Obama advisers say bin Laden can appeal to U.S. courts
Barack Obama’s foreign policy advisers said Tuesday that Osama bin Laden, if captured, should be allowed to appeal his case to U.S. civilian courts, a privilege opposed by John McCain.
Responding to questions from The Examiner, Sen. John Kerry and former White House counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke said bin Laden would benefit from last week’s Supreme Court decision giving terrorism suspects habeas corpus, the right to appeal their military detention to civilian courts.
“If he were to be brought back,” Clarke said of bin Laden, “the Supreme Court ruling holds on the right of habeas corpus.”
Kerry, who applauded the Supreme Court ruling, said it will be carried out by whichever candidate wins the presidency.
“The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that they have those rights,” he said. “If John McCain were president, he would have to give them those rights.”
Randy Scheunemann, McCain’s senior foreign policy adviser, said those rights should not be extended to bin Laden or the hundreds of terrorism suspects being held by the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
“The individuals we hold at Guantanamo are very, very dangerous people,” Scheunemann said. “To give them full access to the federal courts and the criminal justice system is fraught with danger, moving forward, and likely to make America less safe, unlike Senator Obama’s claim of supporting the decision that it made America safer.”
On Monday, Obama applauded the civilian prosecution of terrorists prior to the attacks of September 11, 2001.
“In previous terrorist attacks — for example, the first attack against the World Trade Center — we were able to arrest those responsible, put them on trial,” he told ABC. “They are currently in U.S. prisons, incapacitated.”
Obama said President Bush has relied too heavily on military prosecution of terrorists, which has “given a huge boost to terrorist recruitment in countries that say, ‘Look, this is how the United States treats Muslims.’”
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Obama wants “to take a step back to the failed policies that treated terrorism solely as a law enforcement matter, rather than a clear and present danger. Barack Obama appears to believe that terrorists should be treated like criminals — a belief that underscores his fundamental lack of judgment regarding our national security.”
The attack sounded familiar to Kerry, who was the Democratic presidential nominee four years ago.
“This is exactly what they tried to say back in 2004, and the record absolutely contradicts it,” Kerry told The Examiner. “Every Democrat voted to go to war and attack the Taliban and al Qaeda, the people who attacked us. That is not a [legalistic] approach.”
Wild Thing’s comment………
If you are an enemy of the United States, you are a friend of the left.
If I were a soldier I would take the decision by the court basically to mean, take no prisoners.
THIS should be on the fornt page of every piece of campaign literature McCain puts out.
Obama looks like the dumbest man who ever ran for President. He and Gore together couldn’t make an I.Q. of 120.
National security ala Obama, Kerry, and Clarke. God help this country.
Let’s hope the military learns from this ruling and sends him to Allah instead of a prison.
No More Prisoners. Let the Iraqi and Afghan forces deal with prisoners.
That is my all-time favorite photo. Thanks for sharing. I’m still LOL
The Military has all kinds of rules and regulations about these muslim morons – so they can’t do this or that !! It is a wonder we have made any progress at all let alone “won the war”- No doubt if Obama and Osama ever get together – it would be for a dinner and a chat. I was raised old school- all this politically correct crap does not sit well with me-!
I agree just send them to their Allah! As many and as soon as possible!
These idiots that run this country- gave their selves another pay raise- that is so wrong it is a slap in the face to every American, everyone is facing hard times and they get more money- for doing nothing except Bush bashing! There ought to be a law!!
Bob yes, it really ticks me off. All the danger our troops are in to capture these terrorists, they ( our troops ) must be upset too.
Tom yes I agree.
DammitWoman, giggle glad you like it.
Cheryl, yes and so many could care less about our troops like Reid, Pelosi and others.
The troops should put the protection of their own lives first even if that means losing some enemy combatants along the way. No show trial for Osama bin Laden.
I am so looking forward to an RPG finding it’s way to barry’s head when he travels to Iraq
What was the name of that ‘sit-com’ that had the character Erkle in it. That’s obama, the Black Dork.
New one Obama won’t let any woman wearing a head scarf sit behind him on stage…hmmmm… Maybe the chickens are coming home to roost and too close for comfort.
Obama has to sham up the christian part a little longer. This man is as phony as an 8 dollar bill.
Obama bin Laden in 2008 and endorsed by Hamas? Wonder if FDR was endorsed by Imperial Japan, the Nazi Third Reich and Fascist Benito Mussolini in 1941… if FDR would have WON his third re-election? And only a few of US get it RIGHT?
Cuchieddie, his ears might stop incoming.
Mark, LOL I can’t remember the name of it.
Thanks Mark, I looked for the story and found it so I posted about the Muslim women being upset with Obama. hahhahaa
Darth, good one.
The amazing thing is none of this stuff would have gotten the ok pass long ago. But now the left has gone off the charts on being communist and it is like a nightmare.
The sit com was Family Matters– – When I returned to college- we studied Steve Erkle as if he were a real person- we had to write an essay about him- and diagnoss what we thought was wrong with him– I can’t remember all I wrote
but the one that stands out- is Multiple Personality Disorder- He was Esteban who was a complete opposite of a nerd, – a robot, – and a girl that was his cousin- – but Obamma seems multi personality- and I am never sure it I am looking at Michelle or him– And he fits a bot personality – that is not the same person I knew–line – and his secret smoking- no longer a secret- Obama the Chamelon LOL!!!