In the debate about "harsh interrogation" tactics, sorry torture, supporters often mention the Jack Bauer Situation from the TV show 24. That we have a terrorist in our custody, they are aware of a "ticking" bomb about to do off in the United States, and if we could just get them to give us some information we could save the lives of many Americans.
The Bauer Situation has been offered up by talking heads, elected officials, folks at the DoD, and even John Yoo in his book War by Other Means as a defense for torture. Now a lot of folks much smarter than myself have noted this situation is totally bogus, has never happened, and very unlikely to happen.
And in the off chance it did and a person was tortured resulting in saving the live of thousands of Americans there would be no president that won't pardon the individual(s). So the Jack Bauer Situation is no justification to make torture official US policy.
Well with that introduction, being a fan of 24, and the Republicans previous desire to cite a TV show to justify torture, I thought I'd take a few other lessons away from this season that Obama and his team can use.
For those not familiar with 24, the main character is Jack Bauer. He works out of a government organization called the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU). The name of the show is 24, cause each episode is an actual hour in his day, 24 shows in each season, so a day in time.
Lets just say Jack has had some really bad days, seven actually since this is the seventh season.
Jack is a one man army. It seems he can't be killed. Has a MacGyver like ability to get out of any situation, and often finds torture is the only way he can get the information he needs. And when I say torture I don't mean waterboarding. I am talking about shooting them multiple times, taking a drill to their knees, drugs, even killing a family member in front of them.
In fact he resorts to torture so often in the show it would take an entire diary just to list all the things he has done.
In this season an African warlord has obtained a device that allows him to control any flight in the United States and crash the planes into each other or into the ground. As of now there are 1,300 planes in the air and he wants the President of the United States, the first female POTUS who has been only in office for a few days, to halt a planned US military invasion of his nation to support the democratically elected president and stop a genocide. To make things more difficult, there is most likely a senior presidential advisor or Cabinet member working with the African warlord.
As with 24 plots, there are about fifty other things going on, but that is the core of it.
The last couple shows have focused a fair amount of time on the President's conversations with her senior staff, Cabinet members, and the Joint Chief of Staff about how to handle the situation. Do they give into the terrorist or move forward with the invasion? The choice, thousands of Americans dead or tens of thousands Africans. In an example of "we can really crash these planes" the African warlord has already crashed two within sight of the White House.
Now before I go on, let me say YES I KNOW THIS IS A TV SHOW and NOT REALITY. And I also think it is sad, but also funny that any Republican, much less a senior DoJ official like Yoo would cite a freaking TV shows as justification for torture.
But in light of the articles we've seen about the DoD pushing back against Obama about removing troops from Iraq in 16 months, some parts of 24 become kind of interesting.
Obama's decision to override Petraeus's recommendation has not ended the conflict between the president and senior military officers over troop withdrawal, however. There are indications that Petraeus and his allies in the military and the Pentagon, including Gen. Ray Odierno, now the top commander in Iraq, have already begun to try to pressure Obama to change his withdrawal policy.
A network of senior military officers is also reported to be preparing to support Petraeus and Odierno by mobilising public opinion against Obama's decision.
Petraeus was visibly unhappy when he left the Oval Office, according to one of the sources. A White House staffer present at the meeting was quoted by the source as saying, "Petraeus made the mistake of thinking he was still dealing with George Bush instead of with Barack Obama."
As I have mentioned in the comment section here a number of times, Obama knew he'd get push back from multiple fronts on multiple topics as he moved to change Bush's policies. However, Obama knew the DoD would be at the top of the list and I am sure he has a plan in place to deal with them in a forceful manner.
I mean anybody that knows anything about the DoD knew this would happen. If not over Iraq, then over their budget, troop levels in Afghanistan, large weapons procurements (ie. modernization), you name it.
My father, who was a pretty senior level (civilian) guy in the DoD, even taught at the Army War College the same time Petraeus was there, brought up this topic to me seconds after Obama won the election. It is something we've talked about for hours and hours.
My father, a Republican, thinks Obama has no idea what he is up against and will lose. I tend to think the exact opposite. In fact I think he kept Gates in place and brought on James Jones, a former Marine four star general and NATO commander, as National Security Adviser in part to shield him from the decisions he'll shortly have to make.
Now back to 24. Although never mentioned, it is clear the current president is a liberal. And in her meetings with the Cabinet and military leaders it is striking most of not all want her to cave into the demands of the terrorist, while she is the only person in the room that notes the lives of Africans are just as important as the lives of Americans, and oh, it isn't the policy of the United States to negotiate with terrorist.
Another interesting dynamic is that when she asks her "experts" for advice they have nothing other than what you'd expect them to say. When you are only a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Now I can only speak for myself, but when I encounter a problem I am open to attempting to think about, if not try, ideas that make me uncomfortable or I don't agree with 110 percent.
She was not getting any "outside the box" thinking, or something that might go against conventional wisdom. I have to think Obama at this very second might be experiencing the exact same thing.
But what is striking is what the President does on 24. She fires the folks that won't work with her and get behind her on the spot. No ifs ands or buts. "You are fired!"
I've heard a lot of folks mention here that is exactly what Obama should do with any military leader that won't "get with the program." I have to say I agree. There is a reason Obama is the Commander & Chief of the military. He is in charge.
Now since the right loves to cite 24 as a reason we should allow torture, why don't we cite it as a reason Obama should shit-can any General that won't do as he says. Cause in 24 after she fired folks and went the direction she wanted to, they actually diverted the terrorist attack.