Terrorist 'history lessons'

Ralph Peters:

...

* The administration claims Abdulmutallab is now cooperating. That's either dishonest or idiotic -- or both.

If he is cooperating, jeez, you don't tell the terrorists. Why on earth leak it that the guy's blabbing, thus warning the enemy? Could the administration -- just possibly -- be playing politics?

* Even if he's talking now, Abdulmutallab won't provide actionable intelligence. It's too late: His contacts had time to vacate the premises and alter their modes of operation.

The best information that a low-level operative like the Jockey-shorts jerk possesses is highly perishable -- the captive isn't privy to long-term plans, just the immediate details of his mission and a few basic contacts.

Information that might have been valuable on Dec. 26 may be worthless by Jan. 26. Yet, in that critical early window we convinced Abdulmutallab to clam up -- thanks to the folly of treating him to a lawyer.

In the intelligence world, where I served for decades, we derided such useless data as we're getting now as "history lessons."

...

The administration would be better off admitting they made a mistake, but it is one that is fundamental to their lawfare approach to terrorism so they can not. They need to abandon this approach for the sake of national security.