SOS -Save our (Navy) Seals!

In December I wrote about three Navy SEALs facing courts martial for alledgedly mistreating an Al Qaeda terrorist accused of killing four Americans in Iraq.  Last week, two brave congressmen renewed the call to the Pentagon to drop the cases against these brave young men.  From CNSNews:

Members of Congress – this time armed with more than 100,000 signatures – renewed their call for top Pentagon officials to drop charges against three Navy SEALs for allegedly mistreating an al Qaeda terrorist suspected of killing four Americans in Iraq.

The three SEALs will face trial in April and May.

“They should not be court martialed but hailed as heroes for doing their job,” said Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) at an event outside the Capitol Thursday where two petitions were released. “What kind of message does this send to people who lay their lives on the line every single day?”

One petition, organized by the offices of Burton and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) had 35,000 signatures. The other, organized by the conservative weekly Human Events had 118,155 signatures.

The three SEALs are Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew V. McCabe, 24 of Perrysburg, Ohio, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathon E. Keefe, 25, of Yorktown, Va., and Petty Officer 1st Class Julio A. Huertas Jr., 28, of Blue Island, Ill.

The petitions are going to Maj. Gen. Charles T. Cleveland, commanding general of Special Operations Command Central, who ordered the court martial after the three declined to take an administrative punishment that would have meant admitting guilt. Cleveland has the most direct role over the proceedings. The petition has also been sent to Adm. Gary Roughed, chief of Naval Operations.

Investors Business Daily joins the chorus:

If anyone is lying, it is Abed.

We have reported how captured al-Qaida training manuals advise captured enemy combatants to lie about their treatment.

"If you claim that you are tortured or mistreated, that will usually resonate with the hard left in America and around the world and they know it will have an impact," Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., said at a Thursday press conference with McCabe.

Appearing with Burton and McCabe was Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., one of 40 congressman who have signed a letter asking Defense Secretary Robert Gates; Army Maj. Gen. Charles Cleveland, commander of Special Operations Command Central; and Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, to drop all charges against the three.

"We join with our fellow citizens today in demanding that this prosecution, this court-martial, be canceled," Rohrabacher said Thursday. "These men should be given medals — not be prosecuted."

We think so, too.

This is just another symptom of the administration's dangerous world view.  Americans who risk everything to protect us are abandoned at the first whimper of a known terrorist.  Lawyers advising President Bush in the chaotic aftermath of 9/11 are targeted (unsuccessfully, thus far) by the Obama Justice Department for their good faith advice on interrogation techniques.  Meanwhile the Justice Department refused to release the names of  lawyers who had voluntarily represented Guantanamo terror suspects before joining the Obama Justice Department.

The Human Events petiton to free the SEALs is still available for your signature here.

Dan Burton's petition can be signed here.