This Washington Times editorial asks “is Obama a war criminal yet?”
No, the Times is not actually suggesting the president is a war criminal. Rather, they are deftly pointing out the hypocrisy we’re seeing in Washington and Hollywood where the Bush administration was regularly accused of war crimes–from the President himself to lowly Justice Department lawyers. Yet, President Obama remains untouched by these unholy accusations.
President Obama quietly signed an executive order on Monday instituting a system for indefinitely holding terrorist detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo), Cuba. The administration also announced that terrorist trials by military commission would recommence. This is a win for U.S. security, but the country has paid a heavy price for Mr. Obama‘s on-the-job training in counterterrorism.
The low-key announcements stand in marked contrast with the bombast with which Mr. Obama approached this issue just a few years ago. During the 2008 presidential campaign, then-Sen. Barack Obama harshly criticized President George W. Bush‘s detainee policies. When he took office, Mr. Obama theatrically announced that he would close Gitmo in a year and find a way to give the terror detainees the full due-process rights enjoyed by American citizens. In so doing, he legitimized the complaints of the worst critics of American counterterrorism policies, including the terrorists themselves.
Yesterday, President Bush was on the Oprah Winfrey show promoting his new book. Oprah was civil; she asked all the predictable questions–September 11th, Hurricane Katrina, what it’s like to be out of office, etc. Cameras were allowed into the Bush compound in Maine–a rare treat. And there were amusing interviews with the George and Barbara Bush. All in all, a good show. But I couldn’t help but feel as I watched this interview that Bush has no business going on her show. Oprah, over the years, has done much to promote the idea that Bush was a bad president and she campaigned hard for Obama-often repeating anti-Bush rhetoric to help move along her anointed candidate.
I felt similarly icky feelings when McCain and Palin went on Saturday Night Live. Why do they do it? They are treated terribly by these entertainers, yet they support these shows by delivering high ratings. The View is another one of these torture chambers. I’m simply baffled why people would go on these shows to be pummeled by dopes.
An alum of The View, Rosie O’Donnell, famously called President Bush a war criminal. I wonder if she’s crafting her “Obama’s a war criminal” speech to post on her rarely read blog.
I won’t be holding my breath.