NRO columnist leaves no doubt whose side he’s on…

NRO’s Andrew McCarthy wrote a recent column about the plight of the two Border Patrol agents now serving long prison terms after being vigorously prosecuted by US attorney Johnny Sutton. Only McCarthy doesn’t describe the agents’ situation as a “plight”. In fact, he seems even more enthusiastic than Sutton that the agents are in prison for shooting an illegal alien drug smuggler in the butt.

McCarthy arrogantly pontificates in his piece that the agents are guilty as sin, and that anyone who thinks differently must be woefully ignorant of the facts. In particular he singled out [I]World Net Daily[/I], a popular website that has done a lot of reporting on the case. He also “called out” Sara A. Carter of California’s [I]Inland Valley Daily Bulletin[/I] plus internet columnist Sher Zieve for their defense of the agents.

As Sher Zieve points out in her follow up column, McCarthy relies heavily on information that has now been discredited. DHS Inspector General Robert Skinner admitted this past week that his top deputies gave members of congress false information that portrayed BP agents Ramos and Compean as “rogue cops”.

McCarthy buys into Sutton’s premise that the agents wanted to “shoot some Mexicans”, or as he put it, “the agents certainly wanted to shoot one particular Mexican” – referring to the illegal alien drug smuggler, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila. McCarthy seems far more concerned over the “cover-up” by the agents (they removed the bullet casings and failed to file a report – something that by all accounts should have amounted to a five-day suspension), than the fact that Aldrete-Davila was attempting to bring nearly 750 ponds of dope into the US. He also seems equally unconcerned that Johnny Sutton gave this dope peddler immunity for testifying in a trial that handed down obscene sentences against the two agents, one of whom was recently beaten in prison – in all probability by illegal aliens. McCarthy chooses not to believe agent Compean’s contention that he thought the smuggler was armed, despite the fact that the path of the bullet is clearly described as entering in the left side of the left buttocks, traveling through the groin area, and lodging in the right thigh – consistent with someone turning to aim a weapon.

There are many twists and turns in this story that saw Sutton give immunity to the illegal drug smuggler in exchange for his testimony against the two agents. It is becoming more and more clear that are many problems and downright contradictions with the government’s case.

McCarthy went on to say, “You want to argue about the sentences being too severe? That’s fair.” McCarthy may have conceded that it’s “fair” but he certainly doesn’t choose to argue the case. One is left with the definite impression that McCarthy would prefer to see these two agents, one of whom had been nominated for Border Patrol “agent of the year”, remain locked up indefinitely. Perhaps McCarthy would like to send the prison some special leg-irons in order to punish them further. He might also consider assisting Aldrete-Davila with his $5 million lawsuit against the U.S. for violating his “civil rights” – a case that most assuredly would never have seen the light of day had Johnny Sutton not cut the immunity deal that brought back Aldrete-Davila to begin with. 

There are probably two reasons for McCarthy’s zeal in bashing WND and other writers who have been keeping the story going. One is that [I]World Net Daily[/I] is probably seen as an “upstart” conservative publication. In the process, they have attained an internet readership that rivals and perhaps even surpasses [I]National Review Online[/I].

The second reason is that NRO in recent times seems to have forgotten their conservative roots. In many ways they have become nothing more than mouthpieces for the Bush Administration. The entire immigration issue is a hot button for many conservatives who now find themselves at odds with this president - a president who favors amnesty for millions of illegal aliens and refuses to control the border. A president who has finally promised to “review” the case of Compean and Ramos, but only after enormous pressure from the conservative base.

McCarthy wanted to “‘splain” this case to Sher Zieve (and to everyone else who disagrees with him.) Well, I have a little “‘splaining” where NRO is concerned. Their slavish devotion to the Bush Administration extends to peripheral issues such as the Border Patrol agents’ case. They know that immigration is the White House’s achilles heel, and that this case has the ability to explode like a powder keg. So, NRO will naturally do all they can to downplay the case.

Sorry, but being lackeys for the Bush Administration no longer cuts it among true conservatives.

Chip McLean is the editor/publisher for Capitol Hill Coffee House. Chip is a former broadcaster.  His interest in politics began at the age of eight, when his parents took him to a Barry Goldwater rally during the 1964 presidential election. In addition to his work at CHCH, Chip’s columns have appeared in a number of online conservative publications.