Obama's First Task — Hit Pause At Gitmo
There's a new sheriff in town.
Use of torture, the murder of habeas corpus, secrecy and the unilateral use of force. Over time, these are four of the most powerful memories we will have of President Bush, and they will linger as a stain on Americas past.
It was widely speculated that one of Obama's first actions as President would be to move towards closing Guantanamo. Still, Cheney (along with commentators on the Right) argued that Obama would enter his new post, see the daily security reports, and change his position, finding that the threat was real and imminent, that Guantanamo was central to our security.
What did the new President do?
Hours after taking office on Tuesday, President Barack Obama ordered military prosecutors in the Guantanamo war crimes tribunals to ask for a 120-day halt in all pending cases. . . .
The request would halt proceedings in 21 pending cases, including the death penalty case against five Guantanamo prisoners accused of plotting the Sept. 11 hijacked plane attacks in 2001.
An excellent start for the new President. Mark Day #1 down as a success. On to tomorrow...
[Image via The Big Picture.]