Ex-CIA official: Obama's retreat on Gitmo campaign promise risks long-term harm to USA

[Bluebear]

President Obama's decision to go ahead with military tribunals at Guantánamo and authorize indefinite detention of prisoners represents a final retreat from his campaign promise to close the controversial facility.

Obama's change of heart on Guantánamo has disappointed many of his supporters, especially because Guantánamo was seen as emblematic of former president George W. Bush's approach to foreign policy. Now Bush's detainee policy appears to have the blessing of his Democratic successor.

And one former CIA official now at Harvard, Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, writes that the apparently permanent place of the Guantánamo prison in American foreign policy will do lasting damage to the image of the US:

As a retired CIA officer, I'm not "soft" on terrorism. I’m not advocating that we release dangerous terrorists. I am not saying that U.S. laws should apply to the detainees as for citizens. But even our enemies deserve due process under the law. Even our enemies — especially our enemies — deserve a form of swift and fair justice. If some of these men are released and return to threaten us one day, then so be it; we must not be guided by fear...

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/blogs/the_angle/2011/03/guantanamo_poli.html

[bluestateguy]

1. Right now Wisconsin is more important

nt

[Rex]

2. If you don't hold trials or have a fair court system in place then

there really is no such thing as a free society, just a lot of secret prisons and foreign states ready to torture anyone you ask them to. Really disturbing news, but not very surprising to me.

[aquart]

3. Retreat is his basic posture.

And an evil French joke just came to mind.

[Drale]

4. If they close Gitmo

where are we going to send the tea baggers when America wakes up and they are finally given the title they deserve, Terrorist Organization?

[Bluebear]

5. Good point!