Did the White House Green Light Lockerbie Bomber's Release?
by Ken Blackwell,Contributing Author: The recent events in Scotland show the futility of treating a war as a criminal justice issue. Did Gordon Brown get a green light from the Obama administration to let a convicted murderer, Al Megrahi, go "scot free"?By now we all know that the Obama administration would prefer to call the War on Terror an "overseas contingency operation." And they'd prefer to pursue CIA interrogators more than they'd like to go after terrorists.
All of this is in keeping with their September 10 mindset. They want to return us to the way the Clinton administration viewed terrorism-- as a problem of criminal law enforcement, not something to be prosecuted as a war. This, despite the fact that Usama bin Laden took advantage of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal to declare war on the United States. And despite the fact that Saddam Hussein used the distraction of the Clinton's domestic troubles to boot U.N. arms inspectors out of Iraq.
Americans paid with their lives for that fatal error in judgment. The attacks on the U.S. embassies in East Africa (1998) and the suicide mission to blow a hole in the hull of the USS Cole (2000) show how lethal such misjudgments can be.
The recent events in Scotland show the futility of treating war as a criminal justice issue. The only man convicted in the 1988 bombing of PanAm Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, was released unconditionally after only eight years in prison this month. He had been sentenced to life in prison.
Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the press he was appalled, but qualified it by saying he was speaking "just personally." The State Department's Richard Kolko wouldn't even go that far." There remains an open indictment in Washington, D.C. and an open investigation." That should strike fear into al-Megrahi's heart. And in Libyan strongman Muammar al-Qaddafi's heart, too.
President Reagan was roundly criticized for launching a raid against Qaddafi in 1986. But the president said then "they can run, but they can't hide." He was determined to let those who attacked Americans know that we would pursue them to their lairs. Once, when Libyan jets' radar locked onto U.S. jets over international waters, Reagan left orders to shoot down any aircraft making aggressive moves against our forces. How far would we pursue Qaddafi's jets once they'd attacked us, Reagan was asked. "Right into their hangars," he replied.
The release of the only man convicted murdering 270 innocent civilians stinks. It should result in the toppling of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labor government. Surely no one can have confidence in his spineless government.
But the larger question is this: Did Gordon Brown get a green light from the Obama administration to let this convicted murderer go "scot free?" Did the British government even consult with Washington before taking this despicable action? What does this discreditable affair say about the "special relationship" that has existed for a century between Great Britain and the United States?
We are only seven months into this new administration. The early indications are not good that we have a seasoned and serious team manning the helm of the ship of state. For the sake of the country we all serve, let's pray they learn quickly.
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Mr. Ken Blackwell is a conservative family values advocate. He submitted this article to the ARRA News Service Editor which first appeared in FOX News.com. Blackwell is a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission and is a senior fellow at the Family Research Council and American Civil Rights Union.
Tags: Barack Obama, bomber, Grodon Brown, Islamic terrorist, Ken Blackwell, Scotland, UK, United Kingdom To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Posted by Bill Smith at 10:00 PM - Post Link
4 Comments:
That's corruption at it's worst.
I just pray he doesn't harm any more people.
This is absurd to blame Obama for the UK judicial system releasing Al Megrahi to die in Libya! The UK is a sovereign nation -- it is not under the control of the US president.
Why does Blackwell resort to such idiotic attacks on the president rather than doing something constructive? In case he hasn't noticed, there are a number of serious problems in the US -- the over-hang of the Bush war deficit weighs heavily in trying to get the economy back on sounder ground, people die unnecessarily from a badly structured health care system (President Reagan had championed reform similar to the draft legislation now being considered), education standards are slipping at the same time China and India are taking great strides in technology. And Blackwell devotes his time towards trashing the White House!
Dear Anonymous,
Rather than address the relevant question, wheather or not President Obama explicitly or implicitly signed off on the release of the TERRORIST who murdered 270+ people (including many young American students, you change the subject in a lame attempt to divert attention from the Obama Administrations responsibility to DEMAND justice for all these "Lockerbie Families."
Why are you so affraid of the World knowing the truth? Do you truly believe that the UK made this decision without consulting the White House? This was a terrorist who killed hundreds of Americans. OK..... If the Scottish & British Governments truly did not consult President Obama, do you not see that this would be a MAJOR sign of disrespect and indication that they see Mr. Obama as weak? Wasn't President Obama supposed to be respected by Europeans? Was this release, and the supposed "10 minute heads up by the Brittish Government," a sign of the "respect" and "adoration" that President Obama has earned in the UK? Do you support the release of convicted terrorists? Terrorists responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent Americans? If the U.S. were in possetion of the London Subway bomber, do you think we (the U.S. Government) would be morally, ethically, and legally responsible for consulting the British Government about EVEN the consideration of granting their unconditional release? Would our FRIENDS in the UK be justifiably outraged if we were to release such a terrorist? Would ALL British citizens view such an act as disrespectful, outrageous, contemptuous, and an outright act of betrayal? Of course they would!!! Only the most partisan liberal Democrats could possibly deny these things.
It is imperitive that we get the answers to these questions. The American public deserves to know WHEN we first got word that the British Government was considering this release! What specifically was done to stop it from happening? What pressure did President Obama put on Gordon Brown? Why did Mr. Brown ignore protests from the U.S.? Finally, did President Obama implicitly sign off on the deal to release Al Megrahi?
To those who want to change the subject, I have but one response... Wasn't it the Bush Administration who made foreign policy all about the oil????????
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