obama’s approach is scary
newsmax.com grenell interview on foreign policy
Grenell: Obama’s Terrorism Approach ‘Scary’
Tuesday, 26 Jan 2010 03:43 PM Article Font Size
By: Dan Weil
Richard Grenell, former spokesman for the U.S. Representative to the United Nations calls President Obama’s approach to terrorism “scary.”
“Here’s a guy who clearly wants to be the most popular guy in the room,” Grenell, who served President George W. Bush, told Newsmax.TV’s Kathleen Walter. “He doesn’t want to make tough decisions that anger people.”
The former diplomat criticized Obama for treating accused terrorists as civilians.
“Scott Brown, the winner of the Massachusetts senate race said it best when he said, I don’t want to give them a bunch of lawyers. I want to give these terrorists a fight. I think that’s how most Americans view this situation.”
Grenell is particularly upset that the Christmas day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was read his rights after being taken from the plane.
“Someone said to this guy who just tried to blow up a plane, ‘You have the right to remain silent,’” Grenell noted.
“I would have said you don’t have the right to remain silent. I want to go over here, and I want to knock you around mentally until you start spilling some information.”
“It’s important to find out who sent and financed Abdulmutallab, so that we can stop future threats, Grenell points out.
Discussing the situation in Haiti, he stresses that the United States must stay involved for the long term.
“We can do anything we want when we set our minds to it,” Grenell said. “We are clearly focused on Haiti right now. I think the Haitian people will benefit from that.”
The U.N. will be of no help, having failed miserably in its 17 years there, he says.
“Right now we’re just dealing in Haiti on an emergency basis. We’re going to have to quickly switch into development and operational issues.” Our government will have to weather criticism that we’re too involved with another country, Grenell says.
“If we want to change that country for the better, we’re going to have to look for some economic development. It’s a long, expensive, messy road. But in the end I think Americans will want that to happen in Haiti.”
See Video: Click on link at the top of this entry.
Richard A. Grenell has nearly two decades of experience in all aspects of communications and public affairs. Grenell has served as the primary communications advisor for public officials at the local, state, federal and international levels, as well as for publicly traded Fortune 500 ranked companies.
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