Quote:
Originally Posted by JPhillips
I'd agree that the possibility exists of continuing the Bush extraordinary rendition practice. However, at this point we have ample text that says the opposite, no evidence that any loophole has been exploited, and a consistent tone about ending detention/interrogation policies that may be in violation of US or international law.
If there's a story here at all it's simply that the possibility exists of Obama doing the opposite of what he's said. If that comes to pass it will be a big deal, but until it does I don't see any smoke here.
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That's basically correct. We don't have any smoke or loophole exploits because he's just started his term. We'll obviously have to wait a couple of years to get a feel for how it's actually implemented by Obama's staff.
Here's the problem for Obama politically as I see it.
1. He has not unilaterally rolled back the torture policies of Bush. That may upset some who wanted a much broader brushstroke on this issue.
2. Although he did not fully rollback the torture policies, he has come out with the executive order and made sure to claim success with the order. As a result, any attack on the U.S. during his term will be immediately tied to the rollback of those policies, whether it's fair or not (or even relevant).