Skip this site's navigation and go to its main content


Receive Updates From Heritage

Receive Updates From Heritage

The Heritage Foundation
Leadership for America

Our Vision

Building an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society flourish.

About The Heritage Foundation

Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institution—a think tank—whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. We believe the principles and ideas of the American Founding are worth conserving and renewing. As policy entrepreneurs, we believe the most effective solutions are consistent with those ideas and principles.


On Detainee Treatment, Sanity Still Prevailing at the White House

Posted February 18th, 2009 at 11:36am in Protect America 6 Print This Post Print This Post

elena_kagan090218.jpg

Last week we congratulated the Obama Administration for choosing the security of the American people over the bumper sticker slogans of the far left. Today, the New York Times details the Obama Administration’s continued prudence on some key national security issues:

During her confirmation hearing last week, Elena Kagan, the nominee for solicitor general, said that someone suspected of helping finance Al Qaeda should be subject to battlefield law — indefinite detention without a trial — even if he were captured in a place like the Philippines rather than in a physical battle zone.

Ms. Kagan’s support for an elastic interpretation of the “battlefield” amplified remarks that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. made at his own confirmation hearing. And it dovetailed with a core Bush position. Civil liberties groups argue that people captured away from combat zones should go to prison only after trials.

Moreover, the nominee for C.I.A. director, Leon E. Panetta, opened a loophole in Mr. Obama’s interrogation restrictions. At his hearing, Mr. Panetta said that if the approved techniques were “not sufficient” to get a detainee to divulge details he was suspected of knowing about an imminent attack, he would ask for “additional authority.”

But Mr. Panetta also said the C.I.A. might continue its “extraordinary rendition” program, under which agents seize terrorism suspects and take them to other countries without extradition proceedings, in a more sweeping form than anticipated.

Mr. Panetta said the agency is likely to continue to transfer detainees to third countries and would rely on diplomatic assurances of good treatment — the same safeguard the Bush administration used, and that critics say is ineffective.

Mr. Obama’s Justice Department last week told an appeals court that the Bush administration was right to invoke “state secrets” to shut down a lawsuit by former C.I.A. detainees who say a Boeing subsidiary helped fly them to places where they were tortured.

The outlook on intelligence gathering has also been positive:

Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the sequence of “disappointing” recent events had heightened concerns that Mr. Obama might end up carrying forward “some of the most problematic policies of the Bush presidency.”

Mr. Obama has clashed with civil libertarians before. Last July, he voted to authorize eavesdropping on some phone calls and e-mail messages without a warrant.

We sincerely hope the Obama Administration continues this prudent course.

Tags: ,

6 Responses to “On Detainee Treatment, Sanity Still Prevailing at the White House”

  1. John Galt on at said:

    If the ACLU is unhappy, someone must be doing something right…

    Oh well…..Shrugg

  2. TB-SanDiego on at said:

    Ya got that right,Mr Gait!!!!

  3. Mary Van Hatten on at said:

    Thank God there has been a “tiny” bit of sanity in this new Hussien Obama Aministration.

  4. Ozzy6900, CT on at said:

    I love it when the ACLU is unhappy! It means that Freedom is working!

    And just between us, if any of these detainees would be tortured or killed by sending them back to their home Counties, I’m all for it!

  5. George,Pa. on at said:

    I agree that all that we need to not only try these people but those guilty of murders need to be executed speedily.It is only Just and Right and the common sence thing to do.As well as keep them away from our Citizens.Remember,there is a God in Heaven who will hold everyone to account someday at his Judgement. Can we do anything less?

  6. theLordismyGod,Pennsylvania on at said:

    Yes President Obama this is the right thing to do.These people all need to be tried and executed on a verdict of guilty if they are.It is sin insanity to do any less.

Leave a Comment

In order to leave a comment, you must supply information for all of the required fields below (which are indicated by bold text).

Comments are subject to approval and moderation. We remind everyone that The Heritage Foundation promotes a civil society where ideas and debate flourish. Please be respectful of each other and the subjects of any criticism. While we may not always agree on policy, we should all agree that being appropriately informed is everyone's intention visiting this site. Profanity, lewdness, personal attacks, and other forms of incivility will not be tolerated. Please keep your thoughts brief and avoid ALL CAPS. While we respect your first amendment rights, we are obligated to our readers to maintain these standards. Thanks for joining the conversation.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.