Obama - The beginning

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Redux

Rendition is nothing new.

True. But it was never exercised before like it was under Bush. Clinton authorized it as well but the cases were few and far between.

If Obama is going to close Gitmo...there will need to be some form of "rendition" of those prisoners...unless the plan is to hold them in US prisons or release them unconditionally, and neither option is under consideration.

That is not what Obama has done in this act. That is a completely different subject. I do not believe that most of the inhabitants at Gitmo were placed there do to a rendition program under Bush.

The same Executive Order does specifically prohibit interrogation techniques that are defined as torture under our international treaty obligations.

Other executive orders have or will. The concept of "torture under our international treaty obligations" is a subject that has received much debate. Anyone claims to be able to define it is deluded.

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

The concept of "torture under our international treaty obligations" is a subject that has received much debate. Anyone claims to be able to define it is deluded.

If it is subject to debate, and I agree it is, it should be adjudicated by the judicial branch (even it it had to be in secret) and NOT determined by the DoJ attorneys who provided Bush with an interpretation that justified the actions.

Checks and balances!

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Redux

If it is subject to debate, and I agree it is, it should be adjudicated by the judicial branch (even it it had to be in secret) and NOT determined by the DoJ attorneys who provided Bush with an interpretation that justified the actions.

Checks and balances!

Why? You think that the DOJ under Obama is not going to do the same thing and have their own interpretations about things. Hell, take a look at Janet Reno. There is a long running history and precident set, and it wasn't by Bush.