Should Bin Laden Be Presumed Innocent, Senator Obama?
Posted on 06/18/2008 6:21:12 AM PDT by RaceBannon
Obama advisers say bin Laden can appeal to U.S. civilian courts
Barack Obama has expressed support for the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of civilian prosecution of terrorism suspects, and his advisers said Tuesday that if Osama bin Laden were captured, he too should face civilian prosecution. – AP Bill Sammon, The Examiner 2008-06-18 07:00:00.0 Current rank: # 13 of 6,452
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama’s foreign policy advisers said Tuesday that Osama bin Laden, if captured, should be allowed to appeal his case to U.S. civilian courts, a privilege opposed by John McCain.
Responding to questions from The Examiner, Sen. John Kerry and former White House counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke said bin Laden would benefit from last week’s Supreme Court decision giving terrorism suspects habeas corpus, the right to appeal their military detention to civilian courts.
“If he were to be brought back,” Clarke said of bin Laden, “the Supreme Court ruling holds on the right of habeas corpus.”
Kerry, who applauded the Supreme Court ruling, said it will be carried out by whichever candidate wins the presidency.
“The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that they have those rights,” he said. “If John McCain were president, he would have to give them those rights.”
Randy Scheunemann, McCain’s senior foreign policy adviser, said those rights should not be extended to bin Laden or the hundreds of terrorism suspects being held by the U.S. military at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
“The individuals we hold at Guantanamo are very, very dangerous people,” Scheunemann said. “To give them full access to the federal courts and the criminal justice system is fraught with danger, moving forward, and likely to make America less safe, unlike Senator Obama’s claim of supporting the decision that it made America safer.”
On Monday, Obama applauded the civilian prosecution of terrorists before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“In previous terrorist attacks — for example, the first attack against the World Trade Center — we were able to arrest those responsible, put them on trial,” he told ABC. “They are currently in U.S. prisons, incapacitated.”
Obama said President Bush has relied too heavily on military prosecution of terrorists, which has “given a huge boost to terrorist recruitment in countries that say, ‘Look, this is how the United States treats Muslims.’ ”
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Obama wants “to take a step back to the failed policies that treated terrorism solely as a law enforcement matter, rather than a clear and present danger. Barack Obama appears to believe that terrorists should be treated like criminals — a belief that underscores his fundamental lack of judgment regarding our national security.”
The attack sounded familiar to Kerry, who was the Democratic presidential nominee four years ago.
“This is exactly what they tried to say back in 2004, and the record absolutely contradicts it,” Kerry told The Examiner. “Every Democrat voted to go to war and attack the Taliban and al Qaeda, the people who attacked us. That is not a [legalistic] approach.”
bsammon@dcexaminer.com
Examiner
hello—am I the only conservative in this room who knows about the Nuremburg Trials? We had Nuremburg trials for a reason. Had Adolf Hitler not burned himself to death, he would have stood trial at Nuremburg, under a presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
We try to kill our enemies in the field. But when they are captured, they are subject to due process—either in military courts or civilian courts or international courts. But they must be subject to SOME kind of court and SOME kind of due process. Even if no innocents have been swept up into the net, a free nation of laws must have due process even for the lowest scum.
Conservatives do not allow Presidents to imprison people for life just because they’re said to be an enemy. Can you imagine how a President Hussein might use that power?
The Nuremberg trials were held before special military tribunals. They had nothing to do Constitutional habeas corpus or due process.
I see no reason why foreign terrorists who commit atrocities are entitled to the use of U.S. courts.
I have this mental picture of Osama in the eye of a Predator camera, holding up a sign that says, I Demand to See a Lawyer!
This, then, is the change he brings (among others, all equally repugnant).
We know what drives Body Odor. What is more troubling is that the SC even took up this issue and changed the rules of the road. This is most troubling. The SC sent the wrong message to the world of Islamic Terrorist.
Who says he can’t “go on tour”?
Bush could always hang him from the porch on January 15th, 2009, then drag the body out of town on the 20th, chained to the trailer hitch of his pickup truck. Whatever’s left by the time he gets to Crawford could be sent to a taxidermist, the end product set on his mantlepiece, photographed, and pictures sent via email all over the ME with the caption “Allah Couldn’t Save Him; Allah Can’t Save YOU, Either”
Ahhh, but it’s a nice dream, though.
Just keep talking, Barry. And encourage your people to talk too. We want to hear all about it.
Obama is an anti-capitalism, marxist, racist, islamic empty suit.
sad thing is, the man will still win 200+ electoral. he’s insulated by the built in “blame america first” ilk. it’s going to take a lot more than this to sink him
SO TRUE
Maybe republicans could point this out, we are out to kill hiim yet the libs and Obama say he should have the right to our court system which is innocent to proven guilty
We really are doomed if this idiot get into power, I ma just hoping that the majority of Americans see who he really is.
one thing is for sure we cannot expectt he media to report the truth about Obama, they have been disgusting this election process.
I really have neevr seen the media so biased and so supportive of anyone and that is saying something, what is sad that many actually believe the media too
Did you ever serve in combat?
BO is just such a D-Ass, he thinks he is running for emperor of the world......Just say no to BO
Thankfully, there is still time. Barry Hussein exposes his true colors more and more each day.
no—does that matter? trying them in a court doesn’t mean they’ll go free. It didn’t mean that in Nuremburg. And I’m not entirely certain that absolutely everyone in GTMO is guilty, and not just somebody in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Most importantly, I just think it’s crazy that we want to give this power to Hussein. “Terrorist” is a changeable definition—who’s to say the Libs won’t turn around and say that people who cling too hard to their guns aren’t terrorists once they’re in power? Hussein and his John Edwards-led justice department could put you away for life without a trial of any kind.
That doesn’t sound like liberty to me—or like security.
You are certainly correct Miss Didi.
Maybe that is why Obama is refusing to do town hall meetings.
Take away his little speeches and the real Obama comes out more and more
We have to get the message out about this man , even today , not like a day passes I let people know about Obama, even strangers like at the Doc’s office today
most have never heard about all these negative factual things about Obama and are surprised that they have never heard about them
And the Nazis weren’t being held on U.S. soil, or soil controlled entirely by the U.S.
I’m not saying the Supreme Court was right. But the government isn’t right, either.
I think we need a new legal framework for dealing with these people in a way that doesn’t give them access to U.S. courts like citizens, but also doesn’t allow the President and the Pentagon to just throw someone in a dungeon without a key without any civilian oversight.
The big complication arises in that, unlike Nuremberg, the arguments and reasons for convicting these people may be state secrets or national security issues—in which case, redact the arguments and only make them available to a very few members of congress on the intelligence committee (or hopefully, a national security committee if they ever get one organized).
But again, the idea that Hussein, his My Little Phony Edwards Justice Department, and his Shinseki/Clarke Pentagon can simply decided who gets to rot for life without anyone ever knowing the facts is simply unthinkable.
When you want to give a President powers, the question you always have to ask yourself is “would I be comfortable with Hillary/Obama having this power?” If the answer is no, then it’s probably a bad idea.
It is starting to be a bit like that twilight zone epi with the cookbook.
I just hope that fool Obama keeps blowing the dust off the dang title.
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