Posted on 05/15/2009 1:19:09 AM PDT by Schnucki
President Barack Obama has given permission for military trials to restart at Guantanamo Bay in an announcement that effectively repudiated one of his first decisions in office.
The White House attempted to forestall criticism from President Obama's liberal supporters by promising improved legal safeguards.
President Obama stopped military commissions, which were trying suspects in the September 11, 2001 attacks on America by al-Qaeda as soon as he took over from George W Bush. President Obama ordered a review of the procedures, declaring the system did not work. But he was careful not to rule out the use of a modified tribunal system in future.
The new legal framework, which will try the most prominent Al-Qaeda suspects now at the Guantanamo Bay war on terror camp in Cuba, would include restrictions on the use of hearsay evidence against detainees. The revisions would also reportedly ban evidence obtained through coercion, such as waterboarding and other enhanced CIA interrogation techniques.
Five detainees have been charged with playing a role in the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, including the plot's self-proclaimed mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Republicans condemned the order to close Guantanamo Bay by late January next year, and Democrats have rejected a White House funding request to shutter the prison. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham applauded the decision to revamp the tribunals as a step toward strengthening policies that have been derided worldwide.
"I continue to believe it is in our own national security interests to separate ourselves from the past problems of Guantanamo," said Sen Graham. "I agree with the president and our military commanders that now is the time to start over and strengthen our detention policies. I applaud the president's actions today."
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
If Obama was as committed as you seem to think he is, that is, to the fringe left, then he would have closed Guantanamo down already, let alone reinstate the tribunals, and let's not even get into the so called torture photos that they're having a hissy fit over. I'm guessing you don't even know what the hell the loony left wants.
He doesn't need to implement these things to carry out his socialist agenda. He only told those things to his idiot base to get elected. He's a pathological liar, but he's brilliant at manipulating people, which obviously, extends beyond his idiot base....
Right....that'll change their perception that these people are homicidal maniacs, who must kill all non believers in the name of Allah, and bring the world to it's knees in servitude.
And you think I'm naive....
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