President Bush made news today by announcing that 14 alleged terrorists (ok, he didn’t actually use the word “alleged”, though these men have not yet been brought to trial) have been moved out of secret, US-run “black hole” prisons around the world and taken to Guantanamo to be “prepared” for the trials.
In taking this step, it seems to me that Bush is trying to achieve two things:
- (1) To keep the issue of these alleged terrorists and the heinous crimes they are accused of quite firmly in the public eye in the run-up to the elections, and
(2) To “strengthen” the make-up of the detainee population at Guantanamo so that there will be more justification for the Senate to create the special “military tribunals” to be held there speedily and in a way that minimizes the detainees’ due-process protections.
I guess maybe many in Bush’s political entourage hoped they could actually have some riveting ‘”show trials” going on in the run-up to this November’s election? But the trial of Saddam and his colleagues in Baghdad has dropped off the map amidst many accusations of procedural flaws… and these “military commissions” in Gitmo will most likely not get started for many months yet.
But still, by making the dramatic move of bringing these 14 to Gitmo and announcing his hopes for a procedure to try them, Bush is keeping Al-Qaeda and its allies front and center in the run-up to the election season.
Four further notes.
First, he made clear he is not closing the “black hole” prisons program completely: “The current transfers mean that there are now no terrorists in the CIA program. But as more high-ranking terrorists are captured, the need to obtain intelligence from them will remain critical — and having a CIA program for questioning terrorists will continue to be crucial to getting life-saving information.” (The people brought to Gitmo are thereby transferred to DOD not CIA control.)
Second, the nature of the cases against the vast majority of the people held in Gitmo remains very low-grade. That fact was underlined in this long story in The New Yorker today, which was about a former Qaeda operative turned US government informant… In the course of it, the writer, Jane Mayer (who had done much of the investigative reporting that revealed the “black hole” prison program), makes clear that the government has so far only been able to bring seven formal claims of criminality against the whole prison population of Gitmo, which Bush today put at 455.
Third, I found this description that Bush gave, in public today, about the treatment given to the detainee known as Abu Zubaydah fairly spine-chilling:
- We knew that Zubaydah had more information that could save innocent lives, but he stopped talking. As his questioning proceeded, it became clear that he had received training on how to resist interrogation. And so the CIA used an alternative set of procedures…I cannot describe the specific methods used — I think you understand why — if I did, it would help the terrorists learn how to resist questioning, and to keep information from us that we need to prevent new attacks on our country. But I can say the procedures were tough, and they were safe, and lawful, and necessary.
And fourth, for all of the circuses and tricks of political legerdemain that Bush may pull off between now and the election, the reality on the ground inside Afghanistan continues to worsen radically… and Osama Bin Laden has also reportedly gotten himself a new safe haven in Northern Waziristan…
In fighting terrorism America has abandoned its rule of law and stooped to the behavior of terrorists.
Torture, secret renditions, black prisons, indefinite detainment without charge, warantless spying on citizens are all acceptable.
We elected this government and congress. We are responsible!
We elected this government and congress. We are responsible!
I hope US citizens will understands this more when we talk about US and its bad and pathetic policies around the world.
This not first time Americans “elected this government and congress”, their governments making miss around the world this should be each individuals Americans hold accountable for his choose specially those who voted for them.
This also apply to other EU countries and their government behaviours also
NOTE: these very graphic pixs, apology for those they cann’t see what’s Americans did and doing in my home country in name of Freedom, and Democracy
These pixs it is incredibly mild, given the unspeakable violence that is going on in Iraq. These images like these here and here should be shown nightly by Katie Couric instead of pix of Tom Cruise’s kid. Just maybe then, US taxpayers would see what kind of horrific carnage you’re paying for.
Helena, we are not at the stage of “show trials” yet. That comes later, after the regime has consolidated its power over the judicial branch. Then, the subjects of the “show trials” will not be foreign terrorists, but domestic “traitors.” Bush has no desire to conduct a public trial of any of the current detainees. His purpose is to establish the sole authority of the executive over the detention of all declared enemies of the regime. They have followed a well established pattern in this regard. First, they denied the existence of secret CIA prisons, while simultaneously threatening the reporters who disclosed them. When that gambit had run its course, they then reversed 180 degrees and began loudly touting their gulag system as an essential element in their “war on terror.” These are all open challenges – raw power plays. They are defying anyone to do anything to stop them. If no one does, then later on we will get to see your “show trials.”
President Tells Katie Couric That Connecting Iraq To War On Terror Is Hardest Part Of His Job [CBS Evening News]
US Congress hasn’t done much this year, but few bills have stirred more passion than one to protect horses from being turned into horsemeat
Horse Slaughtering: The New Terrorism?