Obama Enrages Civil Liberties Groups By Dropping Detainee Veto Threat - TPMMuckraker [View all]

[WillyT]

Obama Enrages Civil Liberties Groups By Dropping Detainee Veto Threat
RYAN J. REILLY - TPMMuckraker
DECEMBER 14, 2011, 6:03 PM

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“What’s really disappointing to me is that we’ve gotten to such a pass as a political culture that you can have civil libertarians, and plain old Republican libertarians and the FBI and the ACLU and the Pentagon and the CIA all asking for something and the political calculus can be such that they don’t get it,” she continued, adding that she thought even the people who supported this legislation don’t actually know what it means.

“When he took office, President Obama told the American people that he would restore the nation’s commitment to the rule of law and the protection of human rights,” Human Rights First President and CEO Elisa Massimino said in a statement. “Today’s announcement proves that he is unwilling to put his full power behind those presidential promises. The American people need a leader whose commitment to smart national security policies will not wane in the face of opposition from Capitol Hill. This legislation will be a loaded gun in the hands of the any future administration.”

The ACLU’s Laura Murphy said Obama “should more carefully consider the consequences of allowing this bill to become law.”

“If President Obama signs this bill, it will damage both his legacy and American’s reputation for upholding the rule of law,” Murphy said in a statement. “The last time Congress passed indefinite detention legislation was during the McCarthy era and President Truman had the courage to veto that bill. We hope that the president will consider the long view of history before codifying indefinite detention without charge or trial.”

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More: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/civil_liberties_groups_upset_obama_backed_off_veto_threat_over_detainee_provisions.php