PDA

View Full Version : Obama does 180 Keeps Bush administration military tribunals




Anti Federalist
05-15-2009, 01:54 PM
Barack Obama does U-turn on Guantanamo Bay terror trials (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1182228/Barack-Obama-does-U-turn-Guantanamo-Bay-terror-trials.html)
By David Gardner
Last updated at 4:42 PM on 15th May 2009

President Barack Obama was today accused of a major U-turn after he decided to keep the controversial military commissions set up by George Bush to prosecute terror suspects.

The surprise White House announcement reversed Mr Obama’s campaign pledge to rely on America’s conventional criminal court system.

It was the president’s second U-turn this week after he changed his mind and pledged to try and block the court-ordered release of damning photographs showing US soldiers abusing prisoners.

Last night’s move led to an outcry from shocked human rights campaigners who thought Mr Obama intended to dismantle the terror tribunals after calling them ‘an enormous failure’ during last year’s presidential campaign.

In one of his first acts as president, Mr Obama obtained a 120-day suspension of the military commissions established at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba that was seen as the death knell for one of the Bush administration’s key platforms in the war on terror.

He is expected to ask for an additional 120-day delay in nine pending cases to revamp the trials.

Mr Obama is asking US Congress to expand the rights of defendants to ban evidence gained from torture or cruel treatment, limit the use of hearsay testimony and give detainees more rights to pick their own lawyers.

He wants some defendants to face trial in the civilian court system.
But aides said the president now plans to retain the Bush administration’s military commissions to try a smaller number of about 20 terror suspects.

ItsTime
05-15-2009, 02:07 PM
I wish people would start calling the 100s of Obamas "180's" what they are: LIES!

rpfan2008
05-15-2009, 02:10 PM
I would love to see a website U-bama documenting each and every U-turns Obama made from his election promises. I bet it would be great since there are lots more to come.

Reason
05-16-2009, 12:31 AM
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=192561

axiomata
05-16-2009, 01:44 AM
What was so bad about military tribunals for terrorists in the first place?

Reason
05-16-2009, 02:06 AM
What was so bad about military tribunals for terrorists in the first place?


the biggest issue for me anyway was that the detainees were getting NO trials at all

however,

read this article

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6514923

seems like the "tribunals" are/were a sham

South Park Fan
05-16-2009, 09:06 AM
What was so bad about military tribunals for terrorists in the first place?

The Bill of Rights. And isn't a little presumptuous to assume them guilty until proven innocent?

Brooklyn Red Leg
05-16-2009, 09:13 AM
"Oh come on, Obama is keeping us safe! You can't expect him to burn up political capital by allowing some poor slobs we threw under the jail to get a fair trial! He has so much more to do to get us back on the road to greatness." :rolleyes:

I swear, if I hear any more outright suckoffs by douchebag Obamabots, I'll barf. They wanna get a money shot in the face by the Annointed One, thats their right. However, the level of Cognitive Dissonance among them is staggering. Every time that slime does a flip on what he promised, his deluded followers think up more twisted ways to defend him.

axiomata
05-16-2009, 01:42 PM
If the tribunals were in fact just a sham, to give some kind of cover to the administrations detentions without due process as CivilRadient suggested then something must be done. But I have no problem with the concept of tribunals in general. Terrorists and foreign fighters do not have legal Bill of Rights protections to be tried by a jury of their peers etc. The tribunals should of course allow habeaus corpus, a speedy trial, etc. but they need not be done in civil courts. Military tribunals have been used since the Revolutionary War and the constitution gives congress to power to "constitute Tribunals inferior to the
supreme Court". So I guess that means I don't support such tribunals by executive order, only congressional action.

silverhawks
05-16-2009, 03:39 PM
What was so bad about military tribunals for terrorists in the first place?

Consider that according to the PATRIOT Act, the Military Commissions Act of 2006, and recent reports, the government definition of "terrorist" is quite fluid, and possibly includes "anyone who we want to kill or imprison, up to and including American citizens".

That's why.

axiomata
05-16-2009, 03:52 PM
Consider that according to the PATRIOT Act, the Military Commissions Act of 2006, and recent reports, the government definition of "terrorist" is quite fluid, and possibly includes "anyone who we want to kill or imprison, up to and including American citizens".

That's why.
Then the problem is with definitions and scope of powers, not the idea in general.

Cowlesy
05-16-2009, 04:03 PM
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Being Democrat is the new Republican muhahaha.

I'm glad Obama did this, just to prove to his hoards that he is no different than Bushy.

Anti Federalist
05-16-2009, 04:21 PM
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Being Democrat is the new Republican muhahaha.

I'm glad Obama did this, just to prove to his hoards that he is no different than Bushy.

The bad joke of all this will be watching the lefty kool-aid drinkers defend him.

The second bad joke will be the neo-cons standing on the sidelines, calling out their hypocrisy.

ItsTime
05-16-2009, 05:13 PM
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Being Democrat is the new Republican muhahaha.

I'm glad Obama did this, just to prove to his hoards that he is no different than Bushy.


The bad joke of all this will be watching the lefty kool-aid drinkers defend him.

The second bad joke will be the neo-cons standing on the sidelines, calling out their hypocrisy.

Americans are no longer sheep they are ostriches :eek:

http://th248.photobucket.com/albums/gg175/luckyluke009/th_ostrich_head_In_Sand.png