By Sally McNamara
In terms of heavyweight battles, political bouts come no bigger than former US Vice President Dick Cheney taking on President Barack Obama in Washington last week, with regard to national security issues. In a piece or pure political theatre, President Obama gave a lengthy speech at the National Archives in Washington DC, followed mere moments later by Vice President Cheney speaking at a downtown Washington think-tank in answer to the young President. The topic du jour was Guantanamo Bay, and chiefly, Obama’s claim that the Cuban prison and other Bush-Administration policies have left America less safe.
Among Obama’s earliest Presidential promises were pledges to close Guantanamo and end harsh interrogation practices. He has selectively released Bush-era memos detailing CIA interrogation tactics and banished the phrase “War on Terror” (in favour of “Overseas Contingency Operation.”) So far, the charismatic Obama has had it all his own way, but the straight-talking former Vice President responded with a no-nonsense appraisal of what the Bush administration did in the wake of 9/11 and why.
He detailed their strategic actions post 9/11, without apology, and said that he would not hesitate to take the same steps again. Even though his speech was distributed to the audience before Obama had delivered his, it provided an uncanny point-by-point answer to President Obama’s litany of criticisms and liberal hand-wringing.
Whether he’s appearing on Arab TV or in Strasbourg, President Obama has made a habit of apologising for America’s mistakes and its “arrogance.” Of course, what he really means is George Bush’s mistakes and “arrogance.” But whether President Obama is motivated to conduct a political witch-hunt of the previous Administration, or is simply engaging in the left’s ritual self-flagellation, he is ultimately wrong; there are only so many times he can claim that America acted without moral authority until the world draws the conclusion that America is just as bad as the terrorists who attacked her on 9/11.
In April, President Obama announced that he would release photographs of alleged prisoner abuse at American prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2005, similar to photographs taken at Abu Ghraib which provoked outrage in 2004. Weeks later, he retracted his promise, saying that their publication would endanger American troops. However, a frenzy of speculation now abounds as to what these photos actually contain, which will be used by Islamist extremists to whip up backlash against all American and British servicemen.
The abuses at Abu Ghraib were disgraceful, perpetrated by a few individuals who deserve (and got) the full weight of the law brought down on them. But they do not represent the American military as a whole and purposefully reopening the debate to score political points is a dangerous, counter-productive move. The young President is finding that actions have consequences, which he may not always be able to control. In future, he would be wiser to be a bit more careful on such critical issues of national security.
