OPINION: Really?

By Roger Madon

It was a sight to behold.  Thomas Donilon, National Security Advisor to the President was being interviewed last Sunday morning by Chris Wallace on Fox News.

Here’s the interview, you draw your own conclusions.

Wallace: “If shooting an unarmed man in the face is legal and proper, while enhanced interrogation included waterboarding of a detainee under very strict controls and limits  - why is that over the line?”

Donilon: Answered by referring to the SEALS but didn’t answer the question.

Wallace: “I’m not asking you why it was ok to shoot Osama bin Laden. I fully understand the threat; and I’m not second-guessing the SEALS. What I am second-guessing is, if that’s ok [shooting Osama Bin Laden in the face], why can’t you do waterboarding? Why can’t you do enhanced interrogation of  Khalid Sheik Mohammad, who was just as bad an operator as Osama bin Laden?”

Donilon: “Because, uh, well, our judgment is that it’s not consistent with our values; it’s not consistent and not necessary in terms of getting the kind of intelligence we need.”

Wallace: “But shooting Bin Laden - in the head - is consistent with our values.”

Donilon: “We are at war with Osama bin Laden.”

Wallace:  “We’re at war with Khalid Sheik Mohammad,”

Donilon: “It was a military operation.  It was absolutely appropriate for the SEALS to take the action of, uh, for the forces to take the action they took in this military operation.”

Wallace: “But why is it inappropriate to get information from Khalid Sheik Mohammad.  You say it’s against our values?”

Donilon: “Techniques or something.  Our administration has made its views known on that.” 

Really.

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