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Report: Obama to make big speech about drones, Guantanamo

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TheDemSocialist

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On Thursday, President Obama will reportedly make a big speech to address White House counterterrorism policy, including the closing of Guantanamo Bay and the Administration’s use of drone strikes.

Obama plans elaborate on “the state of the threats we face, particularly as Al Qaeda core has weakened but new dangers have emerged,” the official said. He will also “discuss the policy and legal framework under which we take action against terrorist threats, including the use of drones” and “will review our detention policy and efforts to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.”
The president will also “frame the future of our efforts against Al Qaeda, its affiliates and adherents.”
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Read more @: Report: Obama to make big speech about drones, Guantanamo - Salon.com

Expect a big speech Thursday from POTUS. I want a damn explanation of why Guantanamo remains open! That needs to close. I look forward to hearing more about drones from him however.
 
Expect no great revelations or dramatic changes, IMO.
 
the drone strikes need a lot more oversight. Guantanamo needs to be closed, and those imprisoned there should be tried.

ideally, i'd like to hear him announce a plan to remove us from global interventionism entirely, but that's probably too much to hope for.
 
And Wag-the-dog begins in ernest in old DC. President Drone is going to drone on about drones in the hope that he'll bore you to tears and you'll forget everything else.
 
TheDemSocialist said:
Read more @: Report: Obama to make big speech about drones, Guantanamo - Salon.com

Expect a big speech Thursday from POTUS. I want a damn explanation of why Guantanamo remains open! That needs to close. I look forward to hearing more about drones from him however. [/FONT][/COLOR]
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Obama promised to end the abuses of power Bush was engaged in. What did he do? He became Bush on steroids. I don't trust Obama, and never will. People are not defined by the BS they spew during elections. They are defined by what they do.
 
Helix said:
the drone strikes need a lot more oversight. Guantanamo needs to be closed, and those imprisoned there should be tried.
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I very much doubt there is anyone in Guantanamo who they could (legitimately) secure any kind of conviction against but they don't want to release them (for good and bad reasons). The US authorities have dug themselves in to a hole they can't get out of. Obama's election promises didn't change that one jot.
 
HonestJoe said:
I very much doubt there is anyone in Guantanamo who they could (legitimately) secure any kind of conviction against but they don't want to release them (for good and bad reasons). The US authorities have dug themselves in to a hole they can't get out of. Obama's election promises didn't change that one jot.
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i don't really care. try them or let them go. holding anyone for ten years with no trial goes against what America is supposed to be all about. we need to fix this.
 
Helix said:
i don't really care. try them or let them go. holding anyone for ten years with no trial goes against what America is supposed to be all about. we need to fix this.
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Don't get me wrong, I agree it would be the legal and moral thing to do. The problem is that it isn't the political thing to do.

Some of the prisoners could pose a threat if released (even if they didn't before being imprisoned!) and if just one release prisoner is even suspected of being involved in some terrorist act, the politicians seen as responsible for releasing them would be crucified by elements of the media and public. They'd also have the problems of ex-prisoners talking about poor treatment (honestly or not) and potential civil cases, which even if not successful would again be politically damaging.

As things stand, the known political damage of keeping them in Guantanamo is lower than the potential political damage of releasing them. Sad but true.
 
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