With the president’s re-election campaign in full throttle, selective amnesia appears to have affected the left. Instead of howling about due process for terrorists, we now have administration leaks telling us how the president personally approves every execution by drone strike.
(Summary execution of suspected terrorists certainly avoids the thorny problem of “harsh interrogation,” even if it does deprive the CIA of useful intelligence. After all, dead men tell no tales.)
Instead of warnings about respecting Iranian sovereignty, we have administration leaks telling us that government programmers, with Israeli help, developed the Stuxnet virus that infected the Iranian nuclear industry computers.
Can you imagine the Democrats’ outrage over this “invasion of a foreign country” if it had occurred under former President Bush? And surprise, surprise, Gitmo remains open for business, with no more pledges to close it “within a year.”
It appears that candidate Obama turned 180 degrees on national security, once he became President Obama. This shift is to be commended, since it evidences the president’s commitment to protect our nation, but I wonder — are the ACLU and MoveOn.org waiting in the wings to ambush the president’s national security advisers once they leave office, much like they did with Bush’s advisers? I wouldn’t count on it.
Bob Icsman
Akron
Shifting positions
Mitt Romney has the tendency to dilute his messages by flipping one day and flopping the next.
The most recent: Will Marco Rubio be short-listed for the office of vice president? Sen. Jim DeMint and former Gov. Jeb Bush suggested that he choose Rubio; however, Rubio, according to recent reports, was not asked to complete questionnaires or provide documents required for the vetting process. Romney then said Rubio was back on the short list and being vetted.
Romney once expressed his support for a woman’s right to choose. He now opposes abortion.
Early in his political career, Romney favored strong gun laws. He has since joined the NRA and praised it for “doing good things” and “supporting the right to bear arms.”
In 2002, he was a proponent of public campaign financing; he now describes the McCain-Feingold law as an attack on free speech.
Confronted by Obama’s decision to stop the deportation of children of undocumented immigrants, Romney at first tried evasion but now appears to be softening his stance.
America needs a decisive leader capable of making immediate decisions. Does Mitt Romney qualify?
Celine E. Riedel
Avon Lake
Unfortunate untruths
Our aspiring political candidates are using untruths to convince us to support their runs for public office, including the presidency.
I love my country, and it saddens me to see what these people are doing to get elected. Some folks might say it’s a sign of the times. That does not make it right.
It is morally wrong, and attempting to destroy an opponent to make oneself look better is not what our country was built on. I would like to see exactly what candidates stand for and their her plans to accomplish the task. What happened to platforms?
As long as these candidates persist, I will not support them.
Cleo Everson
Doylestown
