What Happens When ISIS Threatens To Behead A U.S. Pilot?
The United States condemns the heinous murder of Japanese citizen and journalist Kenji Goto by the terrorist group ISIL. Through his reporting, Mr. Goto courageously sought to convey the plight of the Syrian people to the outside world. Our thoughts are with Mr. Goto’s family and loved ones, and we stand today in solidarity with Prime Minister Abe and the Japanese people in denouncing this barbaric act. We applaud Japan’s steadfast commitment to advancing peace and prosperity in the Middle East and globally, including its generous assistance for innocent people affected by the conflicts in the region. Standing together with a broad coalition of allies and partners, the United States will continue taking decisive action to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL.
Goto had been part of an ISIS-offered swap for convicted would-be suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, whom the government of Jordan is still looking to trade for captured Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh. Last week, the White House reiterated the U.S. policy of not making concessions to terrorist groups, and took pains to draw distinctions between the deal the Jordanians are considering, and the prisoner swap that led to the return of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from the Taliban. Essentially, the differences are that the Bergdahl deal was an end-of-hostilities prisoner swap with a group which, while reliant on terrorism as a tactic, was operating as a more locally-focused insurgency:
I don’t think that the Taliban — the Taliban is an armed insurgency. This was a winding-down of the war in Afghanistan, and that’s why this arrangement was dealt.Our view is, as the President said at the time, which is, as Commander-in-Chief, when he sends men and women into armed combat, he doesn’t want to leave anyone behind. That was the commitment he was following through on this.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest also elaborated on the distinctions, which were well-trod at the time of Bergdahl’s release, and while the press focused on the “Gotcha!” aspect of the story (“The Taliban aren’t terrorists? Does not compute! Does not compute!”), the real takeaway seemed to be that…READ MORE
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By: Tommy Christopher
Tommy Christopher is The Daily Banter's White House Correspondent and Political Analyst. He's been a political reporter and liberal commentator since 2007, and has covered the White House since the beginning of the Obama administration, first for PoliticsDaily, and then for Mediaite. Christopher is a frequent guest on a variety of television, radio, and online programs, and was the villain in the documentaries The Audacity of Democracy and Hating Breitbart. He's also That Guy Who Live-Tweeted His Own Heart Attack, and the only person to have ever received public apologies from both Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.
2 responses to What Happens When ISIS Threatens To Behead A U.S. Pilot?
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Maxx44 February 2nd, 2015 at 10:58
“Cave Tonitrum”
Maxx44 February 2nd, 2015 at 11:58
“Cave Tonitrum”