McCain camp: Obama's counterterrorism views naive

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

June 18, 2008

Republican John McCain's campaign accused Barack Obama of having a dangerous and naive view of terrorism because the Democrat spoke approvingly of the successful prosecution and imprisonment of those responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombings.

In a conference call with reporters, McCain adviser Randy Scheunemann said yesterday: "Senator Obama is a perfect manifestation of a September 10th mind-set. ... He does not understand the nature of the enemies we face."

Obama told reporters that the Republicans have no "standing to suggest that they've learned a lot of lessons from 9/11." He said they "helped to engineer the distraction of the war in Iraq at a time when we could have pinned down the people who actually committed 9/11."

At issue were Obama's comments Monday in an interview with ABC News. Obama was asked how he could be sure the Bush administration's anti-terrorism policies are not crucial to protecting U.S. citizens. Obama said the government can crack down on terrorists "within the constraints of our Constitution." He mentioned the indefinite detention of Guantánamo Bay detainees, contrasting their treatment with the prosecution of the 1993 World Trade Center bombings.

"And, you know, let's take the example of Guantánamo," Obama said. "What we know is that, in previous terrorist attacks ... we were able to arrest those responsible, put them on trial. They are currently in U.S. prisons, incapacitated.

"And the fact that the administration has not tried to do that has created a situation where not only have we never actually put many of these folks on trial, but we have destroyed our credibility when it comes to rule of law all around the world ...

Former CIA Director James Woolsey said Obama has "an extremely dangerous and extremely naive approach toward terrorism ... with prisoners captured overseas who have been engaged in terrorist attacks against the United States."

But Richard Clarke, a counterterrorism official in Republican and Democratic administrations, said: "I'm a little disgusted by the attempts of some of my friends on the McCain campaign to use the same old, tired tactics ... to drive a wedge between Americans for partisan advantage and to frankly frighten Americans," Clarke said.

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Related topic galleries: John McCain, Barack Obama, Terrorism, September 11, 2001 Attacks, Central Intelligence Agency

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