Outrage at the Outrage
From Yahoo News (al-Reuters):As others condemned the reported abuse of Iraqi prisoners, U.S. Sen. James Inhofe expressed outrage at the outcry over the scandal and took aim at "humanitarian do-gooders" investigating American troops.
But Sen. John McCain, himself a former prisoner of war, said such humanitarian involvement distinguished the United States from its enemies.
"I'm probably not the only one up at this table that is more outraged by the outrage than we are by the treatment," Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican and an outspoken conservative, told a U.S. Senate hearing probing the case.
In heated remarks at odds with others on the Senate Armed Services Committee who criticized the U.S. military's handling of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, Inhofe said American sympathies should lie with U.S. troops.
"I am also outraged that we have so many humanitarian do-gooders right now crawling all over these prisons looking for human rights violations, while our troops, our heroes are fighting and dying," he said.
"These prisoners, you know they're not there for traffic violations," said Inhofe, whose senatorial Web site describes him as an advocate of "Oklahoma values."
"If they're in cellblock 1-A or 1-B, these prisoners, they're murderers, they're terrorists, they're insurgents. Many of them probably have American blood on their hands and here we're so concerned about the treatment of those individuals."
Matt's Chat
While I agree with Sen. McCain that our humanitarian approach is what makes America great, I think Sen. Inhofe does have a point. While I think he goes over the top doing it, and I don't condone that, Americans need to remember who these prisoners were and why they were there. These are the same people who think it is God's work to crash airplanes in to buildings. They think they are doing a holy thing when they blow up school buses.This is war, people. We can't lose focus on that. The military and the adminsitration will handle the abuse situation appropiately. Only cynical and angry partisans with an agenda think otherwise.
A note on media bias: Note how there isn't a single statement that provides insight or support of Inhofe's argument. Notice how al-Reuters went out of their way to find an Oklahoman who thinks Republicans are EEEEEEEEEvil! Oh, THAT liberal media.
Mark's Remarks
While I agree that the US has higher standards than other nations, COME ON!!! Inhofe makes a brilliant point that we are not dealing with traffic offenders, but with offenders against humanity itself, in many cases. While this is not condoning the terrible actions of A FEW guards, it needs to add some perspective. Here is some more perspective. Just yesterday (5/11) those animals brutally beheaded a citizen of the US. This makes two beheadings of Americans, in addition to the murders of 3,000 on 9/11, the desecration of bodies in Fallujah...Where in the blue heck is our apology from the Muslim world? If Islam is such a religion of peace, where is our apology from the clerics who condemn this behavior?
This is war, folks. While it does not justify the actions taken by A FEW guards, we have to realize that. Those guards are being punished according to the law. They are facing justice through the courts and will have fair trials and justice meted out. That is all that should be done. All this apologizing and outrage over a story WE HAVE KNOWN ABOUT SINCE JANUARY is contrived and merely being used for political gain. I also have lost some measure of respect for Mr. McCain by his being a willing dupe in this whole politicization of the war and terror. He supported making the 9/11 commission (a joke), and he is joining lefties in supporting politicizing this latest incident. Wake up, Mr. McCain!!!! Didn't you read the Hannity Memo? You are being used to accomplish those very goals listed on it!
Wake up, America!
