June 23, 2006, - 8:08 pm
Weekend Must Read: Why We Preferred FBI’s Freeh to Mueller
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**** UPDATE, 06/26/06: OOPS! The link I posted below is from a related, similar WSJ op-ed piece by Louis Freeh. The latest one, from Friday, is here (and was not posted online by the WSJ until today). Sorry about that. Please read the latest one. It’s important. ****
One of the hires Clinton got right (and regretted it) but Bush got wrong is FBI Director. We long for the days when Louis Freeh was running the show. He had the moral courage that Robert Mueller doesn’t. And he recognizes the domestic Islamofascist threat in America, whereas Mueller caters to the Islamofascists.
Freeh’s piece in today’s Wall Street Journal, “Remember Khobar Towers: Nineteen American Heroes Still Await American Justice,” is a must read. While we cannot agree with him that domestically, President Bush “is a president who is serious about fighting and winning the war on terrorism” or his assessment of former Justice Dept. official James Comey, we agree with the rest of his piece. It is eye-opening. An excerpt:
One of my last official acts as FBI director was to attend a memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery with the 19 stoic Air Force families with whom I had become very close. They all came to my office to thank the FBI for keeping faith with them and presented me with a signed plaque. It will always be for me the most cherished honor of my public service.
Yesterday the White House reiterated Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s recent statement that al Qaeda leaders are now conducting their operations from Iran. The time to bring that pressure to bear is right now, with Ambassador Bremer and our armed forces bringing democracy and justice to the Iraqi people next door. This time the United States should not just send Tehran a letter. American justice for our 19 Khobar heroes is long overdue.
We agree. If only Freeh were running the Bureau or even Homeland Security. Instead two big silicone boobs are. Woe is us.
Read Freeh’s whole piece (and previous piece)!
Thanks, Dad, for the tip!
Tags: Adilet, Air Force, al-Qaeda, ambassador, America, American Justice, Arlington National Cemetery, Bremer, Bush, Clinton, Debbie Schlussel, Defense Secretary, director, Donald Rumsfeld, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Islamic Republic of Iran, James Comey, Khobar Towers, Louis Freeh, official, President, Robert Mueller, Tehran, United States, Wall Street Journal, White House
Agreed that Mr. Freeh’s investigation was laudable, and he seems to have done a competent job within his jurisdiction. His recommendations, however, are worthless when it comes to dealing with Iran.
Especially detached from reality is Freeh’s “Furthermore, access and accountability by IRGC, MOIS and other senior Iranian government leaders for their complicity in the attack should be nonnegotiable.” Does he think the Khobar attack didn’t come right from the top?
Only overthrowing the mullahs will solve the broader problem.
In the meantime, when reacting to individual attacks, only Reagan’s approach works:
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Commencing at about 7:00 p.m. on April 14, air and naval forces of the United States conducted simultaneous bombing strikes on headquarters, terrorist facilities and military installations that support Libyan subversive activities.
These strikes were conducted in the exercise of our right of self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. This necessary and appropriate action was a preemptive strike, directed against the Libyan terrorist infrastructure and designed to deter acts of terrorism by Libya, such as the Libyan-ordered bombing of a discotheque in West Berlin on April 5. Libya’s cowardly and murderous act resulted in the death of two innocent people — an American soldier and a young Turkish woman — and the wounding of 50 United States Armed Forces personnel and 180 other innocent persons. This was the latest in a long series of terrorist attacks against United States installations, diplomats and citizens carried out or attempted with the support and direction of Muammar Qadhafi.
Should Libyan-sponsored terrorist attacks against United States citizens not cease, we will take appropriate measures necessary to protect United States citizens in the exercise of our right of self-defense.
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Mr. Freeh’s “bring al Qaeda to justice” is the worn-out law enforcement approach that should have already been discarded in favor of preemption. Arrests, trials etc. are not what should follow a conclusive investigation like Freeh’s.
Lastango on June 24, 2006 at 3:11 am