What is Obama doing? » guantanamo

Day 18: Obama meets with 9/11, Cole victims’ families

Niklas — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 08:40:26 +0000

President explains desire to close Gitmo, promises justice for loved ones.

President Barack Obama met Friday with relatives of victims of the bombing of the USS Cole and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, telling them he wants the same thing they do — justice for their loved ones.

In the hour-long session with roughly 40 family members of the victims, Obama said he wanted the meeting to be just the beginning of a dialogue.

Story on MSNBC

Day 6: Finds there are no files for Guantanamo detainees

Niklas — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:25:42 +0000

When the Obama administration delved into the Guantanamo legal cases to prepare for the shutdown, they find that there doesn’t seem to be any real case files about them anywhere.

President Obama’s plans to expeditiously determine the fates of about 245 terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and quickly close the military prison there were set back last week when incoming legal and national security officials — barred until the inauguration from examining classified material on the detainees — discovered that there were no comprehensive case files on many of them.

Story Washington Post

Day 2: Orders Guantanamo closed, bans torture

Niklas — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:30:01 +0000

It should come as a surprise to nobody that one of the first orders from the new preident is to order the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, and that so called “harsh interrogation techniques” (ie: torture) are banned. All overseas CIA prisons where suspected terrorists are held are also to be shut down.

Mr Obama signed the three executive orders on Thursday, further distancing his new administration from the policies of his predecessor, George W Bush.

He said the Guantanamo prison “will be closed no later than one year from now.”

The US would continue to fight terror, he said, but maintain American values while doing so.

…

Mr Obama has also limited the methods investigators can use to question terrorism suspects.

Threats, coercion, physical abuse and waterboarding are now all banned.

Link to BBC coverage

Link to MSNBC coverage

Day 1: Off to a running start

Niklas — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:21:30 +0000

Obama starts his first day in office like follows:

Before he even leaves home he halts the military tribunal processes at Guantánamo Bay.
As soon as he gets in he phones several arab leaders, namely the leaders of Egypt (Hosni Mubarak), Israel (Ehud Olmert), Jordan (King Hussein) and the palestinian Fatah party (Mahmoud Abbas).
He immediately froze salaries for senior White House staffers and implemented strict guidelines to prevent lobbyists from gaining influence over and positions within regulatory bodies.
Releases a brand new White House website complete with a blog in order to start making true of his pledge of government openness. Most of the material on the site is also now licensed freely under Creative Commons.
Met with top military advisers to discuss the withdrawal of all american troops from Iraq within 160 days.
Convening with his economy staff to boot up the stimulus package.

This surely is off to a pretty good start!