Good News for Obama

By BJ Bjornson

The big news this morning is about the four men arrested in New York for plotting to blow up a couple of Synagogues and shoot down some military aircraft.  The only thing I find somewhat puzzling is the charge for conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.  Last I checked, C4 and Stinger missiles don't count as WMD's unless they've massively altered the definition recently.

In any case, the timing of such, just before Obama, (and former VP Cheney), gives a big speech tonight regarding the terror suspects locked up in Guantanamo Bay, couldn't be better.  I mean sure, the right is all abuzz about how this proves we're still in a dangerous war with Muslim extremists who hate us for the freedoms we must deny them, and all US citizens in the bargain, to keep us safe.

However, if one looks at the facts, (something many on the right seem to try and avoid), these guys were for the most part American citizens, not trained or connected to al Qaeda in its "safe havens" elsewhere on the globe.  They were captured due to information obtained from an informant and solid law enforcement work without having to resort to "enhanced interrogation techniques" at any stage.  And, as noted at The Washington Monthly:

. . . the terrorist suspects are being held on U.S. soil, will face charges in U.S. courts, and if convicted, will be locked up in U.S. prisons. I look forward to lawmakers -- apparently from both parties -- explaining to us why this is a bad thing.

Basically, this offers a current and noteworthy example of how the "War on Terror" can be won without selling out every single principle our "enlightened" civilization supposedly stands for.