January 15, 2012
Per the LA Times online edition, Kim Geiger reports (1/15/12): Texas Gov. Rick Perry, [trying to] revive his sputtering presidential campaign, said Sunday morning that the Obama administration has gone “over the top” in criticizing Marines who were videotaped urinating on Afghan corpses.”
Why?
“Obviously, 18, 19-year-olds make stupid mistakes all too often,” Perry said in an appearance on CNN's “State of the Union.” “These kids made a mistake, there's no doubt about it,” he said. “But to call it a criminal act, I think, is over the top,” and in fact the Marines have so far not been officially accused of crimes, even though the Geneva Conventions specifically forbid desecration of the dead.
“Obviously, 18, 19-year-olds make stupid mistakes all too often,” Perry said in an appearance on CNN's “State of the Union.” “These kids made a mistake, there's no doubt about it,” he said. “But to call it a criminal act, I think, is over the top,” and in fact the Marines have so far not been officially accused of crimes, even though the Geneva Conventions specifically forbid desecration of the dead.
This is a sober attitude and sensible understanding on Perry’s part, and I’m sure he will be equally restrained when reports of Taliban fighters voiding on dead Americans surface. But it leads to this problem:
Perry is in favor of expanding foreign wars, of doing “whatever it takes” to achieve victory; he declares his fellow Texan Ron Paul’s idea of bringing home the troops dangerous. That is to say, he’s in favor of putting 18 and 19 year old “kids,” who are prone to going “over the top,” in more hot-spots around the world. Frankly, it’s a piss-poor idea, and explains why Perry is no longer polling #1.
