I am DISGUSTED by Obama’s new hostage policy
He announced more government agencies, but said nothing about killing the terrorists who'd think about kidnapping Americans. Obama just abdicated the responsibility of the federal government to protect Americans. He has abandoned Saeed Abedini, Amir Hekmati, Jason Reznian and Robert Levinson. Now, his vision is for the federal government to be a broker between the families and Islamic terrorists.
The Obama administration was accused Wednesday of giving terrorists an incentive to kidnap as it unveiled a hostage policy overhaul allowing families of U.S. hostages to pay ransom - and allowing the U.S. government to help families communicate with captors.
"This doesn't fix anything," Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., a leading critic of the administration's hostage policy, told Fox News. "The money that we're going to be paying ISIS is going to be used to buy arms and to buy equipment to fight Americans and to fight the Iraqis."
But the White House said the changes are being unveiled with the families and victims in mind.
"We're not going to abandon you. We're going to stand by you," Obama said of hostages' families, speaking at the White House on Wednesday.
The policy review was formally released shortly before noon, and includes a host of changes beyond the clarifications on ransom discussions - notably, the creation of a new bureaucratic structure for handling hostage cases.
The White House plans to establish a Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell responsible for coordinating the recovery of hostages; a Hostage Response Group responsible for coordinating hostage policies; and the position of "special presidential envoy for hostage affairs." Obama said this is being done to sync up various efforts, citing past coordination problems.
I don't give a damn about a new fusion cell, that's not a solution; it's a reaction.
The announcement amounts to a shift in the U.S. approach to hostages. It was considered a major break from past practice last year when the Obama administration traded five Taliban leaders for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The latest policy changes could open the door to more deals, even if they are only struck with families of hostages.
Basically, you're on your own - but call the fusion cell for pizza.
Critics worry they could also encourage more kidnappings, while effectively aiding the enemy.
"The concern that I have is that by lifting that long-held principle [of not paying ransoms], you could be endangering more Americans here and overseas," House Speaker John Boehner said.
"You're going to have to have the government now facilitating payments from the families here to the terrorists there while at the same time we have troops on the ground ... fighting the same people that we're paying money to," Hunter said Wednesday. "You're worth more captured now than you would be otherwise."
We don't negotiate with terrorists - but we're establishing a group to help YOU negotiate with terrorists. This is doggone FUBAR!
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