Obama: Drop AlQaeda charges & stop drilling Utah
Okay, I think I’m done. No one can say I was not exceedingly fair to President Obama over the last week or so - and even this morning about the Exec Salary Caps for bailout beneficiaries. I don’t like the precedent - and I believe now that it’s been done for one group, we’re going to see the Obama/Pelosi/Reid/Frank government move to cap other salaries, but I got the politics of it.
But now, I think I’ve seen enough.
Item:
U.S. President Barack Obama will likely order a military commission to withdraw charges against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a suspect in the U.S.S. Cole bombing held at Guantanamo naval base, ABC News reported on Thursday.
The decision, likely to be announced on Friday, would end prosecution of al-Nashiri in the military court system that Obama has criticized and may ultimately dismantle, ABC News reported, citing unnamed sources. (Reporting by JoAnne Allen; Editing by Anthony Boadle)
President Obama is going to talk to the families of 9/11 victims and those killed on the U.S.S.Cole. From what we have seen of the president these past few weeks, his talking to them will be very nice, and their concerns will have no affect on his position, whatsoever. Rather like “inviting” the opposition in for a talk and telling them, “I won.”
Andrew McCarthy believes Obama will be dropping charges on all the bad guys:
…it is noteworthy that, before the appointing authority acted this evening, Obama had scheduled a meeting for tomorrow afternoon with victims and families of victims not only of the Cole bombing but of of the 9/11 attacks. At a minimum, he appeared poised to announce he was dropping the Cole charges against Nashiri. All evening, however, it has been floated from several knowledgeable sources that the president was prepared to announce the dismissal of all the commission cases — i.e., not only against Nashiri but against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other 9/11 plotters. That suggestion is supported by the fact that the 9/11 families were invited to the White House meeting: there would have been no need to invite them to discuss an announcement that impacted only the Cole case.
Dismissals, if they happened, would surely be couched as “without prejudice.” That is, Obama would be able to tell the families — whether he meant it or not — that he could always re-file military commission charges if he ultimately decided that commissions, rather than civilian trials, were the best way to go.
Those words, “whether he meant it or not” are pretty chilling. If those bent on terrorism were wondering whether Bush’s “strong horse” has left the building, I’d say they have their answer.
The Anchoress blog
There've been stories about Obama negotiating behind the scenes with AQ connected middle easterners. Is the closing of Gitmo and dropping of charges part of a truce deal he thinks he's worked out? If people like Nashiri or KSM with American blood on their hands end up walking free, there will be hell to pay. |
