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Friday, September 29, 2006
Lorie Byrd :: Townhall.com Columnist
Dems need more than blustery bill to earn national security voters
by Lorie Byrd
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We know what Bill Clinton did, and didn’t do, to combat terrorism after that attack. As for what a President Hillary or a Democrat-controlled congress would do to fight terrorism, what they refuse to do today, even after 9/11, tells me all I need to know about what they would do if they were in control.

In August a massive terrorist plot was thwarted in the UK in part thanks to information obtained through the use of “sneak and peek” warrants and from U.S. intelligence which provided London authorities with intercepts of the terrorist group's communications.

Although the Democrats’ rhetoric in opposing the NSA surveillance program and the Patriot Act temporarily lessened when it was learned how the UK plot was thwarted, they have consistently opposed those and other tools needed to effectively combat terrorism. Less than a year ago Minority Leader Harry Reid even boasted that "'We killed the Patriot Act.”

Another position which calls into question the Democrats’ judgment on matters of national security is the call by many to abandon the effort in Iraq before the mission has been completed. Many Democrats rushed to embrace the NIE report declassified this week, but chose to ignore passages of the report which indicate that a withdrawal at this time would have a negative effect on the war on terror.

If Democrats want to convince voters they can be trusted with national security they will need to come up with more than a blustery Bill Clinton.

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About The Author

Lorie Byrd is a Townhall.com columnist and blogs at Wizbang and at LorieByrd.com.

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Apples and oranges
I am late to reading the comments on this column, but just read Phylo's following comment:

"Lorie Byrd writes: "In August a massive terrorist plot was thwarted in the UK in part thanks to information obtained through the use of “sneak and peek” warrants and from U.S. intelligence which provided London authorities with intercepts of the terrorist group's communications."

Ms. Byrd is attempting to plant the idea in her readers heads that this is evidence that Bush's warrentless wiretapping program, which Democrats oppose, saved British lives. This is supposed to be an example of how Dems are weak on terror.

However Ms. Byrd is intentionally glossing over a key piece of information: the Brits GOT WARRANTS!! In other words, it shows the Dems are right when they say we can track terrorists AND still have checks and balances."


If Phylo had read a little more carefully he/she would have realized I mentioned two separate things. One was "sneak and peek" in the UK and the other was US intelligence in the form of intercepts. The Brits did not get warrants (!!, as Phylo wrote) for the U.S. intercepts. Follow the link provided in the column. I did not intentionally mislead Phylo. I thought I made the distinction clear, and on second reading, still do. No shame here.

I thought America was at WAR
We are at war with an enemy who could care less about the Geneva Convention. They laugh at us when we hand cuff ourselves trying to abide by our laws and values. When they capture an American do they abide by the laws and values that we abide by? This enemy does not seek approval from some court room, or a treaty signed by countries on how they will treat Americans. They will torture, kill, and destroy without any concerns about the rights of anyone who they deem are their enemy. Why do we debate about how we treat those whom want to destroy us? I can not believe that elected US officials will debate in the halls of congress the rights of those who will kill us. The mantra of “how the world will view us” is insane. The world already hates us, so granting rights to those who want to kill us benefit us how? Those who wrongfully believe that our government must treat our enemy with rights, makes fighting this war more problematic. Sadly some do not believe we are at WAR.
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