Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, charged in the Fort Hood shootings, was too fat and “chronically” unprofessional during his psychiatric training, according to internal e-mails exchanged by his superiors.

The communications are the latest in a series of early signs that showed officers had reason to suspend Maj. Hasan’s training, and perhaps re-evaluate his suitability as a military physician, but failed to do so.

Yet, his bosses at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington allowed him to complete his residency in 2007, enter an advanced fellowship program, win promotion to major and transfer to Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.

It was there on Nov. 5, while shouting “God is great,” Maj. Hasan fatally shot 13 Army colleagues, according to witnesses.

Hasan’s other shortcomings include his enthusiasm for Islam:

The e-mails highlight another point at which the U.S. military government could have intervened to stop Maj. Hasan’s career before the shooting. The FBI and other intelligence agencies learned that Maj. Hasan had sent e-mail messages to Anwar al-Awlaki, an al Qaeda-affiliated radical imam in Yemen who urged followers to join the terrorist group and kill Americans.

Hasan hadn’t put in sufficient months in a psychiatric clinic to complete his residency. But Army bureaucrats — no doubt terrified of being accused of “racism” against a Muslim — pushed him through anyway.

Then came Maj. Hasan’s research project that was required for completing the residency. Walter Reed calls the practice, “Psychiatry Scholarly Activity Oral Presentation at the Psychiatry Regularly Scheduled Conference.” Maj. Hasan chose not a psychiatric topic, per se, but one titled, “Koranic World View as it Relates to Muslims in the U.S. Military.” The slide presentation promoted Islamic law over the U.S. Constitution.

That is, the Constitution he was sworn to uphold. Army brass had found just the guy to serve as a psychiatrist, counseling soldiers returning from battle with terrorists who share Hasan’s ideology.

Predictably, the Affirmative Action mentality that led to Hasan being shuffled forward as if he were qualified didn’t turn out so well. Even Army Chief of Staff General George Casey was alarmed at the outcome:

“It would be a shame — as great a tragedy as this was — it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty as well.”

Not to worry, liberals: the Army resolved to double down on the head-in-the-sand political correctness that put Hasan in a position to pull off his terrorist killing spree.

On a tip from Edward. Cross-posted at Moonbattery.

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Under the cover of a benign government information-gathering program, a Defense Department official set up a network of private contractors in Afghanistan and Pakistan to help track and kill suspected militants, according to military officials and businessmen in Afghanistan and the United States.

The official, Michael D. Furlong, hired contractors from private security companies that employed former C.I.A. and Special Forces operatives. The contractors, in turn, gathered intelligence on the whereabouts of suspected militants and the location of insurgent camps, and the information was then sent to military units and intelligence officials for possible lethal action in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the officials said.

While it has been widely reported that the C.I.A. and the military are attacking operatives of Al Qaeda and others through unmanned, remote-controlled drone strikes, some American officials say they became troubled that Mr. Furlong seemed to be running an off-the-books spy operation. The officials say they are not sure who condoned and supervised his work.

Which officials? None are actually named. Besides, who, other than pusillanimous lefties, cares? It’s just fine with me that extremist Muslims, members of Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and any other group, are tracked and whacked. Better them than us.

It is generally considered illegal for the military to hire contractors to act as covert spies. Officials said Mr. Furlong’s secret network might have been improperly financed by diverting money from a program designed to merely gather information about the region.

It’s also generally illegal to hijack planes and fly them into buildings. It’s generally illegal for terrorists to fight without wearing a uniform of any country. It’s generally illegal to saw a humans head off while alive. You don’t see the NY Times and other liberals complaining about those. In fact, they tend to back the people who do those things.

But, hey, good news: the NY Times has just put every person in Afghanistan and Pakistan in even more danger. Kudos, Fish Wrap! Way to start the work week, giving aid and comfort to the enemy!

Unfortunately

Officials say Mr. Furlong’s operation seems to have been shut down, and he is now is the subject of a criminal investigation by the Defense Department for a number of possible offenses, including contract fraud.

At one time in our country’s past, Furlong would have been a hero for taking the fight to the enemy.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove

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Northrop Grumman won the deal in 2008, but Boeing protested to the Government Accountability Office that the military had unfairly changed the specifications to favor Northrop Grumman. Before the 2008 deal was made, then-Washington governor Chris Gregoire said that Congress should investigate if Boeing lost.

Gregoire said that her protests against Boeing losing weren’t about politics, but that she thought politicians should get involved if Boeing lost.

“I just think we win if it’s done absolutely without politics… …If we don’t win, then I think there’ll be a lot of questions… …how could they not have gotten this?”

Indeed, a number of Senators and representatives, including those from Washington State, but none who had experience as military buyers, did complain when the American company Northrop Grumman won. 39 representatives sent a letter to Obama last year supporting Boeing.

Apparently those Senators were angry about the 48,000 jobs that the contract would have created had it stood.

Boeing’s lobbying website says that we need to support Boeing, because it will create American jobs, even though their victory will kill 48,000 American jobs that would have been provided by the American company Northrop Grumman. I say “kill” just because Boeing is pushing a strange bit of moral self-righteousness by saying that they will create American jobs when in fact both companies will.

Not that American jobs are what’s important about a tanker, anyway. And speaking as an American, I’m kind of confused about how basing a contract solely on American jobs, not on quality or cost, will help the American taxpayer.

Boeing originally won the tanker contract way back in 2001, but their contract was later canceled after a collusion investigation that resulted in a former-Boeing executive being sentenced to jail.

The EU has complained about the bidding process.

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CNSNews did a story today giving an update on Obama’s Executive Order number 13502 requiring all federal construction projects to operate under Project Labor Agreements (PLAs). Thus far the EO has been stymied by the commission that Obama set up to handle the initiative.

A PLA is a contract agreement that would force union rules, union dues, and union control of any construction project that the federal government undertakes. The PLA rules would even descend upon any non-union labor hired for the work meaning that employees would be forced to pay dues even if they do not belong to a union.

This PLA requirement is only another Obama payoff to unions and the construction industry says that PLAs will make any federal project go over budget, take longer to complete making the projects needlessly expensive.

CNSNews reports that the commission has yet to act on the EO.

However, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR), which is charged with final enactment of the rule, is still reviewing the matter. The FAR Council is made up of members from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration and NASA.

Naturally, in keeping with this Administration, one part of the EO is built entirely on an untrue premise.

“The use of a project labor agreement may prevent these problems from developing by providing structure and stability to large-scale construction projects, thereby promoting the efficient and expeditious completion of federal construction contracts. Accordingly, it is the policy of the federal government to encourage executive agencies to consider requiring the use of project labor agreements in connection with large-scale construction projects in order to promote economy and efficiency in Federal procurement.”

Brett McMahon, vice president of the Miller & Long concrete construction firm in Bethesda, Md., has made an appearance here on the blog several times in the past and CNSNews also quotes him here. McMahon says that the EO is simply not realistic.

“They say contractors don’t have their own workforces and just hire by the job,” McMahon said. “That’s not true. Most contractors, particularly those working on projects that are $25 million, overwhelmingly currently employ their own workers.”

A PLA might put a construction firm in the position of having workers that are not part of its own workforce on a job to be eligible for a federal contract. With half of the cost of a project coming from labor, it is best for a firm to be familiar with its workers, McMahon said.

The truth is this EO is simply a payoff to Obama’s union buddies. Free federal money to line their pockets to no benefit to the country or the taxpayers.

Go on over and take a look at the CNSNews story. It’s a good one.

(Cross posted at TheUnionLabelBlog.com)

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A funny thing happened after Adm. Mike Mullen called for gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military: A curious silence befell much of the right. If this were a Sherlock Holmes story, it would be the case of the attack dogs that did not bark.

Riiiiiiiight. Perhaps we are a bit more concerned with the escalating budget and deficit, along with the fascist agenda of people like Obama and Pelosi. Oh, and then there was that media focus on Justice Scalia (woops!) Alito and his mouthing of “not true” after Obama lied while attacking the Supreme Court. You didn’t bother discussing DADT, Frank, so, does that make you a bigot?

John McCain, commandeering the spotlight as usual, did fulminate against the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” But the press focus on McCain, the crazy man in Washington’s attic, was misleading. His yapping was an exception, not the rule.

Many of his Republican colleagues said little or nothing. The right’s noise machine was on mute. The Fox News report on Mullen’s testimony was fair and balanced — and brief. The network dropped the subject entirely in the Hannity-O’Reilly hothouse of prime time that night. Only ratings-desperate CNN gave a fleeting platform to the old homophobic clichés….

So, because it was a minor story, barely covered, that must mean that everyone on the right is a bigot. Hey, Frank, you do comprehend that Obama is still against gay marriage, right? When will you have an op-ed calling him a bigot?

The occasional outliers notwithstanding, why did such a hush greet Mullen on Capitol Hill? The answer begins with the simple fact that a large majority of voters — between 61 percent and 75 percent depending on the poll — now share his point of view. Most Americans recognize that being gay is not a “lifestyle” but an immutable identity, and that outlawing discrimination against gay people who want to serve their country is, as the admiral said, “the right thing to do.”

Oh. OK. So your first four paragraphs are refuted by your fifth. However, you are going to give it the old stupid try to still call the right bigots for failing to get all worked up. Hey, Frank, even lots in the lesbian and gay community on the left barely wrote about it. Does that make them bigots?

After that, we get a meandering blame of those silent righties, and Rich even manages to work in Bush and Rove, unsurprisingly. He also mentions the current lefty meme that this is akin to desegregation of the military (hey, Frank, you didn’t mention Robert Byrd’s racist remark about integration. Why’s that?) and integration of women, which is simply absurd. Look, I have no problem with gays. Do I approve of the lifestyle? I couldn’t care less. This is America, the land of freedom. Being gay or not gay means nothing to me. You live your life, I’ll live mine. Except, I do believe that they should be afforded equal rights. Which they have, mostly. Like Obama, I do not believe in gay marriage, but, I do believe in civil unions. If two people love each other, they should have the same right to be unhappy (:)) as heterosexual couples.

But, when it comes to the military, shouldn’t we ask those who are serving? Fifty one percent of serving military members are apparently bigots in Frank’s World, down from 63% in 2003. Only 30% favor gays serving openly. Quite a few military members I have spoken with are not against gays and lesbians serving, but, in sharing quarters, showers, and being out in the field. Capabilities are not being questioned, but, face it, men are uncomfortable being naked or in a state of undress in front of people who are interested in the same sex. Is that bigoted, or, human nature? Do you think women would be comfortable in mixed barracks, mixed showers, and serving in the front lines with men, who would, because of human nature, be scoping their bodies?

Anyhow, to wrap it up, since I am going long

…..Both (McCain’s) wife, Cindy, and his daughter Meghan have posed for the current California ad campaign explicitly labeling opposition to same-sex marriage as hate…

…Those opposing same-sex marriage are just as eager to mask their bigotry….

Rich manages to call the Prop 8 supporters, many of them who are Black and/or liberals, along with many Republican leaders, bigots. Searching, searching, searching….. No, nothing about Barack “I do not support gay marriage. Marriage has religious and social connotations, and I consider marriage to be between a man and a woman” Obama.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove

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Who failed the system in the Christmas Day attack? Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was already known as “The Nigerian” and already suspected of meeting with “terrorist elements” in Yemen at the time of his failed bombing attempt of NW Flight 253. By August 2009, the CIA knew about “The Nigerian.” The CIA did not know “The Nigerian’s” name was Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. And they did not put the two together when the father went to the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria and met with a CIA agent in November 2009. Who was responsible for connecting the dots? From documents found online, it appears the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) is responsible for gathering and disseminating information to the No-Fly List and they simply failed.

Michael Leiter with President Obama

The CIA forwarded the information to the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). The connection was still not made. What does the NCTC do? Here are two pull-out quotes, more below:

…the Director of NCTC is responsible for providing strategic CT plans and for effectively integrating CT intelligence and operations across agency boundaries, both inside and outside the US.

…and:

The primary source for all information relating to international terrorist identities in the TSDB is the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) …The NCTC, “serve[s] as the primary organization in the United States Government for analyzing and integrating all intelligence possessed or acquired by the United States Government pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism,…

As we learned during the 9-11 Commission hearings, Jamie Gorelick’s “Wall of Separation,” specifically built to keep the intelligence community from sharing information, enabled the 9-11 bombers. How high and at what depth is today’s Wall of Separation? The Wall still stands. Here is a statement from the Vice-Chairman of the 9/11 Commission, Lee Hamilton, about the Christmas Day bombing:

“We must get better at collecting these bits of information, putting them together at a central point, analyzing them and then acting,” said Lee Hamilton, the vice-chair of the 9/11 Commission.

“We’re sharing information better than we did prior to 9/11, but this incident surely illustrates we’ve got a long ways to go,” Hamilton said

CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said after the meeting with the father in November, they worked with the U.S. Embassy to get Abdulmutallab’s name into the “government’s terrorist database:”

We also forwarded key biographical information about him to the National Counterterrorism Center. This agency, like others in our government, is reviewing all data to which it had access – not just what we ourselves may have collected – to determine if more could have been done to stop Abdulmutallab.”

Yet, Abdulmutallab’s name didn’t make it to the No-Fly List. Clearly, someone was not paying attention. Michael E. Leiter’s National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) did…what?…nothing? Leiter is the Director of NCTC and the following are a few comments from his testimony to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in September 2009:

Despite our counterterrorism (CT) progress, al-Qa‘ida and its affiliates and allies remain resilient and adaptive enemies intent on attacking US and Western interests—with al-Qa‘ida’s core in Pakistan representing the most dangerous component of the larger al-Qa‘ida network.  We assess that this core is actively engaged in operational plotting and continues recruiting, training, and transporting operatives, to include individuals from Western Europe and North America. …

The NCTC evolved from legislation creating “a civilian-led unified joint command” for counterterrorism. Is it nothing more than another entity which decided to do nothing?

For the first time, an organization outside the Executive Office of the President was given the responsibility for government-wide coordination of planning and integration of department and agency actions involving “all elements of national power,” including “diplomatic, financial, military, intelligence, Homeland security, and law enforcement activities within and among agencies.”

Pursuant to this authority, the Director of NCTC is responsible for providing strategic CT plans and for effectively integrating CT intelligence and operations across agency boundaries, both inside and outside the US.

Our CIA and FBI works under a President, a State Department and a Homeland Security Secretary that believes there is no war on terror, believes there are no foreign enemy combatants and believes there is no terrorism. Who places a name on the “No-Fly” list, or the “selectee” list, which alerts airline officials of the need for further, and deeper, examination of the person? Is it the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the CIA, the State Department, Homeland Security, or all of the above? Since “the government” administers the list, is the civilian NCTC involved at all? Apparently so, and apparently the NCTC is directly responsible for the list. The following is from a declassified Homeland Security document dated July 2009, page 9:

The primary source for all information relating to international terrorist identities in the TSDB is the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) …The NCTC, “serve[s] as the primary organization in the United States Government for analyzing and integrating all intelligence possessed or acquired by the United States Government pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism, excepting intelligence pertaining exclusively to domestic terrorists and domestic counterterrorism.”…

This information is provided to the NCTC through nominations of individuals made by federal agencies, often with the explicit intent for the record to then be exported to the TSDB [Terrorism Screening Datebase] for watch-listing.

So how many martini lunches and conferences to exotic locations were expensed by the NCTC?

President Obama referred to the attack on NW Flight 253 as an “alleged” attack. He wasn’t specifically talking about the would-be-bomber – he was talking about the attack itself. It is possible to misidentify the bomber and refer to him as allegedly “Abdulmutallab,” but, please, not the attack itself. He characterized the “alleged” attack as the work of an isolated extremist, after al-Qaeda in the Saudia Arabian peninsula had already taken credit for Abdulmutallab’s actions – and yet he was already known as “The Nigerian,” not “a Nigerian,” but specifically “The Nigerian.” His Director of National Counterterrorism knew Abdulmutallab’s name, and so knew that he was connected to Yemen – yet referred to him as an “isolated extremist.” Knowing all this, at no time did he mention “jihad,” “Islam,” “Muslims,”  or radicals.”

In Obama’s second statement about the attack, the President said there were failures with our intelligence community in piecing the known information together, and then distributing that information. He said it was an unacceptable “systemic failure.”  Abdulmutallab allegedly paid cash for his ticket and had no luggage; the CIA and the NCTC knew about him. At the simplest level, an airline accepted his cash, and checked no luggage, yet he was not tagged for a full pat down. Still yet, the President has not said the words “jihad,” “radical Islam,” or “Muslim.”

If you are interested in additional information on Michael Leiter and the NCTC, the following are snippets from their “implementation plan:”

[Four Pillars]

1) protect and defend against terrorists;

2) attack their capacity to operate;

3) work diligently to undermine the spread of violent extremism and retard radicalization around the world; and

4) prevent terrorists from utilizing WMD. …

According to The NCTC, they are partners with the CIA, the FBI, the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the Department of State, The Department of the Treasury, the departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture, as well as the U.S. Capitol Police, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency – and “foreign partners.”

The Center provides a unique environment to optimize the USG’s collective knowledge and formidable capabilities to identify and counter the terrorist threat to the nation.

What happened to the “formidable capabilities” of the NCTC in the Christmas Day attack?

Read NCTC Transcript View Michael Leiter Video P.S. just listening to Catherine Herridge on FOXNews and the NCTC is spinning at warp speed.

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Two of the four leaders allegedly behind the al Qaeda plot to blow up a Northwest Airlines passenger jet over Detroit were released by the U.S. from the Guantanamo prison in November, 2007, according to American officials and Department of Defense documents. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the Northwest bombing in a Monday statement that vowed more attacks on Americans.

American officials agreed to send the two terrorists from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia where they entered into an “art therapy rehabilitation program” and were set free, according to U.S. and Saudi officials.

Guantanamo prisoner #333, Muhamad Attik al-Harbi, and prisoner #372, Said Ali Shari, were sent to Saudi Arabia on Nov. 9, 2007, according to the Defense Department log of detainees who were released from American custody. Al-Harbi has since changed his name to Muhamad al-Awfi.

Both Saudi nationals have since emerged in leadership roles in Yemen, according to U.S. officials and the men’s own statements on al Qaeda propaganda tapes.

If the Left weren’t such raving wackjobs – and, come on, you have to admit that Bush made a mistake in not saying that the folks at Gitmo weren’t entitled to the Geneva Convention, which would have stopped some of the left wing howling surrender monkey talking points and opposition – these folks would still be sitting at Club Gitmo.

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Ahmed Ashim Habed, the alleged mastermind of the murder of four Blackwater operatives in Fallujah in 2004, was one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq. Either in the process of capturing him, or while he was in captivity, the terrorist claims he was assaulted. There is apparently no physical evidence to back this up, but the military is acting quickly against the three heroes responsible for catching this animal. The following video sums up the situation pretty well:

CNS News has more on the story, including information on how the attorneys for these heroes are getting denied their discovery rights, because the government can’t decide what’s classified and what isn’t. The SEALS face one year military confinement, discharge for bad conduct, and forfeiture of two-thirds of their pay for a year.

The accuser, Ahmed Hashim Abed, is the alleged architect of the murder of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004. The bodies of the four Americans were burned and hanged from a bridge for display.

The three Navy Seals–Matthew McCabe, Jonathon Keefe, and Julio Huertas–will be arraigned on Monday in Norfolk, Va. They are facing a special court martial–which is equivalent to a misdemeanor charge–and have each denied the allegations of abuse and cover-up.

The trial date for McCabe, the Seal charged with the alleged assault, is tentatively set for Jan. 19, 2010, McCabe’s attorney Neal Puckett said.

Defense attorneys told CNSNews.com that they are waiting to see the evidence from military prosecutors because it is still under review to determine if it is classified. Even the charges, the only court filings in the case thus far, are still under review.

“The government has not handed over anything,” Huertas’ attorney Monica Lombardi told CNSNews.com. “They are now claiming that things are classified, but they are not saying what’s classified and what’s not classified. I filed my discovery request, and they denied it, pending a classification review. … We have no photographs of the alleged injuries. We have no medical reports of these alleged injuries.”

Attorneys for both McCabe and Huertas said they would insist on cross-examining Abed. The Constitution grants Americans the right to face their accuser at a trial.

“If somebody was trying to claim that you assaulted them, but they refused to come into court, what prosecutor in what state would deny you your right to confrontation of the alleged victim?” Lombardi said.

When CNSNews.com asked what would happen if the military declined to bring Abed to the United States to testify for security reasons, Lombardi said, “It would be, at that point, we could ask the judge to dismiss the charges.”

McCabe, a special operations petty officer, second class, is charged with assaulting the detainee for reportedly punching him in the midsection; with dereliction of duty for failure to safeguard the detainee; and with making a false official statement on the matter.

Though news reports differ on whether it was a punch to the gut or a bloody lip, Puckett says the official charge is a punch to the mid-section.

Huertas, a special operations petty officer, first class, is charged with dereliction of duty, making a false official statement and impeding an investigation.

Keefe, a special operations petty officer, second class, is charged with dereliction of duty and making a false official statement.

Under special court-martial rules, all three defendants would face the same maximum penalty, Puckett said, even though the charges against each one deviate slightly. The maximum penalty for the charges would be one year in military confinement, reduction of two-thirds of their pay for a year and discharge from the military for bad conduct.

Lombardi said Huertas greatly appreciates the public outpouring of support since the reports first surfaced of the arrest.

“My client is extremely grateful for all the support from the American public,” Lombardi said. “He’s a career professional who’s just doing his job. It boosts your morale when you know that you go over there and are doing your job and the American public actually does care about what you’re doing. He’s really humbled by it.”

The military first sought non-judicial punishment, called a “captain’s mast.” It would have spared them any chance of imprisonment but would have severely harmed and possibly ended their military careers, Puckett said.

“There was some pressure on them to accept a lesser form of punishment,” Puckett said. “That would have meant that some commander had predetermined their guilt and would have punished them in a way that would have ended their careers. They weren’t willing to accept that and felt that it would not be a fair hearing.”

They each refused the captain’s mast and opted for a court martial, which is a military trial, to clear their names. The punishment from a court-martial conviction could be greater.

Though it was a better option than accepting guilt, Puckett said, such charges should have never been brought.

“Forget what the punishment would be, even a conviction would be a federal conviction for these guys,” Puckett said. “A federal conviction alone–even before you consider what punishment they get–is grossly disproportionate to the misconduct that’s alleged.

“If we’re talking about the detainee getting punched in the gut by Petty Officer McCabe, given the evil that guy [Abed] is alleged to have wrought on American contractors back in 2004 in Fallujah, it seems that it’s overkill to think that it’s appropriate to send these guys to court martial,” Puckett added.

Puckett suspects this was an overreaction by military brass in regards to detainee abuse.

“The most obvious speculation to me seems to be that the American military and particular Army commanders, and this was an Army commander, are overly sensitive to allegations of detainee abuse in the wake of Abu Ghraib,” Puckett said. “I think they feel a need to overly punish, overly react to these allegations to keep future ones from happening again.”

The alleged punch happened on Sept. 1 when Abed was in captivity.

Abed, after his capture, was held at Camp Baharia, a U.S. base outside of Fallujah. He was briefly handed over to Iraqi authorities and then returned to U.S. custody. Another petty officer, not a Navy Seal, reported the alleged abuse, Lombardi said. It then went up the chain of command, and the commanding general ordered the charges.

Lombardi believes if there was any abuse, it might have happened on the Iraqi side.

“He was turned over to the Iraqi police,” Lombardi said. “He is an Iraqi citizen. Eventually, he’ll go home. Wouldn’t it be a lot better to claim the Americans abused you than the Iraqi police?”

Lombardi said there is a legal defense fund for the Seals, and that she is glad the public can see the Seals were doing the right thing.

“They were capturing a terrorist that we’ve been searching for, for five years. They did it in a professional manner,” Lombardi said. “When you think you’re doing everything right and you’ve got somebody saying, ‘no, you did it wrong,’ it’s really nice to know everybody is saying, ‘you did it right. You did us a favor. Why are you being punished?”

The PDFs of the charges are here.

Let’s consider the worst case scenario. Let’s say that the SEALS really did “assault” this terrorist. Is the punishment really equal to the crime? Does punching a terrorist responsible for the brutal murders of four Americans deserve one year in a military prison, reduction in pay, and a discharge? Maybe the SEALS should get some kind of minor slap on the wrist for what they did, but in my opinion these three men are heroes. If they are found guilty, then I still don’t agree with the course of action the military and our government is taking.

What’s disturbing is that it isn’t clear whether or not the alleged assault ever even happened. There is apparently no physical evidence to prove it, and the only proof the military has is this terrorist’s word that he was assaulted. Who should we believe — the terrorist responsible for the slaughter of four Americans, or the brave SEALS who caught him? I would think that we would be trusting the SEALS here, if all we have is Abed’s word that he was punched. And, as one of the attorneys said, Abed was also being held by Iraqi police for some time. How do we know for sure who actually punched him? And if he was punched in the stomach… well, who gives a damn? It’s not the most professional behavior, but really… even if he got a fat lip, kids give themselves a fat lip playing basketball or football in their front yards every day. It’s not exactly a major war wound. It isn’t like they broke any bones or caused him any lasting pain or injuries. He maybe felt uncomfortable for, what, a whole minute? And yet these SEALS are going to face a year’s imprisonment and a discharge from the military over it? This is an outrage. If our men and women in uniform aren’t going to be free to fight this war without constantly looking over their shoulders and second-guessing themselves because of idiotic bureaucratic red tape, then what’s the point of even fighting? This is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.

A website has been set up called Support The SEALS. You can sign a petition supporting the SEALS here. Please go and sign it. Also, here is some contact information. Please feel free to call or e-mail the people listed below and express your support for the SEALS and ask for these charges to be dropped. As always, please remember to be polite and courteous — firm, but polite.

To file a citizen’s complaint, e-mail holly.silkman@soccent.centcom.mil or call 813-828-4976.

You can send letters here:

US Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps
The Office of the Judge Advocate General
Public Affairs
1322 Patterson Ave., Suite 3000
Washington Navy Yard DC 20374-5066

HQ USSOCOM
ATTN: SOCS-PA
Admiral Eric Olson
7701 Tampa Point Blvd.
MacDill AFB, FL 33621-5323

AJAG, Military Law
1254 Charles Morris St., SE
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5047

1322 Patterson Ave., Suite 3000
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5066

Here are some phone numbers you can call:

SPO Public Affairs: 813-368-9885
Washington Navy Yard: (202) 685-5190
Pentagon: (703) 614-7420
JAG: (202) 685-5493

You can also call and send letters to the Senate Armed Services Committee:

Room SR-228, Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6050
202-224-3871

A list of the House Armed Services Committee staff is here, as well as all of the members. A list of the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee is here. Subcommittee members are here. Don’t hesitate to get politicians involved. If politicians feel that their constituents are angry about this (and therefore feel threatened themselves) they will get involved. Again, be polite, but maybe suggest to them that if they just stand by and allow this to happen, it could cost them your vote.

There is also a rally in Norfolk, VA tomorrow to show support for these SEALS. You can get the information on the event here.

Jonathan Keefe is from Yorktown, VA and enlisted in 2006, beginning his SEAL training the same year. He is 25 years old.

Matthew McCabe is from Perrysburg, OH and enlisted in 2003. He is 24 years old.

Julio Huertas is from Blue Island, IL and enlisted in 1999. He has served with special warfare units since 2002 and joined the SEALS in 2006. He is 28 years old.

These are the heroes being persecuted.

These SEALS were fighting for us, defending our country, and bringing retribution to one of our most-wanted terrorists. They fought for us — and now it is our turn to fight for them. We cannot just abandon them, so please, take action. Do not let this stand. Together, we can show these heroes that we support them. Remember, these SEALS are claiming that they are innocent and that they did not harm the terrorist in any way, so it’s the word of a terrorist against three Navy SEALS. Let’s show them that we stand with them, and not with a murderous terrorist.

Cross-posted from Cassy’s blog. Stop by for more original commentary, or follow her on Twitter!

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Three Navy SEALS caught Ahmed Ashim Habed, the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Americans in Fallujah in 2004. Apparently, he got punched in the lip — and they’re now facing criminal charges.

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.

The three, all members of the Navy’s elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called a captain’s mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.

Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named “Objective Amber,” told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.

Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers.

… The source said intelligence briefings provided to the SEALs stated that “Objective Amber” planned the 2004 Fallujah ambush, and “they had been tracking this guy for some time.”

The Fallujah atrocity came to symbolize the brutality of the enemy in Iraq and the degree to which a homegrown insurgency was extending its grip over Iraq.

The four Blackwater agents were transporting supplies for a catering company when they were ambushed and killed by gunfire and grenades. Insurgents burned the bodies and dragged them through the city. They hanged two of the bodies on a bridge over the Euphrates River for the world press to photograph.

Intelligence sources identified Abed as the ringleader, but he had evaded capture until September.

So, let me get this straight. Some Navy Seals capture a jihadist terrorist monster responsible for killing for Americans working for Blackwater and the mutilation of their bodies. He’s the guy responsible for this:

They punch him and give him a bloody lip, and that’s considered assault and they get a courts martial. This guy deserves much worse than a bloody lip, and these SEALS should be getting nothing but congratulations and accolades right now. It is a travesty that this could be happening during a war. I somehow think that, once upon a time, giving an enemy combatant (especially a savage like Abed) a bloody lip would be considered absolutely normal, and certainly not something to be frowned upon. I might just be a bloody neo-conservative warmonger and all, but I seem to get the idea that in war, the enemies should be roughed up. What is it with this new, touchier, feelier America?

So the guy got a freakin’ bloody lip. So what?? I’m pretty sure he’ll live. Unfortunately we can’t say the same for the Americans he had brutally and savagely murdered. Did the Department of Defense (and the Obama administration) just forget about that? This really does piss me off, and it should piss you off too. This should not be happening. We are at war, with a savage, bloodthirsty enemy that will stop at nothing to kill us. And even the Department of Defense wants to pussyfoot around one of the most wanted terrorists that these heroes were able to capture? I haven’t heard of such a gross miscarriage of justice since Ramos and Compean were arrested.

I’ll let Uncle Jimbo have the last word.

Let me explain something to you amigo. That wrist slap would be a career-ender in Spec Ops for these men. You understand? We take three guys who accomplish more in a lazy afternoon than you have in your entire anonymous, snarking-from-the-sideline, existence and we put them out of work making dead tangos. And that sounds like what should have happened to this a** clown. If he dies during the take down we have no problems.

I know you have no earthly clue just how god-awful complicated it is to actually perform a raid and scarf up a bad guy, let’s just say it rates up there with trying to conduct a Beethoven Symphony with your orchestra in free fall, screaming towards Earth like a phalanx of freaking lawn darts. That is why we like to send a f**king Hellfire down on them and last time I checked that leaves a little more than a G** damn bloody lip. And yes I am saying I don’t care if he got it once he got to base. What if the guy who clocked his murderous a** knew Scott Helverson, who this bastard helped kill, burn and then defile his corpse? Do you really want to be on record saying he should be made an example of? Do you remember what Kos said about the four men this scumbag killed you dumba**? I’ll remind you “F**k them”. You are sure in illustrious company.

Cross-posted from Cassy’s blog. Stop by for more original commentary, or follow her on Twitter!

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Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.

The three, all members of the Navy’s elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called an admiral’s mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.

Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named “Objective Amber,” told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.

Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers.

In case anyone has forgotten about the put-upon Abed’s handiwork, he’s responsible for this:

The four Blackwater agents were transporting supplies for a catering company when they were ambushed and killed by gunfire and grenades. Insurgents burned the bodies and dragged them through the city. They hanged two of the bodies on a bridge over the Euphrates River for the world press to photograph.

These were the four Americans whose savage death prompted Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos to sneer, “Screw them.” We’ve allowed people like Moulitsas to take control of the country. Our troops in the field are paying the price.

On tips from Frank W, Byron, Chad, Kyros, Anonymous Countermoonbat, and Bill T. Cross-posted at Moonbattery.

Update: Uh oh! Red on Red Blog Fight!

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