Comments on: Is Obama moving away from interrogation reform?

By: House of Eratosthenes

House of Eratosthenes — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:53:38 +0000

[...] elect it to be your next President. Earlier today, I noted that Barack Obama’s team has started hinting that they will move back towards John [...]

By: The Two Malcontents » The Guantanamo Dilemma

The Two Malcontents » The Guantanamo Dilemma — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:53:44 +0000

[...] on Guantanamo was just one plank in a broader platform to revamp American counterterrorism policy. Earlier this year, Obama said that he supported legislation that would have required the CIA and other agencies to [...]

By: The Gitmo Dilemma: “We need to destroy our enemies, not guarantee their rights” » Winds Of Jihad

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:49:55 +0000

By: Obama’s Firm But Nuanced Positions On GITMO And “Torture” « Nice Deb

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:31:27 +0000

[...] what are his surrogates saying? Ed Morrissey at Hot Air has been keeping an eye on that for us. On the Interrogation front, it seems that Obama may be moving away from his past position of supporting a bill that would have [...]

By: Steve Z

Steve Z — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:28:32 +0000

As Obama has repeatedly stated, he is a “change from the failed policies of the past”. But silly us–we thought that meant the policies of George W. Bush–Obama meant his campaign promises!

What should we make of a campaign that sounded like Mao’s “Great Leap Forward” that has become the “Great Backtrack to the Middle” once he’s elected? Is it just a headfake until he’s really inaugurated, because the Bush Administration or the lame-duck Republicans in the Senate can still undermine him now?

Or is Obama really getting an education from the Bush Administration during the transition? It was one thing to sway the swooning, adoring masses, half of whom were too drunk or stoned to notice what he was saying, with is eloquence. But now that he’s won the job of President, is he now finding out from those that have been there 8 years that this job is really HARD, that there are real enemies out there that can’t be sweet-talked out of their hatred for this country, who only understand one thing–FORCE? Maybe Obama is finding out that there’s something to this “experience” problem, which he sorely needs. President Clueless on the learning curve.

Although I despise her, I hope Obama does choose Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State. She did criticize Obama’s willingness to sit down with Ahmadinejad and Chavez as “dangerous and naive”, and if she were Secretary of State, she would probably meet with their Foreign Ministers (with Bill Clinton’s advice) and slam the door on any dangerous concessions Obama wants to make.

An Obama Administration, unchecked by Congress, is a train wreck waiting to happen, especially on foreign policy. Brakes are to be appreciated, from whatever source!

By: Lots And Lots Of Change « Beltway Snark

Lots And Lots Of Change « Beltway Snark — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:08:43 +0000

[...] of Gitmo, Team Obama is doing a little shifting on interrogation reform too. Although Obama issued a statement during the campaign supporting the idea of applying the Army [...]

By: Ares

Ares — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:53:10 +0000

Nonsense. It does work.

It’s not going to get you anything from a low ranking soldier, but it’s going to get you intel from KSM and his ilk.

It did and it was indispensible.

drjohn on November 16, 2008 at 10:06 AM

Someone really bought in to Series 6 of “24″

What is McCain’s view on torture? Might be interesting to know given that he actually was tortured for several years….

By: Hopeful policy changes… « Things we whisper…

Hopeful policy changes… « Things we whisper… — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:31:33 +0000

[...] One is also pondering the intrrogation techniqes used by the CIA. During his glorious campaign he had promised to bring an end to the Bush torture policy, but now [...]

By: Hot Air » Blog Archive » Going backwards on indefinite detention, too?

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Going backwards on indefinite detention, too? — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:48:59 +0000

[...] Earlier today, I noted that Barack Obama’s team has started hinting that they will move back towards John McCain’s position on interrogation techniqiues. Now supporters of Obama who have criticized the Bush administration’s position on indefinite detention have begun rethinking that policy as well: As a presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama sketched the broad outlines of a plan to close the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba: try detainees in American courts and reject the Bush administration’s military commission system. [...]

By: Cindy Munford

Cindy Munford — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:50:26 +0000

drjohn on November 16, 2008 at 10:10 AM

I think they should absolutely write a great policy for the world to see, then keep us safe. After all the stuff that the enemy has done to soldiers and civilians alike I am going to find it really hard to get upset over some deep clean face washing.

By: For the Glory of God « Riggword Weblog

For the Glory of God « Riggword Weblog — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:24:41 +0000

By: drjohn

drjohn — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:10:26 +0000

It validates torture by the enemy of our own.

And one more thing.

When the HELL has the Geneva Convention protected a US soldier?

They’ve been treated so damned well over the last six years by the Taliban, haven’t they?

This is a particularly stupid argument.

The Geneva Convention serves to prevent the US from doing to enemy soldiers what enemy nations do to US soldiers.

The Geneva Convention is just another idiotic liberal feel-good construct.

By: drjohn

drjohn — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:06:49 +0000

I’m against torture. Period. It doesn’t work. It validates the enemy’s original perception against us. It validates torture by the enemy of our own.

Nonsense. It does work.

It’s not going to get you anything from a low ranking soldier, but it’s going to get you intel from KSM and his ilk.

It did and it was indispensible.

By: drjohn

drjohn — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:05:14 +0000

FISA and the Patriot act are Obama bellweathers.

Watch them.

As they go, so goes Obama

By: mountainaires

mountainaires — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:42:40 +0000

I’m against torture. Period. It doesn’t work. It validates the enemy’s original perception against us. It validates torture by the enemy of our own. It creates a sweeping spiral of inhumanity among all those who come into contact with it. When we torture, we are no different than those who torture us: Sadists. What, after all, is the point of fighting an enemy by becoming the very enemy we fight. Torturing another creature is immoral and sadistic; in order to do so, one must become a sociopath, or prove oneself to already be a sociopath. There is simply no valid argument in defense of sadism, and certainly not saving a life, for what then is that life even worth, if another human being had to be tortured to save it? We trivialize our faith in God every time we argue such a thing; any despot can say he slaughtered his people in defense of his country. Every conservative should reject torture as a tool for “saving lives.” It’s pathetic.

By: Siddhartha Vicious

Siddhartha Vicious — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:41:56 +0000

Not even when Rev Wright and Bill Ayers spend the night in the Lincoln bedroom!

Together.

By: Jules Crittenden » Change That Matters

Jules Crittenden » Change That Matters — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:11:40 +0000

[...] increasingly to be occuring within Obama policy positions. Hot Air, on the shifting change goalposts, reports on indicators that even as the incoming Obamists [...]

By: Mojave Mark

Mojave Mark — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 04:26:10 +0000

The double standard in media is truly breathtaking. No one should believe a single word MSM says any longer.

By: History Chaser

History Chaser — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 03:07:22 +0000

http://sarah-palin-2008.blogspot.com/2008/11/media-guilty-as-charged.html

By: Peace_Sells...

Peace_Sells... — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:19:38 +0000

This actually came up during one of the democrat presidential debates and hardly anyone noticed. I’m sure it could be found with relative ease.

After all the self-righteous demagoguery surrounding the issue, “my USA doesn’t torture!”, by both Obama and Hillary, neither would commit to ‘excluding the use of alternative interrogation techniques when they became president’ when put on the spot by the moderator. They passed along a jumble of litigious doublespeak to the extent they ‘would reserve the option…’

The MSM and outraged public let this blatant hypocrisy evaporate into thin air like magical steam: Obamamiasma. The thrill up their collective legs made any honest criticism impossible.

By: Ares

Ares — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:45:20 +0000

Do you really think Obama cares about national safety? Only thing Obama cares about is Obama.

angryed on November 15, 2008 at 10:31 AM

I suspect his NSA/CIA/FBI briefings were an eye-opener at the least…

By: profitsbeard

profitsbeard — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:28:53 +0000

Barry’ll need to retain every technique once Bush and Cheney are arrested, of course.

He can sell it to the uber-leftoids with that logic.

By: Chessplayer

Chessplayer — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:13:43 +0000

” if you could save one life by having a dog bark at a detainee, would you do it? For Pete’s sake, who wouldn’t? ”
Now
substitute “waterboarding a terrorist” for “having a dog bark at a detainee” in the above and you should give the same response. For the sake of our lives, will some people, especially Obama, please grow up?

By: b4lucy

b4lucy — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:23:01 +0000

Is it really torture if the captors know that whichever treatment is utilized, that the prisoner cannot possibly be hurt?? For instance, threatening to smear the captive with pig grease and throw him back among the other prisoners to bear his “shame”…Absolutely no physical damage is done to the individual…Mental anguish, sure, but just being a prisoner is anguish…asking very precise questions, personal or tactical is mental anguish…Lying to one of these killers to make them believe they are about to be harmed is also mental anguish…I don’t think any thing like that is torture

By: LegendHasIt

LegendHasIt — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:48:09 +0000

Dear Leader will allow these techniques only on racists and hatemongers who oppose his policies. First up is Joe the Plumber.
rbj on November 15, 2008 at 9:57 AM

You beat me to it. That was my first thought on the subject.