"I also will reject a legal framework that does not
work. There has been only one conviction at Guantanamo. It was for a
guilty plea on material support for terrorism. The sentence was nine
months. There has not been one conviction of a terrorist act. I have
faith in America’s courts, and I have faith in our JAGs. As president, I
will close Guantanamo, reject the Military Commissions Act, and adhere
to the Geneva Conventions. Our Constitution and our Uniform Code of
Military Justice provide a framework for dealing with the terrorists.
This administration also puts forward a false choice between the
liberties we cherish and the security we demand. I will provide our
intelligence and law-enforcement agencies with the tools they need to
track and take out the terrorists without undermining our Constitution
and our freedom.
That means no more illegal wire-tapping of American citizens. No
more national-security letters to spy on citizens who are not suspected
of a crime. No more tracking citizens who do nothing more than protest a
misguided war. No more ignoring the law when it is inconvenient. That
is not who we are. And it is not what is necessary to defeat the
terrorists. The FISA court works. The separation of powers works. Our
Constitution works. We will again set an example for the world that the
law is not subject to the whims of stubborn rulers, and that justice is
not arbitrary.
This administration acts like violating civil liberties is the
way to enhance our security. It is not. There are no short-cuts to
protecting America, and that is why the fifth part of my strategy is
doing the hard and patient work to secure a more resilient homeland.
Too often this administration’s approach to homeland security has
been to scatter money around and avoid hard choices, or to scare
Americans without telling them what to be scared of, or what to do. A
Department set up to make Americans feel safer didn’t even show up when
bodies drifted through the streets in New Orleans. That’s not
acceptable.”
- Senator Barack Obama, 2007
That is until I become President, then civil liberties go out the
window...
"Part of what makes us, I think, still a beacon to the world is that we
are willing to hold true to our ideals even when it's hard, not just
when it's easy. What I've said -- and I will repeat -- is that
waterboarding violates our ideals and our values. I do
believe that it is torture. I don't think that's just my opinion;
that's the opinion of many who've examined the topic. And that's why I
put an end to these practices."
- President Barack Obama, 29 April 2009
...but, denying Americans due process and summarily
executing them by drone “hold true to our ideals and values”...all because I say so.
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