Obama Administration

From Time’s Mark Thompson:

The incoming Obama Administration says it wants to shut down the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay. But even if Guantánamo closes, the controversial U.S. practice of jailing suspected al-Qaeda militants and other terrorists indefinitely won’t end, because such detentions continue on an even greater scale at the U.S. military base at Bagram, Afghanistan, 40 miles north of Kabul. Approximately 250 detainees are currently being held at Guantánamo; an estimated 670 are locked up under similar conditions at Bagram.

The original U.S. prison, established early in 2002, was the main screening site for those captured by Americans and their allies during initial fighting in Afghanistan. At least two detainees died there in December 2002 after being beaten by U.S. troops. While conditions are said to have improved since then, hundreds of prisoners remain in wire mesh pens edged with coils of razor wire, and earlier this year U.S. military officials revealed that a Bagram interrogator had been convicted of assaulting an Afghan detainee who later died. Just last month, the military issued a statement saying it would investigate whether a pair of U.S. soldiers had abused Afghan detainees.

[International Justice Network executive director Tina] Foster and a consortium of other human rights lawyers will be in Federal District Court in Washington on Jan. 7 to demand that those being held at Bagram get the same habeas corpus rights — the right to know the charges against them, and to be freed if a court deems those charges insufficient — that the Supreme Court gave Guantánamo detainees last summer. Their case centers on Redha al-Najar, a 43-year-old Tunisian national who has been held without charge in U.S. military custody since May 2002. Al-Najar was arrested in Karachi, Pakistan, where he had been living with his wife and child. According to his attorneys, al-Najar spent the next two years being shifted among various CIA “black sites” before ending up at Bagram. They argue he has been held for more than six years, virtually incommunicado and without charges or access to a fair means to challenge his imprisonment. The suit asks the court to order al-Najar’s release.

*

These are also tough times for many Americans struggling in our sluggish economy. As we count the higher blessings of faith and family, we know that millions of Americans don’t have a job. Many more are struggling to pay the bills or stay in their homes. From students to seniors, the future seems uncertain.

That is why this season of giving should also be a time to renew a sense of common purpose and shared citizenship. Now, more than ever, we must rededicate ourselves to the notion that we share a common destiny as Americans - that I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper. Now, we must all do our part to serve one another; to seek new ideas and new innovation; and to start a new chapter for our great country.

*

The Electoral College has formally elected Barack Obama as the next president of the United States, the Associated Press (via MSNBC) is reporting.

This makes me feel a little better… TPM reports…

At his presser today, Barack Obama said he’d directed his advisers to assemble all the information about any contacts his team might have had with Governor Blagojevich about his Senate seat, and reiterated that he’d not had any direct contact with Blago himself.

“I’ve asked my team to gather the facts of any contacts with the governor’s office about this vacancy so that we can share them with you over the next few days,” Obama said.

The promise of sharing the info is welcome, both because it could clear up lingering questions about the controversy and could deflate the GOP’s efforts to use the Blago mess to tar Obama’s reformist image and promise of transparency.

“I am confident no representatives of mine would have any part in any deals related to this seat,” Obama said.

*
I’m still hopeful that Obama will do the right thing. And for now, I’ll take him at his word.

I voted for him and I support him. But Campbell Brown is right:

Mr. President-elect, we understand there are reasons you have said so little. We recognize you don’t want to do or say anything that might compromise the investigation.

But all too often we have also seen presidents hide behind a “no comment due to an ongoing investigation” when they find themselves or their administrations caught up in scandal.  [Ed. Note — You have to look no further than the current administration for a prime example.]

For that reason, and because you asked us to hold you to a different standard, it is fair to ask you to be more forthcoming.

Be more direct and clear with the American people about what you and the people around you knew, or didn’t know.
*

Here’s the video Campbell’s full commentary on last night’s program. (My own thoughts after the video) Continued

President-elect Obama describing his approach to his administration during this morning’s press conference:

“I assembled this team because I’m a strong believer in strong personalities and strong opinions. I think that’s how the best decisions are made…

“I’m going to be welcoming a vigorous debate inside the White House. But understand: I will be setting policy as president. I will be responsible for the vision that this team carries out, and I expect them to implement that vision once decisions made. So as Harry Truman said, the buck will stop with me.”

TPM’s Greg Sargent adds his observations about this morning’s event:

First, it was striking how comfortable Obama appeared in a take-charge role when on a stage dominated by heavy hitters like Robert Gates and Hillary Clinton — and how visibly they deferred to him.

Also, it wasn’t until Obama himself announced the appointment of Hillary as Secretary of State that it became clear just how well it reflects on him. The sight of him hailing her strength, toughness and suitability to the huge challenges ahead — even as he brushed off reporter chatter about the acrimonious Dem primary — made for powerful political theater.

We’ve heard a lot of analysis about how Obama’s “team of rivals” approach shows his mature willingness to extend a forgiving hand to rivals and his confidence that he can control them within his own orbit. But I’d argue this isn’t so much about his interpersonal style as it is about the sense he is trying to project that he possesses a gravity and sense of seriousness appropriate to the enormity of the tasks before him.