Here's what Barack Obama had to say about in an
ABC News interview regarding the Gitmo decision:
"What we know is that, in previous terrorist
attacks -- for example, the first attack against the World Trade
Center, we were able to arrest those responsible, put them on
trial. They are currently in U.S. prisons, incapacitated," Obama
said.
I've always thought from the very beginning of this election that
more than anything else, Barack Obama's candidacy was tapping into
a desire among a growing part of the electorate to move into a
post-post-9/11 world in which terrorism is no longer a central
issue. This is what has scared me most about his candidacy. The
only way terrorism can succeed is for civilization to become
indifferent to its threat. Terrorists strike most effectively when
we aren't paying attention. Normally, Obama's argument for moving
on from 9/11 is subtle, as he promises to "turn the page" or end
"the politics of fear." But now he is making the specific argument
that we should go back to the 1990s way of handling terrorism, when
it was treated as a criminal justice matter rather than part of a
larger war. For him to cite the handling of the first WTC bombing
is particularly discouraging.
Here's what the 9/11 Commission had to say about the aftermath
of the first WTC bombing that Obama sees as an example of how he'd
want to handle suspected terrorists:
An unfortunate consequence of this superb
investigative and prosecutorial effort was that it created an
impression that the law enforcement system was well-equipped to
cope with terrorism. Neither President Clinton, his principal
advisers, the Congress, nor the news media felt prompted, until
later, to press the question of whether the procedures that put the
Blind Sheikh and Ramzi Yousef behind bars would really protect
Americans against the new virus of which these individuals were
just the first symptoms.
Third, the successful use of the legal system to address the
first World Trade Center bombing had the side effect of obscuring
the need to examine the character and extent of the new threat
facing the United States. The trials did not bring the Bin Ladin
network to the attention of the public and policymakers.
Our old policies allowed terrorists to increase the frequency,
boldness, and sophistication of their attacks while we were
reactive. And now Obama offers "change" that would represent a
return to the failed counterterrorism policies that were in place
prior to 9/11.
topics:
Trade, Barack Obama, Law
