More Timely Than Ever!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Preventive Detention?

Update: My full op-ed on this subject is at The Future of Freedom Foundation website.

The New York Times reports:
[A]s Mr. Obama moves closer to assuming responsibility for Guantánamo, his pledge to close the detention center is bringing to the fore thorny questions under consideration by his advisers. They include where Guantánamo’s detainees could be held in this country, how many might be sent home and a matter that people with ties to the Obama transition team say is worrying them most: What if some detainees are acquitted or cannot be prosecuted at all?That concern is at the center of a debate among national security, human rights and legal experts that has intensified since the election. Even some liberals are arguing that to deal realistically with terrorism, the new administration should seek Congressional authority for preventive detention of terrorism suspects deemed too dangerous to release even if they cannot be successfully prosecuted. [Emphasis added.]
President-elect Obama, put a stop to this at once by categorically opposing preventive detention.

Hat tip: Jacob Hornberger, FFF

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Doesn't preventive detention give almost unlimited power to the executive branch? It doesn't seem like a large jump to go to putting sympathizers in preventive detention and then putting people against preventive detention in preventive detention –they are helping the terrorists. Then putting legislators who vote against things the executive thinks will prevent terrorism in preventive detention.