Is anyone besides me wondering how in the name of all things good can anyone think it is in the United States' best interest to maintain an international reputation as a torturing bully? Upset over recent photos of President Obama shaking hands with avowed enemies such as Venezuela's Chavez and Nicaragua's Ortega, along with the release of formerly classified documents about our interrogation tactics, his critics have gone into a state of near apoplexy. The argument is that unless the United States can convince our enemies that we stand ready to inflict upon them severe harm and will torture captive enemy combatants when we think it is necessary, we have no standing to defend freedom's causes. Our enemies will see us as weak and will be emboldened.
In the first place, the fact the the United States has been the world's only super power for decades has been no deterrent to those given to terrorism. In the second place we have now learned that some of these banned interrogation tactics were employed hundreds of times with questionable results. As one expert said, if you have to water board someone a hundred times, it obviously isn't working.
From a principled biblical perspective there is simply no way one can claim it is wrong to shake hands and smile at an enemy. If anything that doesn't go far enough. The Bible says we are to LOVE our enemies and, if they are hungry, give them something to eat. Admittedly, this is not always easy. In fact, Jesus described it as the narrow way that few of us ever find. Most of us are inclined toward retaliation and violence. Our gut tells us to get the s.o.b's. But that isn't the way of love. It has a very poor track record for success, whereas love never fails.
Bellicose threatening vs. a smile and a handshake--let's try the latter for a change.
