08.31.06
The Timing is Political
I know this happened over three weeks ago, but here is some great commentary on the recent arrests in Britain of suspected airline terrorists.
We also have the extraordinary question of Bush and Blair discussing arrests the weekend before they were made. Why? Both in domestic trouble, they longed for a chance to change the story.
I would probably argue that the timing is political… why else would Bush and Blair be discussing it. Do you think they get on the phone every time the FBI is going to take action? Shouldn’t the law enforcement officials be in charge of deciding when to actually nab suspects and not leave it up to the politicians?
I would respectfully disagree with the author on a few points though… our police are drastically under-prepared to deal with the threat from terrorist militants. They have to stop suspects when they find out about them — it is very likely that they wouldn’t be able to maintain surveilance successfully for very long. Al-Qaeda’s primary successful tactic in the past has been its ability to keep itself out of the view of the Western Intelligence and Police forces. Until this arrest, they were soundly winning on operational security and westerners need to understand this. Striking at half-formed plots is often the only course of action.
I emphatically agree with the author on several other points, specifically on the infringements of personal liberties. We do have to recognize though that there is a tradeoff — if we choose to uphold personal liberties, we do run a higher risk of attack. I am willing to take that risk, but I know most poeple are not.