Hysterical, In A Dubious Cause

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Hysterical, In A Dubious Cause

Posted Mar 2nd 2007 8:03PM by John Hinderaker
Filed under: World News, Power Line

This post earlier today by Cenk Uygur is a good example of the hysteria--worse, ill-informed hysteria--that typifies so many liberals when they write on the subject of treatment of detainees. Uygur takes up the cudgels for Jose Padilla, who, Uygur says, went through "1,037 days of sensory deprivation in a 9-by-7 foot cell." The problem is, Uygur evidently is under the mistaken impression that "sensory deprivation" means "solitary confinement." The two are unrelated. In fact, far from being subjected to sensory deprivation, Padilla had visitors, including an imam, read his Koran, and sometimes went outdoors to shoot baskets or sunbathe.

Uygur says that "[t]hey didn't let him see a lawyer for over two years." I don't know what his appointments schedule was, but Padilla's lawyers were making motions on his behalf in federal court within two weeks after he was apprehended in Chicago, and they have never stopped since. Uygur laments that "[Padilla] was never given any of his Constitutional rights." This is simply ludicrous. The taxpayers have spent a small fortune on lawyers for Padilla; the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court have all issued rulings on the statutory and Constitutional issues presented by his case. Perhaps Uygur disagrees with those rulings. If so, he doesn't say why, nor does he have any apparent expertise to critique them.

The particular event that triggered Uygur's post was a Newsweek report that the government recently told the Court that the Defense Intelligence Agency has apparently lost the DVD of the last interrogation of Mr. Padilla, which took place in 2004. Uygur thinks the government is lying, and the DVD was intentionally destroyed, because it "could show their abuse." This, again, is just silly. While the details are sketchy, what has been reported by Newsweek is that all of the interrogations of Padilla were recorded, beginning in 2002. Why does the government do this? For precisely the opposite of the reason suggested by Uygur. The government wants to be able to show that statements made by the detainee were not coerced. It makes no sense to suggest that the government would treat Padilla kindly for two years, then "abuse" him in 2004, film the "abuse," but then lose the DVD.

I think there are legitimate grounds on which the government's handling of the Padilla case can be questioned. But the kind of hysterical, ill-informed commentary that Uygur engages in does nothing to advance that discussion. And let's not forget what we do know about Jose Padilla: he stepped off the airplane in Chicago, having traveled from Pakistan by way of Egypt, with $10,000 that he had been given by Khalid Sheik Mohammad and an associate, a cell phone from the same source, and the names, telephone numbers and email addresses of al Qaeda members in the U.S.

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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)

1. Liberals wish to treat terrorists as criminals, as they treated criminals as charming diversions back in the day. Eerie echoes. Criminals brought a frisson of fear into Liberals lives, and kept the awful middle and working classes down and where they belong, lacking the security that wealthy liberals purchase for themselves: bodyguards, gated communities, security buildings etc.

The best thing about being a rich liberal was demonstrating your "authenticity" with some stone-cold killer, as it did dual-purpose in clearly marking class distinctions and so enable liberals to achieve more. For men, Liberalism equated with wealth and so got them more success with women. As opposed to some working-class schlub who didn't want to get mugged on his way home from work.

The same thing happens here: Liberals feel immune from terrorist threats, WANT terrorists released (that's why they agitate for Padilla's release) because they are not only authentic in solidarity with the killers of ordinary Americans, but draw class distinctions. No wealthy men of liberal leisure died in the Twin Towers. Merely working and middle class men and women. The back office people of the Bridge and Tunnel crowd. No black clad scenesters.

If you want to understand the hysteria, understand who benefits. Liberalism as a proxy for wealth and class benefits those who display them as mating badges. "See how wealthy I am? I am unconcerned with the lives of ordinary people!"

And of course, it works.

Jim Rockford at 3:41AM on Mar 3rd 2007

2. i dont like to say anything about the way people look but you can tell this guy john is a nut.only a nut would spend his time ck how other people talk.this guy needs a life.

mccotter at 4:28AM on Mar 3rd 2007

3. And when an individual like mccotter does not have a factual and intelligent argument they naturally revert to name calling.

RK Garner at 5:11AM on Mar 3rd 2007

4. "hysterical, ill-informed commentary that Uygur engages in"

This is typical of liberals. Opinion, opinion, opinion. Ignore the facts. When presented with facts, just claim they're "lies". When presented with evidence of the truth of these facts, just claim they're "lies" again.

It's a never ending, circular loop of denial with no entry points for rational debate.

Andrea in NY at 7:35AM on Mar 3rd 2007

5. McCotter,

I can't really speak to the picture, but the man is Dartmouth and Harvard Law. I'm suspecting he has a life and a quite nice one at that.

Stephen at 8:01AM on Mar 3rd 2007

6. McCoffer,
If looks were the judgment factor for mankind, Jose would have been found guilty years ago. How about posting your picture for comment from readers?

Gil in TN at 9:45AM on Mar 3rd 2007

7. I wasted my time reading this "analysis". It's obvious you haven't keep up on this case and I'm disappointed you felt you had enough info to comment it.

Quoting a DOJ press conference is all the proof you need that Padilla has been treated correctly? Have you checked the record of this administration lately?

And have you noticed the charges against Padilla don't resemble at all the things the govt. said he did with al Qaida?

Did he experience sensory deprevation? YES! Just because he had visitors (how many over what period of time?) and went outside (again, how often and for how long?) doesn't mean he wasn't either in his cell or wearing noise cancelling headphones and night vision goggles when he was escorted out of his cell.

Read the reports, man. Study up. Because if you don't, you're spreading lies and half truths.

Sorry effort.

Eric at 1:20PM on Mar 3rd 2007

8. Um, why believe the government that told us We know for a fact there are weapons there." - Ari Fleischer, Jan. 9, 2003

More to the point, what happened to the charge that Padilla was going to set off a dirty bomb?

"In its ruling last week, the 4th Circuit questioned the government's changing rationale for Padilla's detention since the September decision, because the criminal charges do not mention a dirty bomb plot or any attack inside the United States."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/28/AR2005122801463_pf.html

Steve J. at 5:04PM on Mar 3rd 2007

9. A better post:

"Liberals wish to treat terrorists as criminals,...And of course, it works."

Steve J. at 5:05PM on Mar 3rd 2007

10. Eric

I wasted my time reading your comment.
"Quoting a DOJ press conference is all the proof you need that Padilla has been treated correctly? Have you checked the record of this administration lately?"

Then why didn't you quote one and give us some evidence. Yes so has John the record is the best for any administration engaged in a war. Just because its a given in your little liberal universe doesn't make The Bush administration has a bad record a fact. Evidence please evidence.

"Did he experience sensory deprevation? YES! Just because he had visitors (how many over what period of time?) and went outside (again, how often and for how long?) doesn't mean he wasn't either in his cell or wearing noise cancelling headphones and night vision goggles when he was escorted out of his cell."
No it doesn't mean he was either. Evidence? It does demonstrate the point that Mr. Hindraker esquire was making which was that the charge that Padilla was subjected to two years of sensory deprivation was patently and demonstrably absurd.
Having taken out Danny boy Rather and been named Times Blog of the year Mr. Hindraker has some street cred. You have none. He supplies evidence and analysis again none from you.

Theo p at 12:26PM on Mar 5th 2007

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Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.