Waterboarding, rendition, drones and U.S. presidents

Harold Koh, with Obama’s State Dept., said at a 2010 press conference "cruel and inhuman" treatment would not be used "going forward." Not a single media personality has asked Koh or Obama to explain how killing someone is not a painful process. (Photo from U.S. Government)Remember the media fury about waterboarding when President Barack Obama was a junior senator seeking the U.S. presidency?

Rendition was also a hot topic, with most media blaming President George W. Bush for starting the practice of spiriting a suspect off to a foreign country for interrogation.

In the interest of cleaning up the spin, a look at past and current presidents' policy is useful because legacy media completely overlooked the Clinton era.

Click to read more ...

Daily Caller scoops new book: Jarrett decided date for bin Laden mission

The Daily Caller has reported on revelations in the new book Leading From Behind by Richard Miniter.

TDC said the book claims the bin Laden mission was canceled three times because of influence from Valerie Jarrett, the longtime Chicago politico widely believed to be President Barack Obama’s greatest influencer.

Jarrett is an intriguing character.

Click to read more ...

Why did Obama change his mind on “cruel and inhuman” treatment?

Harold Koh, with the State Dept., said at a 2010 press conference "cruel and inhuman" treatment would not be used "going forward." Not a single media personality has asked Koh or Obama to explain how killing someone is not a painful process. (Photo from U.S. Government)President Barack Obama opened the door on my question by making a campaign statement based on thin air, a statement that contradicts his long running criticism of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques.

The Weekly Standard reported comments by Obama:

"I'd just recommend that everybody take a look at people's previous statements in terms of whether they thought it was appropriate to go into Pakistan and to take out bin Laden,’  Obama said, obviously taking a shot at Romney. ‘I assume that people meant what they said when they said it. And that's been at least my practice. I said that I would go after bin Laden if we had a clear shot at him--and I did. If there are others who have said one thing and now suggest they would do something else, then I'd go ahead and let them explain it.’"

The first question I have for Obama is why did we kill Osama bin Laden? Imagine the wealth of information we might have extracted from him. I do realize we have his diary (allegedly). It seems to me the team that took out bin Laden, if given the option, might have brought him out alive.

Click to read more ...

With death of al-Awlaki, have Obama and Koh reversed policy?

Anwar al-Alaki has not appeared on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list or on lists at other federal agencies. (Screen shot from FBI website, US Govnmt.)President Barack Obama has enjoyed far more support from media and international advocacy groups for his actions in the war on terrorism than President George W. Bush did.

For instance Obama’s State Dept. legal adviser Harold Hongju Koh said during a press conference in 2010, “This president of the United States said that torture and cruel and inhuman or degrading treatment will not be used going forward with regard to interrogation practices. So there has been a clear turning of the page.”

Koh should now explain why killing someone is more benign than waterboarding. Thus far the international rage towards Bush remains at bay with Obama in office.

Click to read more ...

Will Harold Koh rap Obama's knuckles on multilateralism and bin Laden?

Updated on Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at 10:48AM by Kay B. Day, Editor

Who could forget leftwing furor over President George W. Bush’s prosecution of the War on Terror? From Code Pink to human rights wonks at the UN, Bush was assailed at every turn. There was a push to haul the US president before the International Court on issues like detainee interrogations, the prison at Guantanamo Bay and rendition.

What a difference the Oval Office makes. Last time I looked, Gitmo was still intact. Furthermore, I'm betting if he'd been given a choice, as soon as he saw those Navy SEALs, Osama bin Laden would've screamed, "Rendition, please?"

Click to read more ...