Oh The Dogs of Asymmetric Warfare

Late last week three of the 462 detainees at Guantanomo Bay took their own lives by hanging themselves in their cells. The Pentagon's Admiral Harris was widely quoted in the news as describing the deaths as a "an act of asymmetric warfare waged against us." (real quote).

What could that possibly mean? I suppose the Admiral is hoping that Americans do not think the suicides were motivated by the hopelessness of men who have been held in captivity for over four years, incommunicado, subjected to repeated interrogations and perhaps torture, with no charges filed against them. I think the Admiral wants us to recognize that the suicides were a carefully crafted public relations move to publicize the plight of those at Guantanomo. We will probably never know the true motivations of the prisoners. (I suspect it was a mix of hopelessness and rage.) But you have to love the Admiral's rhetorical ruse. So now even passive resistance is part of the war against us.

How does one retaliate against "asymmetrical warfare." Wait and find out.