✖Conservative Leadership Conference Blog

I’m not usually one to trumpet the names of people who have declined to speak at the 2007 Conservative Leadership Conference - Hillary Clinton being the sole exception thus far. But I thought the turn-down we just received yesterday from Lt. Col. Allen West was worth mentioning, especially since his “scheduling conflict” is actually, well, real and not just a polite way to say “Buzz off!” Here’s what he wrote…

“Mr. Muth, sir, and Honorable Congressman John Shadegg, greetings to you gentlemen from Kandahar, Afghanistan. I received your very humbling invitation to speak at 2007 CLC and it is a true honor. I regret to inform you that my tour of duty here in Afghanistan does not conclude until 1 November and I land back in the US on 2 November. I am very disappointed that I will not be able to attend this astute gathering as my ideology is conservative and my party affiliation is Republican.

“I have been here in Afghanistan since June 2005, as an advisor and mentor to the Afghanistan National Army Headquarters in southern region, and as you know served in Iraq in 2003, as well as, Desert Storm. We are at a decisive point in the future of our Republic and my decision to run for Congress is just about continuing to serve my America, albeit in a different capacity, and uniform.”

Yes, LTC West is running for Congress next year against freshman Democrat Rep. Ron Kline in Florida. But longtime News & Views readers might remember his name from when I interviewed his lawyer a couple years ago. Here, let me refresh your memory…

In a National Review Online column in December 2003, Jed Babbin reported that there was good, local intelligence that an assassination plot was in the works against Lt. Col. West and his troops, then-stationed in the Sunni Triangle in August 2003.

“Between August 16 and 20, intelligence identified an Iraqi policeman who was allegedly involved in the assassination plot, and the man was arrested on Aug. 20. According to the officer’s defense attorney, this is what happened.

“Lt. Col. Allen B. West was told the policeman was uncooperative, so he took a few of his men to the interrogation area to see for himself, where he found the prisoner being questioned by two female officers. They told him the man was belligerent, and wasn’t giving them any information. (Surprise, surprise. The idiocy of having women question male Arab prisoners is apparent to everyone except the army commanders.)

“West entered the room, sat across from the man, drew his pistol, and placed it in his lap. West told him he had come to either get information, or to kill him. The prisoner responded by smiling and saying, ‘I love you.’

“The interrogation continued, and one of West’s troops lost his temper and started slapping the man. West then had his men take the prisoner outside, where he again threatened the man, telling him that he would kill him on the count of five if he didn’t tell what he knew. The prisoner refused, and West fired his pistol into the air. The interrogation continued, but not the beating.

“After about 20 more minutes of useless questioning, West grabbed the man, held him down near a box full of sand used to discharge jammed weapons, and said something like, ‘This is it. I’m going to count to five again, and if you don’t give me what I want, I’m going to kill you.’

“West held the man down, counted to five, and then fired his pistol into the discharging box about a foot from the Iraqi’s head. He began talking. Over the next few minutes, the prisoner gave very specific information about the plot. He named the conspirators, gave times and dates of the assassination plan, and even described how attacks would be made.”

As a result, Babbin reports, the ambush was avoided and the plot thwarted. West immediately reported his actions to his superior officer, who for all intents and purposes brushed the matter off. Oh, and there were no further attacks on LTC West’s troops while under his command.

A doctor who examined the prisoner after the incident noted the man was “bruised and scared but not injured in any significant way.”

And that was that…until a couple months later when a disgruntled sergeant reported the incident to Gen. Ray Odierno, the commanding general of the Fourth Infantry Division.

“Suddenly, on October 4, West was relieved of his command,” Babbin continues. “On October 18th, two weeks to the day before he would become vested in his army retirement program, West was told he either had to resign or face court martial. Not wanting to lose his pension, West refused. His offer to resign after his benefits kicked in was rejected. An Article 32 hearing - the military equivalent of a grand jury - heard the charges against West in November.”

West was, believe it or not, was facing 11 years in the prison. For his part, the officer never tried to hide his actions and took full responsibility for them. “I know the method I used was not right, but I wanted to take care of my soldiers,” he testified in a military courtroom. When asked under oath if he’d do it again under similar circumstances, LTC West replied, “If it’s about the lives of my soldiers at stake, I’d go through hell with a gasoline can.”

On December 13, 2003, CNN reported the following:

“The commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division on Friday accepted a U.S. military investigator’s recommendation and ordered administrative action against Lt. Col. Allen West, who was accused of using improper methods to force information out of an Iraqi detainee. Following a military hearing, West was fined $5,000 over two months, according to West’s civilian attorney, Neal Puckett. The punishment does not affect West’s eligibility for retirement and pension, Puckett said in a statement.”

That an officer like LTC West was relieved of duty, prosecuted and FINED $5,000 for the actions he took in Iraq to protect the men and women under his command is all you really need to know to understand why we’re not “winning” the war over there. And no “surge” of troops is going to make any real difference as long as those additional troops are forced to fight this brutal, barbaric enemy with one hand tied behind their backs while constantly looking over their shoulders for military lawyers. But I digress.

Anyway, I think LTC West has a darned good reason for not being at “Rightoberfest” and I wanted to share it with you. Should you decide that a contribution to his congressional campaign is a small way to say “THANK YOU, SIR!” you can donate online via his campaign website here