President Obama was my wildly enthisiatic choice for President. He was clear, determined, focused and called himself a man of change. Since being elected, he has done many good things. I was elated when he was elected because I was appalled at the Bush administration's view of civil rights and torture. I thought that President Obama would change all of that. Instead, I now feel badly disappointed.
The first video below shows then-Senator Obama discussing torture. He said, unequivocally, that, "We do not torture." So why has his new CIA Director, Leon Panetta, as reported in the Wall Street Journal said, "President Barack Obama can still use his wartime powers to authorize harsher techniques, if necessary." In that video, the President said, "We do not farm out torture." Then why does Panetta say that, "If we render someone we are obviously going to get assurances from that country that the detainee will be treated humanely." Then why render them at all? Does this sound like doubletalk? It does to me.
Panetta said, "The administration is evaluating the effectiveness of enhanced interrogation tactics, such as waterboarding and will make recommendations on which should be allowed." The President says we do not torture but the CIA says it is not sure. How can that even be a question?
Also, the Obama administration is repeating the Bush administration’s “state secrets” claim -- blocking victims of torture from getting their day in court in a critical extraordinary rendition case. And they have told a federal court that military detainees held at Bagram Air Force base in Afghanistan have no legal right to challenge their detention. And the administration is moving forward with the Bush administration’s last-minute effort to deny Mohammed Jawad -- a Guantánamo prisoner who has been held in U.S. custody since he was a teenager -- the chance to challenge his unlawful detention. To top that off, the Pentagon is now claiming that Guantomomo Bay meets humanitarian standards laid out in the Geneva Conventions in spite of overwhelming evidence of widespread torture.
Also, the Obama administration is repeating the Bush administration’s “state secrets” claim -- blocking victims of torture from getting their day in court in a critical extraordinary rendition case. And they have told a federal court that military detainees held at Bagram Air Force base in Afghanistan have no legal right to challenge their detention. And the administration is moving forward with the Bush administration’s last-minute effort to deny Mohammed Jawad -- a Guantánamo prisoner who has been held in U.S. custody since he was a teenager -- the chance to challenge his unlawful detention. To top that off, the Pentagon is now claiming that Guantomomo Bay meets humanitarian standards laid out in the Geneva Conventions in spite of overwhelming evidence of widespread torture.
Finally, the second video shows Senator Obama criticizing President Bush for using signing statements on May 10, 2008, vowing to not use them himself, but then on March 11, 2009, issued his first signing statement.
This must all be a bad dream, but I am awake and the facts are still here.
Video Length 2 min 41 sec
center>Video Length 1 min 32 sec
This must all be a bad dream, but I am awake and the facts are still here.
center>Video Length 1 min 32 sec
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