The Daily Kos has the post France isn’t afraid, why is the Republican Party?

Since Friday’s horrific attacks in Paris, the Republican Party has delighted ISIS by tripping over themselves to declare that the United States shouldn’t take in Syrian refugees because … uh … well, because even if they didn’t have anything to do with the attacks, they are Muslims, so why not equate all of them with the terrorists who murdered at least 129 people last week? After all, their base loves it. French President François Hollande, on the other hand, decided that France would not bow down to terrorists:

The Daily Kos post makes reference to this ABC News tweet NEW: Pres. Hollande commits to taking 30,000 refugees in next 2 years; says France has duty to honor that commitment. “Life must go on.”

ABC News also has the article President Obama Mocks Republicans on Refugee Stance.

All of this may be the proof that we need that Republicans are cowards, just as Bernie Sanders calls them for being too afraid of facing the consequences of letting all of the people vote in fair elections.

See my previous post On Rejecting the Human Intelligence of Syrian Refugees to understand why this Republican stance is not just cowardice, but it is stupid cowardice.

I found the following excerpts from the CBS Democratic debate transcript: Clinton, Sanders, O’Malley in Iowa. Emphasis added by me.

JOHN DICKERSON:

Okay, Governor O’Malley would you critique the administration’s response to ISIS? If the United States doesn’t lead (UNINTEL)?

MARTIN O’MALLEY:

John, I would– I would disagree with– with Secretary Clinton, respectfully, on this score. This actually is America’s fight. It cannot solely be America’s fight. America is best when we work in collaboration with our allies. America is best when we are actually standing up to evil in this world.

And ISIS, make no mistake about it, is an evil in this world. ISIS has brought down a Russian airliner. ISIS is now attacked the western democracy in– in France. And we do have a role in this. Not solely ours. But we must work collaboratively with other nations. The great failing of these last ten or 15 years, John, has been our failing of human intelligence on the ground. Our world in the world is not to roam the globe looking for new dictators to topple. Our role in the world is to make ourselves a beacon of hope, make ourselves stronger at home.

But also our role in the world, yes, is also to confront evil when it rises. We took out the save haven in Afghanistan but now there is undoubtedly a larger safe haven. And we must rise to this occasion in collaboration and with alliances to confront it. And invest in the future much better human intelligence so we know what the next steps are.
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MARTIN O’MALLEY:

John, may I– may I interject here? Secretary Clinton also said that we left the h– it was not just the invasion of Iraq which Secretary Clinton voted for and has since said was a big mistake, and indeed it was. But it was also the cascading effects that followed that.

It was also the disbanding of– many elements of the Iraqi army that are now showing up as part of ISIS. It was– country after country without making the investment in human intelligence to understand who the new leaders were and the new forces were that are coming up. We need to be much more far f– thinking in this new 21st century era of– of nation state failures and conflict. It’s not just about getting rid of a single dictator. It is about understanding the secondary and third consequences that fall next.

Isn’t it odd that people want to slow down or reject the welcoming of Syrian refugees to this country in light of the terrorist acts in Paris and other cities around the globe? If one of the things we are lacking is human intelligence about the terrorists, wouldn’t bringing in Syrians who are fleeing the terrorists in their own country bring in valuable human intelligence?

There may be some terrorists that sneak in with these refugees, but they may be far outnumbered by true refugees who want these terrorists defeated. The refugees don’t have enough support in Syria for them to fight the battle for peace. However, in the United States of America with the help of our police, military, and intelligence agencies, they could prove to be the balance that turns the tide against the terrorists emanating from Syria.

If human intelligence is what we are so dearly lacking, why would we work against gaining more of what we need? Has our Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker considered what he is rejecting because of his fears? Has he thought of what we could gain by displaying a little courage?