Obama: 'Those who attacked our embassies will be punished'

After the attacks on American embassies by Muslim rioters, here's Obozo's reaction, as printed in the UK's Independent:

Speaking at a campaign event in Golden, Colorado, President Barack Obama vowed that the perpetrators would be punished.

"I want people around the world to hear me," he said. 'To all those who would do us harm: No act of terror will go unpunished."

Very...inspiring rhetoric. Just one problem with it: Everyone in the world knows you're just blowing smoke. There will be no punishment by the U.S. government, because the U.S. rightly rejects the notion of collective punishment.

If you're under 30 and went to public schools this may not ring any bells, but during WW2 in almost every country occupied by the Nazis, resistance groups formed and carried out whatever attacks they could to kill German soldiers. Because the members of the resistance were so hugely outnumbered, they didn't wear uniforms, and were impossible to distinguish from "regular" civilians.

Although almost all the attacks by the resistance had very little effect on the overall war, they understandably infuriated the German command, and eventually a number of regional commanders devised a strategy to get local civilians to actively oppose the resistance:

After a successful attack by the resistance, in some regions German troops would round up ten or 20 or 100 local civilians and shoot them dead.

This was "collective punishment," in which innocent people were killed as punishment for killings committed by others whose identities were unknown.

After the war, at the Nuremburg trials of surviving Nazi officers, this was one of the charges laid against particular officers by the Allied powers. Those found guilty were usually hanged.

So...Americans don't believe in collective punishment--at least in terms of hanging or imprisonment. And unless Obozo didn't study history in high school, he should know this.

For Obozo to solemnly vow that those who killed the American ambassador and three Marine guards in Libya would be punished is as blatant a bag of hot air as anyone could imagine. Because we can't know who did it, and we won't just go in and carpet-bomb the entire city.

But here's an idea, Barry (you ignorant poser): If you really believe what you said, announce that you'll immediately sign a bill reducing U.S. aid to Egypt by $400 million per year.

That would be $100 million for each American killed--in Libya!

The Egyptians will howl in rage! "Hey, WE didn't kill any Americans, so why punish us?" they'll wail. Sorry, we say; we're just applying your own principles: Your demonstrators and those in Benghazi said they were angry because someone made a film in the U.S. that insulted your prophet and his bloodthirsty religion. Yours reacted by burning our embassy, while the ones in Benghazi looted it and killed Americans.

Since you've shown you're down with collective punishment, we'll play too.

Oh, and next demonstration? If your troops fail to protect our embassy and staff--including shooting into the demonstrators if necessary--we'll cut aid by another $400 million.

If you protect our embassy we'll consider restoring the money.

But of course Barry won't make such a vow, because he's a Muslim sympathizer.