Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Obama's Tone Deaf on Terror

'President is ignoring citizen security fears'

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 2, 2010 8:13 AM CST

(Newser) – The Obama administration's policy on captured terrorists seems like it's aimed more at pleasing America's critics than making Americans feel safer, writes Richard Cohen. Blunders like trying to hold the KSM trial in New York and giving the "underwear bomber" suspect his Miranda rights show that the administration is tone-deaf to the public's concerns, Cohen writes in the Washington Post.

The Bush administration damaged America's international reputation by bending over backwards to prevent another 9/11, but the Obama administration appears to be bending over backwards not to be the Bush administration, Cohen writes. It's striving to ensure that terror suspects get American civil liberties. It forgets that "the paramount civil liberty is a sense of security and this, sad to say, has eroded under Barack Obama."

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

President Barack Obama, accompanied by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, delivers a statement on his budget yesterday. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama is tone deaf on public concern about safety, says Richard Cohen. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

More is at stake here than America's image abroad—namely the security and peace of mind of Americans in America. - Richard Cohen

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

CLICK BELOW TO VOTE

11%

10%

53%

24%

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Getty Images

35 Brutally Honest Reasons Men Say No to Sex (The Stir)

Man in Mugshot Explains Why He Has Half a Head (HuffPost)

These Exes Were Spotted Making Out … and That's a Bad Thing (Bleacher Report)

Help! I'm Having an Incestuous Relationship With My Twin (Slate)

Which Celeb Dedicated Song to Her Famous Husband Despite Divorce Rumors? (NewsOne)

Partner Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 3 of 38 comments

SilenceDogood

Feb 3, 2010 12:32 PM CST

As much as people like to lambast Bush, he “Got” the whole issue about terrorism. Obama is either a retard, which he clearly is not, or a dangerous person to allow this breach of security for America. Foreign born terrorist are NOT allowed the protection of laws that US citizens are. They are terrorists that would kill out people, treat them as such, as enemies to the state.

Snarfeh

Feb 3, 2010 8:18 AM CST

@dan - I know that, hun! My point was the same as Chance, i.e., that the GOP operates by double standards.

danusunt

Feb 3, 2010 3:40 AM CST

Well, actually, Snarfeh, the US has done far worse. Heard of the name Pershing? He was a US general involved in the US-Philippine disaster (our first Vietnam) just after 1900. He took a number of "terrorists," butchered pigs in front of them, executed them with bullets dipped in pigs blood, and buried them with the pig guts. He let one live to tell the tale to the others. So, I suspect today's enemy would only be surprised that it would be done in this day and age.

What's Popular Now on Facebook

E-Cigarette Explodes in Man's Mouth

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds Major Cash Inside

Washington Post (Source Grid »)

Politics • Crime & Courts • US • World

Bush administration • terrorism • counterterrorism • Khalid Sheikh Mohammed • Richard Cohen • President Obama • Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial • Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

More Newser Stories

Look Who Says Bush Was Right on Terror

Obama invokes Bush policies as defense in Couric interview

(NEWSER) - President Obama rolled out a surprising line of defense when Katie Couric quizzed him about civilian trials for terrorists in an interview Sunday, writes William McGurn. "We're not handling any of these cases any different than the Bush administration handled them all through 9/11," Obama insisted. Invoking Bush to defend himself is quite the reversal for someone who campaigned as the anti-Bush, McGurn writes in the Wall Street Journal. More»

US Denies Brits Warned About Detroit Bomber

Downing Street made a mistake, White House says

(NEWSER) - The UK government made "a mistake" when it claimed that British intelligence about the Detroit bombing suspect was passed on to US authorities in 2008, says a White House source. Gordon Brown's office also seemed to be backpedaling from yesterday's claim that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was included on a list of British residents with contacts to radical imams that was shared with US intelligence. More»

Obama Gets First Report on Detroit Terror Attempt

Prez gets answers to how Abdulmutallab boarded plane

(NEWSER) - As a first step in his effort to overhaul intelligence practices, President Obama will today receive a preliminary report on how exactly the Detroit bombing suspect managed to board a US-bound plane, along with recommendations on how to prevent a sequel. The reams of intelligence data that were combed through for the report include conversations between Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and an al-Qaeda member that may have referred to the Detroit attack, AP reports. More»

Cheney: Obama 'Won't Admit We're at War'

President is too soft on terrorism, says former VP

(NEWSER) - Dick Cheney is steamed at what he perceives as President Obama’s downplaying of the Christmas air terrorism attempt. The US is “at war and when President Obama pretends we aren’t, it makes us less safe,” he tells Politico , becoming the latest Republican to take up the theme. The enemy “knows we are at war,” Cheney says. “Why doesn’t he want to admit we’re at war?” More»

Why There Haven't Been More Bombings Here

Would-be terrorists face multiple obstacles stateside

(NEWSER) - From the explosives in Umar Abdulmutallab's pants to Faisal Shahzad's smoldering SUV in Times Square, most recent terror attempts in the US have failed spectacularly. Militant groups who regularly and successfully carry out bombings in Afghanistan and Iraq have a much tougher time launching attacks in the US. Dina Temple-Raston explains why on NPR : More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Obama's Tone Deaf on Terror