Comments on: US election: Obama and McCain shirk discussion of Guantánamo and executive overreach http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2008/09/29/us-election-obama-and-mccain-shirk-discussion-of-guantanamo-and-executive-overreach/ Investigative journalist, author, filmmaker and Guantanamo expert Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:40:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Andy Worthington http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2008/09/29/us-election-obama-and-mccain-shirk-discussion-of-guantanamo-and-executive-overreach/comment-page-1/#comment-29104 Andy Worthington Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:22:05 +0000 http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/?p=374#comment-29104 I always love to receive comments from my friend the Talking Dog, as he invariably has some wisdom to impart -- and often with a cynicism that is so dry that it's actually on fire. This, by comparison, is both mellow and spot-on, but it saddens me that a whole campaign will go by without it being spelled out that, for the last eight years, the White House has been hijacked by a bunch of besuited thugs who believe that the President of the United States -- or, as at present, the team pulling the strings in the Vice President's Office -- should actually have dictatorial powers. Here's a largely overlooked reminder of how shameful the whole situation is: http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2008/07/20/court-confirms-presidents-dictatorial-powers-in-case-of-us-enemy-combatant-ali-al-marri/ I always love to receive comments from my friend the Talking Dog, as he invariably has some wisdom to impart — and often with a cynicism that is so dry that it’s actually on fire.
This, by comparison, is both mellow and spot-on, but it saddens me that a whole campaign will go by without it being spelled out that, for the last eight years, the White House has been hijacked by a bunch of besuited thugs who believe that the President of the United States — or, as at present, the team pulling the strings in the Vice President’s Office — should actually have dictatorial powers.
Here’s a largely overlooked reminder of how shameful the whole situation is:
http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2008/07/20/court-confirms-presidents-dictatorial-powers-in-case-of-us-enemy-combatant-ali-al-marri/

]]> By: the talking dog http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2008/09/29/us-election-obama-and-mccain-shirk-discussion-of-guantanamo-and-executive-overreach/comment-page-1/#comment-29103 the talking dog Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:58:44 +0000 http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/?p=374#comment-29103 A couple of things are going on there. For one, no one has any doubt whatsoever that as between the two McCain is the likelier to backslide, and "realize" the "danger" prsented by those held per the war on terror at GTMO (and Bagram/Kandahar, Pol-e-Charkhi, Abu Ghraib/Iraq, etc.... now believed to be well over 10,000 all told)... and "compromise" on the "fine-sounding language" of actual compliance with the law. As noted, Obama has both a finer understanding and appreciation of the law. Still, to me, the ultimate test of the man's character is that McCain, as noted in the post, "compromised" on the uncompromisable, and let Cheney have his legislative "exception" for our version of the secret police. Compare and contrast Menachim Begin, who, after being tortured by the Soviets as a young man, took on a life-long role against torture, including reigning it in when he was PM of Israel, having understood its horrors first hand. That John McCain, who has dined out for decades on the abuse he suffered as POW in Viet Nam, has now flipped like this just because he was running for President, tells us everything we need to know about him. Quite simply, he sold out the core value of civilization. Period. Obama has, at least, voted against the Military Commissions Act, expressly designed to overrule the <i>Hamdan</i> case; his record is not perfect, though few legislators' are. Unfortunately, not only do most American voters not care about these issues, the "swing" and "undecided" voters really don't need to hear accusations of Obama being "soft on terror." It would be nice if Obama could campaign on a broader theme against executive abuse, but far too many Americans either don't understand these issues, or worse, if they did, might actually <i>prefer the dictatorial regime</i>. Under the circumstances, Obama's present handling of these things will have to do. Unlike McCain, Obama really has nothing invested in GTMO or its companion gulags over the seas, and has every incentive to reengage the rest of the world by doing the right thing and discontinuing these practices. A couple of things are going on there. For one, no one has any doubt whatsoever that as between the two McCain is the likelier to backslide, and “realize” the “danger” prsented by those held per the war on terror at GTMO (and Bagram/Kandahar, Pol-e-Charkhi, Abu Ghraib/Iraq, etc…. now believed to be well over 10,000 all told)… and “compromise” on the “fine-sounding language” of actual compliance with the law. As noted, Obama has both a finer understanding and appreciation of the law.

Still, to me, the ultimate test of the man’s character is that McCain, as noted in the post, “compromised” on the uncompromisable, and let Cheney have his legislative “exception” for our version of the secret police. Compare and contrast Menachim Begin, who, after being tortured by the Soviets as a young man, took on a life-long role against torture, including reigning it in when he was PM of Israel, having understood its horrors first hand. That John McCain, who has dined out for decades on the abuse he suffered as POW in Viet Nam, has now flipped like this just because he was running for President, tells us everything we need to know about him. Quite simply, he sold out the core value of civilization. Period.

Obama has, at least, voted against the Military Commissions Act, expressly designed to overrule the Hamdan case; his record is not perfect, though few legislators’ are. Unfortunately, not only do most American voters not care about these issues, the “swing” and “undecided” voters really don’t need to hear accusations of Obama being “soft on terror.” It would be nice if Obama could campaign on a broader theme against executive abuse, but far too many Americans either don’t understand these issues, or worse, if they did, might actually prefer the dictatorial regime.

Under the circumstances, Obama’s present handling of these things will have to do. Unlike McCain, Obama really has nothing invested in GTMO or its companion gulags over the seas, and has every incentive to reengage the rest of the world by doing the right thing and discontinuing these practices.

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