Were Tucker & Menchaca Lost Because of No U.S. Plan?

Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker were overwhelmed, kidnapped and subsequently slaughtered by Iraqi insurgents or Al-Qaeda. And when Al-Qaeda described their deaths as a slaughter, you can be sure that it was a death including at the very least having their throats slit, as if they were animals being killed for consumption.

So what complicity does the U.S. government have in the deaths of these two soldiers? Is there anything more than the fact that the U.S. government sent them to a place where their very presence subjects them to mortal danger? Thanks to the American media, I’ll bet that a whole lot of people think that the soldiers died because the U.S. government did not have a plan in place to ransom the soldiers and gain their freedom from either Iraqi insurgents or Al-Qaeda. The nonsense of such an allegation is beyond the pale. Nevertheless according to news reports, that is exactly what happened on NBC’s “Today” show.

"The news is going to be heartbreaking for my family," Menchaca's uncle, Ken MacKenzie, told NBC's "Today" show.

He said the United States should have paid a ransom for the two soldiers from money seized from Saddam Hussein.

"I think the U.S. was too slow to react to this," MacKenzie said. "Because the U.S. did not have a plan in place, my nephew has paid with his life."

Unless the Today show presented a contrary explanation, the show clearly allowed an ignorant, personal opinion to be presented as a plausible theory.
The likely truth is that Al-Qaeda is responsible for the deaths at the hands of the new replacement leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Sheik Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, AKA Abu Ayyub al-Masri.

The statement, which could not be authenticated, said the two soldiers were "slaughtered," suggesting they had been beheaded by Abu Hamza al- Muhajer. The Arabic word used in the statement, "nahr," is used for the slaughtering of sheep by cutting the throat and has been used in past statements to refer to beheadings.

"With God Almighty's blessing, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer carried out the verdict of the Islamic court” for the soldier's slaying, the statement said.

As in any cult, it is important for the leader to be charismatic and proactive. Hence, it was important for Al-Zarqawi’s successor to accomplish an immediate act to engage the emotions and loyalty of the movement’s supporters. From an Islamic perspective, what better act could he engage in other than the cowardly slaughter of captive enemies? It was a trademark of Al-Zarqawi. All of these slaughters were done with the approval of Allah, I am sure. You can bet that Sheik Abu Hamza al-Muhajer is not interested in ransom money.

If the Today show did not present a counterbalancing perspective to the MacKenzie allegation, then the show is guilty of the usual leftist agenda of smearing the U.S. at any opportunity regardless of the likely facts. You will have to tell me, I don’t watch that show.