The recent revelation of the Bush Administration’s CIA and military Special Forces commando teams-emulated from the Israelis who carried out assassinations and killings after the Munich Olympics attacks-in some ways mirrors the crusade against the Cathars, specifically the notion and order to “kill them all.” Such acts were supposedly banned by the Ford Administration. Still, President George W. Bush and Vice President Cheney secretly authorized and tried to implement such an illegal plan and inhumane ideology.
The order to immediately assassinate (“Kill on site!”) all al Qaeda leaders and members is extremely problematic, due to the accuracy of intelligence, bounties paid to informants and warlords, the possible capture and execution of innocent civilians trapped in war zones, and the lack of a trial. The $50 million program kept secret from Congress, the Senate Intelligence Committee, and the American people, is also troublesome. But then “kill them all” has long been ideologically institutionalized and hidden in Massive Retaliation, First Strike Doctrine, Mutual Assured Destruction, Shock and Awe, and Troop Surges.
