Liberal WaPo Columnist: Obama Terrorism Policy Does Not Make Me Feel Safer

Just how little confidence is there in the ability of the Barack Obama administration to fight terrorism? So little that even liberal Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen is now mocking the pathetic efforts of this administration in his latest column:

There is almost nothing the Obama administration does regarding terrorism that makes me feel safer. Whether it is guaranteeing captured terrorists that they will not be waterboarded, reciting terrorists their rights, or the legally meandering and confusing rule that some terrorists will be tried in military tribunals and some in civilian courts, what is missing is a firm recognition that what comes first is not the message sent to America's critics but the message sent to Americans themselves. When, oh when, will this administration wake up? 

Cohen then suggests that the original plan (now hopefully aborted) to try terrorist Khalid Sheik Muhammed in the middle of Manhattan was a brain-dead effort by the Obama administration to demonstrate to the world that The One is the un-Bush:

It is amazing that no one thought this through. Published reports say that the Justice Department informed Mayor Michael Bloomberg of its plan just about the time it was announced. This alacrity was clearly the product of some excitement down at Justice -- yet another chance to show the world that George W. Bush was gone and with him the odious attempts to treat terrorists as if they were, well, terrorists. A civilian trial! Right in the heart of Manhattan! Obama ought to ask his friend Attorney General Eric Holder what in the world he was thinking -- just as we might ask Obama why he has such faith in Holder's judgment. 

Cohen also finds the concept of Mirandizing terrorists to be ridiculous:

In a similar example of poor judgment, an undoubtedly delighted Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was told he had something called Miranda rights and could, if he so chose, cease talking about allegedly attempting to blow up a jetliner as it approached Detroit on Christmas Day. Abdulmutallab was Mirandized after just 50 minutes of interrogation and he, having probably seen more than his share of "Law & Order" episodes, promptly shut up. 

...It has been more than a month since he last opened his mouth, and even if he resumes cooperating -- a deal may be in the works -- he now knows just a bit more about the present-day location of various al-Qaeda operatives than does Regis Philbin.

Remember when it was perceived by liberals that closing Guantanmo would be a good idea? No longer...at least for this liberal:

The announced closing of Guantanamo has also suffered from a peculiar Obama-style naivete. It is now apparent that there are some bad people there who should be detained way past the time they are eligible for AARP membership. It's true that the world does not like Guantanamo, but then it's also true that the world is not an al-Qaeda target. 

Of course, being a liberal, Cohen does take potshots at Bush and Dick Cheney:

No doubt George Bush soiled America's image abroad with what looked liked vigilante justice and Dick Cheney's hearty endorsement of ugly interrogation measures.

Yet despite his automatic dislike for Bush/Cheney, Cohen does admit that:

...in all likelihood he bent over backward to ensure that nothing like those attacks would happen again. 

Which is in sharp contrast to the attitude of the current administration:

The Obama administration, on the other hand, seems to have bent over backward to prove to the world it is not the Bush administration and will, almost no matter what, ensure that everyone gets the benefit of American civil liberties. But the paramount civil liberty is a sense of security and this, sad to say, has eroded under Barack Obama. Repeatedly, the administration has shown poor judgment. Abdulmutallab's silence is a scream that something is wrong. 

So, Richard, despite your ideological dislike of the Bush administration, do you feel safer from terrorism now or then? Remember, you stated that the paramount civil liberty is a sense of security.

p.s. And for those of you still complaining about the rotating graphic used in this (and other) blogs, I suggest you take the matter up with General Zod.