It’s About Us

While posting about Cheney’s Worldview, Tim Lynch captures the perspective that drives my thinking on subjects such as torture and indefinite detention:

So we shouldn’t let the terrorists see us get “caught up in arguments” about the wisdom of our foreign policy, about whether our country should go to war, about our country’s treaty obligations, about the parameters of government power under our Constitution? What is this former vice president thinking?

Does it matter if Charles Manson appreciates the fact that he got a trial instead of a summary execution? No. It does not matter what’s in that twisted head of his. Same thing with bin Laden. The American military should make every effort to avoid civilian casualties even if bin Laden targets civilians. Similarly, it does not matter if bin Laden scoffs at the Geneva Convention as a sign of ”weakness.” The former VP does not get it. It is about us, not the terrorists.

An obsession with the mentality of the enemy (what they see; what they hope for, etc.) can distort our military and counterterrorism strategy as well. (bold emphasis added, italics original)

If we are to act and not simply react it must always be about us. We must make our decisions based on what is right, not based simply on what others are doing or how they might interpret what we choose to do. I think it is important to have discussions about these issues and I appreciate that mine is not the only perspective.

At times I will learn that I was wrong, and that there are things I had not considered. More often than that I am likely to learn that I have not been clear in stating my position. But I am confident that we will go wrong every time if we decide that the discussion itself is dangerous or without merit. If we stop discussing the issues we stop deciding what to do and begin following blindly wherever we are lead. No matter how honorable our intentions, blindly following will always ultimately lead to actions that are destructive not only to others, but more importantly to ourselves and our standing in the world.