Not Thrown Off The Trail

Good for human rights and civil liberties groups, refusing to be dazzled by rhetoric, and almost unanimously coming out today to assail the President on particular detainee policies, particularly indefinite detention, as too close to the prior regime and out of step with the policies he has articulated. A sample from Human Rights Watch:

"President Obama is absolutely right to emphasize that ignoring our values undermines rather than enhances America's security," said HRW executive director Kenneth Roth. "But allowing detention without trial creates a dangerous loophole in our justice system that mimics the Bush administration's abusive approach to fighting terrorism."

A kinder, gentler, stateside Guantanamo, with the same indefinite detention and kangaroo court policies, does not and should not satisfy those committed to the rule of law. Obama may have gotten over the hump with respect to the decision to close Guantanamo, but his divide with these groups remain. They should be commended for fighting for all of us to make us safer and more respected in the world.