A Tale of Top IS Leaders Killed Under Two Administrations
By Larry Elder
When President Donald Trump, in October 2019, ordered a successful takedown of top Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Democrats and even the anti-Trump media celebrated the death of the terror leader. But top leaders of the Democratic party still chastised Trump for failing to notify top congressional Democrats of the impending strike.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement: "The House must be briefed on this raid, which the Russians but not top congressional leadership were notified of in advance, and on the administration's overall strategy in the region. Our military and allies deserve strong, smart and strategic leadership from Washington."
Trump did inform two Republican leaders of the strike, but admitted he completely excluded Democrats, including Pelosi. As to informing Pelosi, Trump said: "No, I didn't. I didn't do that. I wanted to make sure this kept secret. I don't want to have men lost, and women. I don't want to have people lost." He also said: "(I was) going to notify (congressional leaders) last night, but we decided not to do that, because Washington leaks like I've never seen before. Washington is a leaking machine. And I told my people, we will not notify them until our great people are out -- not just in, but out. I don't want to have them greeted with firepower like you wouldn't believe."
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., called Trump's lack of notice "a mistake." Schiff said, "In terms of notifying the Gang of Eight, that wasn't done," referring to the leaders of both parties in the House, the Senate and their Intelligence Committees.
And according to former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Trump also broke protocol by not informing his predecessor of the elimination of this ISIS leader. Rice said: "There is a tradition of common courtesy of presidents informing their predecessors of things of significance like this. Since the White House seemingly didn't feel it necessary to inform the leadership of the intelligence committees on a bipartisan basis, I'm quite confident that they didn't do the normal protocol with respect to predecessors either."
That was then.
Last week President Joe Biden ordered a strike that killed al-Baghdadi's successor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.
Did Biden, pre-strike, notify top congressional leaders or give former President Donald Trump an advance warning? The same Democrats who criticized Trump said nothing about whether they received notice of the strike. But it appears that Biden, like Trump, kept House intelligence leaders in the dark. The Washington Post wrote: "A House Intelligence committee official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Thursday that the committee was not notified before the Syria mission 'and will ask for additional information from the administration on that decision.'" What about Pelosi? The Post said: "Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Thursday morning to inform her about the Syria mission, according to Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill. It is unclear whether Milley's call to Pelosi came before or after the strike." Whether Pelosi received notification before or after the strike, given her criticism of Trump, seems awfully relevant. But Dems and the media appear blase about the difference.
Did Biden, like Trump, worry about leaks from congressional intel leaders, including Democrats like Pelosi and Schiff? Did Biden, like Trump, fail to follow what Rice called "the tradition of common courtesy" by notifying his predecessor, the man the Biden administration calls "the former president," of the impending strike against the IS leader?
Who knows? And it appears than neither Democratic intel leaders nor the pro-Biden media care to find out or even to ask. Oh, what a difference a Democratic administration makes.
[Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host. His latest book, "The New Trump Standard," is available in paperback from Amazon.com and for Nook, Kindle, iBooks and Google Play. To find out more about Larry Elder, or become an "Elderado," visit www.LarryElder.com. Follow Larry on Twitter @LarryElder. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.]
COPYRIGHT 2022 LAURENCE A. ELDER
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
When President Donald Trump, in October 2019, ordered a successful takedown of top Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Democrats and even the anti-Trump media celebrated the death of the terror leader. But top leaders of the Democratic party still chastised Trump for failing to notify top congressional Democrats of the impending strike.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement: "The House must be briefed on this raid, which the Russians but not top congressional leadership were notified of in advance, and on the administration's overall strategy in the region. Our military and allies deserve strong, smart and strategic leadership from Washington."
Trump did inform two Republican leaders of the strike, but admitted he completely excluded Democrats, including Pelosi. As to informing Pelosi, Trump said: "No, I didn't. I didn't do that. I wanted to make sure this kept secret. I don't want to have men lost, and women. I don't want to have people lost." He also said: "(I was) going to notify (congressional leaders) last night, but we decided not to do that, because Washington leaks like I've never seen before. Washington is a leaking machine. And I told my people, we will not notify them until our great people are out -- not just in, but out. I don't want to have them greeted with firepower like you wouldn't believe."
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., called Trump's lack of notice "a mistake." Schiff said, "In terms of notifying the Gang of Eight, that wasn't done," referring to the leaders of both parties in the House, the Senate and their Intelligence Committees.
And according to former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Trump also broke protocol by not informing his predecessor of the elimination of this ISIS leader. Rice said: "There is a tradition of common courtesy of presidents informing their predecessors of things of significance like this. Since the White House seemingly didn't feel it necessary to inform the leadership of the intelligence committees on a bipartisan basis, I'm quite confident that they didn't do the normal protocol with respect to predecessors either."
That was then.
Last week President Joe Biden ordered a strike that killed al-Baghdadi's successor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.
Did Biden, pre-strike, notify top congressional leaders or give former President Donald Trump an advance warning? The same Democrats who criticized Trump said nothing about whether they received notice of the strike. But it appears that Biden, like Trump, kept House intelligence leaders in the dark. The Washington Post wrote: "A House Intelligence committee official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Thursday that the committee was not notified before the Syria mission 'and will ask for additional information from the administration on that decision.'" What about Pelosi? The Post said: "Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Thursday morning to inform her about the Syria mission, according to Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill. It is unclear whether Milley's call to Pelosi came before or after the strike." Whether Pelosi received notification before or after the strike, given her criticism of Trump, seems awfully relevant. But Dems and the media appear blase about the difference.
Did Biden, like Trump, worry about leaks from congressional intel leaders, including Democrats like Pelosi and Schiff? Did Biden, like Trump, fail to follow what Rice called "the tradition of common courtesy" by notifying his predecessor, the man the Biden administration calls "the former president," of the impending strike against the IS leader?
Who knows? And it appears than neither Democratic intel leaders nor the pro-Biden media care to find out or even to ask. Oh, what a difference a Democratic administration makes.
[Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host. His latest book, "The New Trump Standard," is available in paperback from Amazon.com and for Nook, Kindle, iBooks and Google Play. To find out more about Larry Elder, or become an "Elderado," visit www.LarryElder.com. Follow Larry on Twitter @LarryElder. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.]
COPYRIGHT 2022 LAURENCE A. ELDER
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
Recent
Black conservatives condemn alleged politically motivated killing and brutal beating in the US
October 3rd, 2022
Why are you so Awesome?
October 3rd, 2022
Kirk, the Best Brother Ever, R.I.P.
September 29th, 2022
The International Anti-Woke Backlash
September 28th, 2022
School Choice Winning
September 28th, 2022
Archive
2022
January
Cartoon 01/03/22Cartoon 01/04/22Can Peace Come to the Hood?Moving ForwardThe Democrats' Exploitation of January 6 Gives Away Their GameCartoon 01/05/22Harry Reid, Death of a 'Statesman'? Cue the LaughterCartoon 01/06/22The Biggest Drug Dealers in the Black Community.Cartoon 01/07/22Manhattan's New DA Is Protecting Criminals Instead of Their VictimsLucy(ed) Again?Cartoon 01/10/22“Voter rights legislation” is a demand for government-backed systemic voter disenfranchisement!The perversion of JusticeCartoon 01/11/22The Freedom to Cheat Act: The Radical Left’s Latest Attempt to Undermine Our DemocracyMoney for IndoctrinationThe Great Re-Sorting Is HereCartoon 01/12/22Big Tech Thugs and Their AlliesCartoon 01/13/22Cartoon 01/14/22Cartoon 01/16/22The King is DeadCartoon 01/17/22Biden's Racist IronyThe Glory of God in the CosmosCartoon 01/18/22Evil FloridaThe Quest to Destroy WorkCartoon 01/19/21MLK Day: Equal Rights Versus Equal ResultsCartoon 01/20/22Cartoon 01/21/22Cartoon 01/23/22Cartoon 01/24/22Sick CityThe COVID-19 Impact of Expressive IndividualismCartoon 01/26/22Biden's Election HypocrisyCartoon 01/27/22Conservatives, If You Are Going to Talk to the Black Community, You Need to Have Something Truly Conservative to SayNo, Requiring Voter ID Is Not ‘Jim Crow 2.0’ And It’s Offensive To Say ThatCartoon 01/28/22Cartoon 01/30/22
February
Cartoon 02/01/22Black History as American HistoryInflationWhoopi Goldberg Says the Holocaust Wasn't About Targeting Jews. Here's Why That Matters.Cartoon 02/02/22Los Angeles Times Slams 'Vitriol in Politics'-- After Hiring Vitriolic ColumnistsCartoon 02/03/22Cartoon 02/04/22Cartoon 02/06/22Cartoon 02/07/22The Attack on Joe Rogan Is an Attack on DissentGroveling to ChinaCartoon 02/09/22A Tale of Top IS Leaders Killed Under Two AdministrationsCartoon 02/11/22Cartoon 02/10/22It’s Time to Sack the Rooney RuleBlacks Continue to be Sold Out by Media Appointed Black Leaders.Cartoon 02/13/22Cartoon 02/14/22Alert to Corporations Embracing Black Lives Matter (BLM): Renounce BLM Now!Epiphanies of a Colored PersonCartoon 02/15/22Canada Goes TyrannicalCanceling JoeCartoon 02/16/22The Great Joe Rogan N-Word ControversyCartoon 02/18/22Cartoon 02/20/22Cartoon 02/22/22The War On Parents ContinuesThe Woke AMACartoon 02/23/22GOP 'Gerrymandering' is 'Racist' -- Obama-mandering is Just PoliticsCartoon 02/24/22Black History Month: A Tempered Hurrah Pt 1Cartoon 02/28/22Cartoon 02/27/22Black History Month: A Tempered Hurrah - Part II
March
Cartoon 03/01/22Putin Wakes up the Western OstrichMy Dream State of the UnionCartoon 03/02/22Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin is a Generational TalentUkraine: Putin's Misadventure Unites the WestCartoon 03/03/22Cartoon 03/04/22Cartoon 03/06/22Cartoon 03/07/22Environmentalist NIMBYism Means Foreign Policy DisasterIt's questionable whether Biden understands American valuesCowards and LeadersCartoon 03/09/22Putin's War on Ukraine: A Graver Time of Reckoning
No Comments