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 ecretary
Donald Rumsfeld is a patient man. Today, he was tortured by the
Pentagon press corps as reporters questioned him repeatedly over
every criticism our European friends have raised about the treatment
of detainees at Camp X-Ray. Rumsfeld gamely indulged every stupid
inquiry. (Some questions they dreamed up on their own — for
instance, how uncomfortable it might get during the summer with
no air conditioning!) When asked about a debate over U.S. detention
procedures in the British Parliament, Rumsfeld marveled over their
ability to make judgments from 5,000 miles away. It happens that
a detention story much closer to home for the Brits raises questions
about whether they should be looked to for advice on how to handle
the incarceration of terrorists.
In September
2000, the British finally closed the infamous Maze prison, located
outside Belfast, which had held IRA and Loyalist terrorists. During
its 30 years as the penitentiary of choice for Northern Ireland's
terrorists, there were three mass breakouts (80 escapees, many never
apprehended); eleven prisoners starved themselves to death under
the watchful eye of Her Majesty's guards; and armed IRA inmates
gunned down a Loyalist prisoner in a prison courtyard. The ability
to maintain a secure, humane facility eluded the British government
for 30 years. And, we might remind our British friends that Richard
Reid was proselytized to adopt the suicide bombers' creed during
a stint in another of Her Majesty's jails.
Complaints
from the Dutch, too, could be easily addressed. For instance, we
might consider reassuring them that as the al Qaeda prisoners age,
they will be humanely put out of their misery.
Even the Saudis
have raised concerns about the treatment of bin Laden's foot soldiers.
But, as long as they have all their limbs, they are clearly far
better off than anyone who gets on the wrong side of the Saudi "justice"
system.
At one point during today's press conference, Secretary Rumsfeld
underscored the ridiculous state of affairs he was dealing with,
by reminding his audience that "America is not what's wrong
with the world." Carping Europeans living smugly in glass houses
are part of what is.
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