This has a fundamental easy answer if you are a patriotic American. What? There goes someone flaunting that patriotic thing at me again?
Well it is true as many before us have fought for a new standard in how a country treats its citizens and prisoners of war and to now go against those principles we held up so dear and flaunted to the rest of the world as we had some moral authority that gave us respect among nations as we were so different.
As early as the revolutionary war there was respectful treatment of prisoners of war as these ideals were most sought by folks like Thomas Jefferson and were somewhat built into the constitution. How can we now say that it does not fit our purpose anymore and tell the world that they should not do what we will.
No moral authority is what it brings us to. Many countries have followed in our footsteps to make this a better world. I do not think the time is now for us to go backwards on this as will the nations that followed us when it is convenient for them.
Former VP Dick Cheney has been sparing with the Obama administration trying to defend his position on this issue but Since his involvement in the Nixon Administration, Cheney has had a secret agenda to restore what he deems as the congressional stripping of presidential power. He found legal scholars to put in place that supported his opinion so when called on to decide if these issues were constitutional, he would know what the answer would be. Thus this is what got us in this mess. The water is so muddy now, how could you prosecute anyone when the legal opinions were made and laws were changed based on those legal opinions. Cheney covered his tracks very well. Congressional time would be better spent on banks and the economy because in the end, legally, you will not be able to prosecute anyone. I sometimes think they want to divert public attention using this issue to keep the eyes off the scandals of congress with wall street.
Cheney criticizes Obama for being apologetic, but how else to you say to other nations of the world…
OK, yes we did it, it was wrong, we will not do it again, now can we move past this issue to new business that can make us all better.
Much is life that respect is earned. Moral authority is Moot without respect. Does our constitution really stand for anything. If not, what next will we disengage from… right to free speech ?
It is easy to be like our enemies, but very hard to stand up for what we believe as a people.