Barack Obama may or may not be a pragmatist. If BO is pragmatic it is only in the political sense, how to keep his seat of power. Dubya liked to bill himself as “The Decider.” BO is more like the hesitator. Peter Finn, Washington Post, reports:
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, Jan. 20 — In one of its first actions, the Obama administration instructed military prosecutors late Tuesday to seek a 120-day suspension of legal proceedings involving detainees at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — a clear break with the approach of the outgoing Bush administration.
Our Constitution recognizes the right to a speedy trial. What constitution principle allows for a defendent’s trail to be delayed for three months while the convening authority ponders in what forum to try them? If these Club Gitmo patron are not dangerous, then BO should release them. If they are dangerous, he should procede with their trials. Leadership means making decisions, not merely voting Present.
Addendum:
Ed Morrissey, Hot Air, seems puzzled:
The delay would only be meaningful if Obama intended to free all of the Gitmo prisoners, something that the ACLU has urged. Somehow, I don’t think Barack Obama would be that foolish. It would be tough to win re-election as the man who set Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other 9/11 actors free simply to win favor from Europe’s elite.
How smart BO actually is remains to be seen.
Tags: Barack Obama, bush administration, club gitmo, Constitution, decider, detainees, Dubya, guantanamo bay cuba, legal proceedings, patron, peter finn, political sense, ponders, pragmatist, principle, prosecutors, right to a speedy trial, War on Terror, washington post
