Obama restarts Bush tribunals

[Tex]

After months of soul searching, Obama has decided the Bush war tribunals were not so bad after all.

He is making some changes, though. During the course of their trial each detainee will receive a $50 Best Buy gift certificate, a personally signed apology letter from the President, and all the popsicles they can eat.

The hope is after they are released, they will remember our kindness and not go back to the battlefield.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/...nal/index.html

[Snowcat]

Originally Posted by Tex

After months of soul searching, Obama has decided the Bush war tribunals were not so bad after all.

He is making some changes, though. During the course of their trial each detainee will receive a $50 Best Buy gift certificate, a personally signed apology letter from the President, and all the popsicles they can eat.

The hope is after they are released, they will remember our kindness and not go back to the battlefield.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/...nal/index.html

Maybe they could get one of those nifty DVD collections.

[MikeWaters]

As Obama moves to Bush-level fascism, you would think that Tex would be cheering.

[Tex]

Still enjoying that hypocrisy thing. Pelosi, Obama ....

[BlueK]

Originally Posted by Tex

After months of soul searching, Obama has decided the Bush war tribunals were not so bad after all.

He is making some changes, though. During the course of their trial each detainee will receive a $50 Best Buy gift certificate, a personally signed apology letter from the President, and all the popsicles they can eat.

The hope is after they are released, they will remember our kindness and not go back to the battlefield.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/...nal/index.html

Bush is who stopped the military tribunals because the burden of proof was too high. In most cases evidence was sketchy or almost non-existent. So military tribunals which have rules and procedures similar to criminal court would probably have meant a large number, if not most, of the prisoners being released. That's why he ended the tribunals.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by Tex

After months of soul searching, Obama has decided the Bush war tribunals were not so bad after all.

He is making some changes, though. During the course of their trial each detainee will receive a $50 Best Buy gift certificate, a personally signed apology letter from the President, and all the popsicles they can eat.

The hope is after they are released, they will remember our kindness and not go back to the battlefield.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/...nal/index.html

Where is the hypocrisy you note? Obama favors due process for the detainees. He always has. He is now establishing a system that, as explained, provides due process which the detainees must and will be entitled to. That isn't the same as what Bush established in the military tribunals he set up (which were held to be unconstitutional). You see the phrase "military tribunal" and immediately assume that one tribunal must be the exact same as another. That is a pretty simplistic and naive way to view this.

Many on the left (including myself) have long advocated for military tribunals for the detainees but with actual due process rights attached (which were absent under Bush). The forum for that process (whether a military court or a civilian court) isn't particularly relevant to me, so long as due process is afforded (which is precisely what Obama has determined as well).

This is a solid step in the right direction.