Gitmo Update

[classicman]

May 15 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama will keep the military tribunal system for trying terrorism suspects held at the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and expand legal protections for defendants.

The Defense Department will ask a military court for another delay in trials of suspected terrorist as the first step in revamping and reviving tribunals for some detainees, Obama said in a statement.

“We will seek more time to allow us time to reform the military commission process,” the statement said. “These reforms will begin to restore the commissions as a legitimate forum for prosecution, while bringing them in line with the rule of law.”

The actions would revive a system put in place by former President George W. Bush with changes that address objections that Obama raised about the policy during his presidential campaign. Human rights groups criticized the president’s decision, while several key lawmakers voiced their support.

Obama said he wanted to preserve the military commissions system as a proper forum “for trying enemies who violate the laws of war, provided that they are properly structured and administered.”

Good - If done properly this is the best course of action - Try and convict if guilty then sentence or if innocent move on.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I think he came to the conclusion that allowing them into the court system would become a dog & pony show of mammoth proportions. Defense lawyers would be subpoenaing everybody and their brother, plus millions of documents the government doesn't want public.
I think Obama want to clean up this mess as expeditiously as possible.

[tw]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I think Obama want to clean up this mess as expeditiously as possible.

Worse, we imprisioned hundreds who were not guilty. Now that we have created hundreds of enemies, and are not guilty, what happens to these people? Where do they go free?

Amazing how torture turns innocent people into good people.

Why would any nation want people now embedded with so much hate? We programmerd them. Where do we put them? In an open trial, they would have to go free.

Of some 400 innocent prisoners from Guantanamo, about 60 harbored so much hate of America and as to be easily recruited as soldiers against America. Every possible solution is negative. A tribute to the intelligence of people such as Condi Rice whose job was to avert such problems.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I think Obama want to clean up this mess as expeditiously as possible.

Agreed, but he is also figuring out that all the campaign promises to appease the voters and close the place is not as easy as he thought it would be. Of course I am sure that he knew that all along.

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by classicman

Good - If done properly this is the best course of action - Try and convict if guilty then sentence or if innocent move on.

It will most likely be more complicated then that since many potentially innocent people have been imprisoned under much less then favorable conditions for almost ten years. I would not be surprised if some of them tried to get revenge.

This is a no-win situation and I don't see any other realistic option then what Obama is doing now. No other country wants to hold responsibility over them and letting them go freely is extremely dangerous for Obama since if any ex-Gitmo prisoner, innocent or not, is claimed responsible for an American death in the future, Obama is screwed.