A life is a life and if the life of a US soldier was taken while the life of a US civilian was not, we cannot balance the one against the other except to say the obvious: We are pleased that the civilian life was saved and distressed that the soldier’s life was not. We would, of course, say the same if the reality were reversed.
That said, it remains extraordinarily alarming that a Jordanian doctor, apparently a double agent for al-Qaida, succeeded in penetrating the inner sanctum of a CIA outpost in Afghanistan and killing 13 CIA operatives and his Jordanian handler. This was the worst security breach the CIA has ever suffered.
Astonishingly, the bomber got into the CIA outpost with less security applied to him than an average TSA official applies to the typical civilian traveler in the US. Not even a pat down. Clearly, higher-ups in the CIA — and we take this as emblematic of the current state of American affairs more widely — do not take the security threats to the US sufficiently seriously. We’ve all heard of the failures that allowed a Muslim almost to blow up an airliner over Detroit. Key word: almost. But we tend to downplay the fact that a Muslim physician actually blew up the Forward Operating Base Chapman, the CIA headquarters for the drone war against al-Qaida.
Many thoughts flow from this:
- Joe Klein asks in Time: “Given the skill of this operation, how trustworthy are the other sources the CIA has been using to help target its drone attacks against al-Qaida and the Taliban in Pakistan?”
- Why is it that many of the leaders and most “successful” Muslim terrorists are doctors? Remember Hamas’ Drs. Rantisi, Haniyeh and Zahar? For that matter, remember Dr. Josef Mengele? There is something uniquely perverse in a human being who spends years studying the art of healing, then descends into the evil of killing.
- We hope that the US military in Afghanistan has quickly, comprehensively, severely and, most importantly, intelligently reviewed its security procedures. If so, that is more than we can say for the civilian side, based on the constant absurdities we see at American airports. Why profile objects rather than people?
- Why was the would be bomber of the airliner over Detroit given legal rights, Miranda rights, as an American civilian? Who made this decision? Transparency demands an answer. He is now apparently revealing valuable knowledge about our enemies. We are pleased at this good luck, but that does not justify the initial, stupid decision.
- Why is the one living 9/11 terrorist slated to be tried in a civilian setting? Even if the trial is moved from New York City, he is still being given a platform for hate.
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