President Obama Did Something Good Today - 1/21
| January 21st, 2009- Within hours of being sworn into office (by John Roberts, a man unable to remember 35 words in the right order at one time), President Barack Obama ordered military prosecutors to suspend legal proceedings for 120 days against prisoners held in the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. Considering that the entire Guantanamo Bay system has been tainted, I believe irredeemably, by the willful and knowing imprisonment of the innocent and the continued deceptions of the Pentagon and the Bush Administration, I believe this to be a good thing. We don’t know what’s coming next, of course, and it’s always possible that President Obama will institute a system that’s actually worse than the military tribunals, but I doubt it. If we ever expect to be taken seriously by Arab nations, this step was necessary as a bare minimum.
- And as Marc Lynch reports,
Al-Jazeera reported that 38 Islamic figures (including Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Rashed Ghannouchi, and other prominent personalities) offered an immediate response to his invitation to a new way of interaction between the U.S. and the Islamic world. Even al-Quds al-Arabi, a newspaper staunchly opposed to U.S. foreign policy, allowed that Obama’s inauguration demonstrates that for all of America’s flaws and hypocrisies, democracy remains the best form of government.
Marc links this response largely to Obama’s hopeful rhetoric in his inaugural address, but notes that, “It will take some real effort to begin to demonstrate the credibility and sincerity of this new way forward.” I’d say that halting the Gitmo prosecutions is a pretty good first step towards demonstrating that (much needed) credibility and sincerity.
Please do not comment unless you accept the basic dignity, equality, and inherent worth of all people.
January 21st, 2009 at 11:05 am
Ain’t it grand?
Also on the first-day list so far:
1) scheduled meeting with generals to ask for a 16 month timetable for withdrawal from iraq. (today @ 4:00)
2) Calls to the leaders of israel, fatah, jordan, and egypt regarding the recent war.
This comment was written by Sailorman.Report this comment to the moderators
January 21st, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Please do not comment unless you accept the basic dignity, equality, and inherent worth of all people.
This note surprises me, not because I disagree with it (!), but because I would think (hope) that everyone who posts here on any topic whatever to any effect should meet this minimum standard.
It is not a good use of anyone’s time to have any discussion with someone who does not accept that proposition.
This comment was written by Susan.Report this comment to the moderators
January 21st, 2009 at 1:45 pm
So what’s the good thing he did?
This comment was written by Hershele Ostropoler.Report this comment to the moderators
January 21st, 2009 at 1:56 pm
I’m really glad to see actions matching words & quickly.
This comment was written by Lilian Nattel.Report this comment to the moderators
January 21st, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Oh, I agree completely. And yet, many don’t meet that standard. Sad, innit?
Once again, I couldn’t agree more.
—Myca
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January 21st, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Are there English versions of those links?
This comment was written by RonF.Report this comment to the moderators
January 21st, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Not that I know of, but I used Google Translate to read them.
The editorial cartoon at the al-Quds al-Arabi link transcends language, though.
—Myca
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January 21st, 2009 at 2:46 pm
I agree with your assessment of this positive development. The Global War on Terror - whatever that term specifically denotes nowadays - is one with a large global PR component. It is a battle for hearts and minds - and this is something that the Bush administration, for all their brilliance in domestic political communication, failed to fully embrace. Put more simply, you cannot defeat ideology by only using militaristic means. Shutting down Guantanamo, or implementing more humane and legal treatment of suspected terrorists, is an important first step in sending a message that the U.S. intends to retake its place in the world as a moral leader. The following is a link to a great news clip summarizing world reaction to Obama’s presidency, and the possibilities an Obama admin. has to change the perception of the U.S. throughout the world for the better: CLIP
This comment was written by Stanley.Report this comment to the moderators
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:33 am
the Bush administration, for all their brilliance in domestic political communication
Say what? Personally I think that the Bush administration has been just about the worst I’ve seen in my lifetime (my working memory starts with the Kennedy administration) with regards to communications.
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