show us both.

The Betancourt rescue was just such an event. It highlighted just how foolish, misguided, biased and hypocritical liberal mistreatment of Alvaro Uribe's Colombian government has been. It also showed us that the support offered to Uribe and Colombia by President Bush has been seed planted on the good democratic soil of Colombia, and that seed is now bearing fruit.

Let the pompous tyrants pump their fists and spew their ignorant rants. Let the liberals continue to pretend that they have a clue about places like Colombia, leaders like Uribe or what it takes to bring America to greater heights. At the end of the day, tyrants and their enablers are all about rhetoric and efforts like the Betancourt rescue remind us that terrorism, treachery, cruelty and tyranny are best answered with action.

Let Gore, Pelosi and friends hug tyrants, smile with despots and offer friendship to dictators.

Let these people talk about Uribe's human rights violations while breaking bread with the worst violators of all. Let them criticize Bush's support of Uribe and refuse to help one of this country's greatest allies in Colombia by attacking free trade agreements.

Empty rhetoric, misguided policies and choosing the wrong sides; liberals have turned these things into a science. The Betancourt rescue is a reminder of precisely that, and that is why Gore, Pelosi and friends cannot be happy right now.

Family Security Matters Contributing Editor Gabriel Garnica, Esq., is a college professor who holds a law degree from New York University. Write him at gbgmyarticles@yahoo.com.