Democrats Take Up Fight For National Security

February 05, 2010  |  Posted by Danielle Belton

Finally. Some common sense.

After months of hearing nothing but how we have to slaughter our principles on the alter of national security, government officials, Democrats and others are finally pushing back against the right wing tactics of fear and distortion with a little something I like to call "facts."

As The American Prospect's Adam Serwer would say, "more please!":

Yesterday, White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said that all the former Guantanamo Bay inmates suspected of engaging in terrorist activity were released by the prior administration. Top law enforcement and intelligence officials also told the Senate yesterday that Umar Abdulmutallab was providing valuable intelligence, despite having been read his rights after he initially stopped talking. This afternoon, Attorney General Eric Holder blasted Republican hypocrisy over the administration's handling of Abdulmutallab, pointing out that the procedure that had been followed was "[T]he practice of the U.S. government, followed by prior and current Administrations without a single exception."

You have people pushing back against Republican Dan Coates as he gears up to run against Sen. Evan Byah in Indiana, pointing out that Coates once accused then President Bill Clinton of focusing on capturing Osama bin Laden for purely political reasons.

Atty. Gen. Eric Holder is pushing back against Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell in the many, many ways McConnell is truly clueless in his attacks on the FBI. McConnell recently said TV talker Larry King was a better interrogator than the FBI in response to their questioning of the Christmas Day bomber. Why McConnell has it suddenly out for the FBI, one of our greatest defenses against future terrorism attacks is beyond me -- unless you factor in the realization that he's probably only smearing the reputations of G-Men for political expediency.

From ThinkProgress:

It seems McConnell would rather try to score political points by undermining the work American counterterror officials are doing in the field, particularly in Abdulmutallab’s case, where key information has actually been gleaned. In fact, reports surfaced this week that Abdulmutallab “has been cooperating for days” with the FBI. But this isn’t the first time a Republican has tried to attack the administration by insulting U.S. agents. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that getting information from Abdulmutallab was “blind luck.

Well, Holder didn't take those jabs lying down.

From TAPPED blog:

Holder writes that Abdulmutallab was "questioned by experienced counterterrorism agents from the FBI in the hours immediately after the failed bombing attempt and provided intelligence, and more recently, he has provided additional intelligence to the FBI that we are actively using to help protect our country."

Holder adds, "In keeping with this policy, the Bush Administration used the criminal justice system to convict more than 300 individuals on terrorism-related charges," citing several convicted terrorists, referring to shoe bomber Richard Reid and Zacarias Moussaoui by name.

Holder, of course, was more diplomatic than I. They're hypocrites, pure and simple, looking to gain any political ground that they can and if right wingers have to trash our entire system of justice, law and order to get it, they will. Good to see the fight picking up again.

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