SAN FRANCISCO, Ca --- George Will has given Senator John Kerry credit for characterizing an effective anti-terrorism program as a law enforcement problem. I respect George Will, but, dismissed Kerry's viewpoint during the 2004 presidential campaign. I have tended to support the Administration's view that anti-terrorism is a military problem.
Will writes on the recent foiled bombing attempt by home grown British terrorists:
"Cooperation between Pakistani and British law enforcement (the British
draw upon useful experience combating IRA terrorism) has validated John
Kerry's belief (as paraphrased by the New York Times Magazine of Oct.
10, 2004) that 'many of the interdiction tactics that cripple drug
lords, including governments working jointly to share intelligence,
patrol borders and force banks to identify suspicious customers, can
also be some of the most useful tools in the war on terror.' "
Will (and Kerry) has a point. In July 2002 I wrote an article entitled "Using Terror against Terrorists". In it I pointed to the key tool in the battle against all clandestine military groups: inflitration. Let me quote from my article:
"If the past is any indication, the primary weapon
of counter- terrorism -- infiltration -- will not only hamper
successful attacks, but also begin to corrupt the integrity of
terrorist networks.
The use of informants was critical in the F.B.I.'s infiltration
of black nationalist groups in the sixties. From the final report
of the 1976 "Select Committee to Study Governmental
Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities", we know
that the F.B.I. spent over $7 million to fund a infiltrator
network of 1,500 informants. Advance warning of violent acts was
only one role of informants. They were also used to disrupt,
confuse, discredit and instill paranoia. Within the black
nationalist movement, efforts were made to cause inter-gang
warfare. So, on May 26,1970, a rival black nationalist group, U.S.,
killed four Black Panther Party members, after which members of
each organization were shot and beaten by members of the other."
We learned that the bombing plot in Britain was uncovered by an informant (He's in hiding for the rest of his life, in my view). This was another successful use of the classic law enforcement tactic: infiltration or the use of informants.
So, Kerry may have been correct, in part. But Senator Kerry must acknowledge that law enforcement tactics didn't close down Al Qaida's training bases in Afghanistan. Military action was required.
In the end, the Administration must accept the law enforcement component in the fight against internationl terrorism, and Kerry must accept the need for military action. In both cases, the skill is knowing which tactic
to use, and at the right time.
SAN FRANCISCO, Ca --- "Don't need a weatherman to know which way the weather's blowing"(Dylan). This is the Dem's dream ticket. To boot, Obama's senatorial voting record is more to the liking of the Left. He opposed Both of President Bush's Supreme Court nominees.
Recent Comments