Obama does a couple of about-faces.

[curious]

Obama has changed his mind about military tribunals and a couple of other things. There are some predictions that he isn't going to be able to get rid of about 100 detainees without turning them over to countries that will torture them, and may have to keep Guantanamo open until he finds a place in the US to put them, so that will be another about-face.

What do you think? I'm disappointed, but it seems to happen to every president, that the solution you thought would work, doesn't. But I'm kind of impressed that he has changed his mind, rather than being ideological about it.

What do you think?

 

[Intrepid237]

Obama has changed his mind about military tribunals and a couple of other things. There are some predictions that he isn't going to be able to get rid of about 100 detainees without turning them over to countries that will torture them, and may have to keep Guantanamo open until he finds a place in the US to put them, so that will be another about-face.

What do you think? I'm disappointed, but it seems to happen to every president, that the solution you thought would work, doesn't. But I'm kind of impressed that he has changed his mind, rather than being ideological about it.

What do you think?

Well, he probably changed his mind for good reason. The president does have more information than the canadidate. No state is going to voluntarily take Guantanamo, so either obama will have to put it somewhere against it's will or in a US territory like Guam or Puerto Rico, but then it will still have the same problem. I don't know what to do.

 

[curious]

Well, it's certainly better than one of Bush's biggest failings, the refusal to consider any more input once he had his mind made up by Cheney. I'm disappointed about some of the openness issues more than anything. I'm not saying he's wrong. I don't know. I'm just disappointed.

I'm sure there will be more of this, because being president is different from running for president, and things change over time. He's probably right about the tribunals because there aren't a lot of other alternatives. And it is apparently very difficult to place those that we have determined should be release. France finally agreed to take someone. The European countries made a lot of noise about helping, but then backed off. France finally stepped up. Actually, when push comes to shove, they often do.

 

[deanhills]

Obama has changed his mind about military tribunals and a couple of other things. There are some predictions that he isn't going to be able to get rid of about 100 detainees without turning them over to countries that will torture them, and may have to keep Guantanamo open until he finds a place in the US to put them, so that will be another about-face.

What do you think? I'm disappointed, but it seems to happen to every president, that the solution you thought would work, doesn't. But I'm kind of impressed that he has changed his mind, rather than being ideological about it.

What do you think?

I think all of this is predictable. Especially given that he has not that much international political experience either. I believe he was genuinely sincere with quite a number of his electioneering issues, and now finds a lot of conflict between his own ideals and practical national interest ones of State. It takes quite a strong character to sacrifice his own ideals for the "bigger good", even though that "bigger good" is not necessarily that good. I blame the media as well, as they gave the impression that Gitmo was really the worst of prisons, and needed to be closed, and when Obama appointed a committee to investigate, it was found that alternative prisons in the United States were less equipped than Gitmo to deal with the detainees. There were no better quality alternatives available.