Obama faces many difficult decisions regarding the detention of suspected terrorists. I am sympathetic to both arguments. We must have habeas corpus and due process as a part of the foundation of any legal system. Without that, it is too easy to concentrate power and destroy a free society. It is wrong to imprison someone if they have not committed a crime or if there is no real evidence towards a pre-meditative act. It is also wrong, no matter the situation, to use torture to coerce statements and information. On the other hand, if and when there is ever another terrorist attack on American soil, can you imagine how this country will react. It won't be a free society, there is no doubt about it. At that point, it would be very easy, for no matter who holds the presidency, to use the presidential war-time powers and infringe on civil liberties. Most would probably be in favor of that as well as they accepted the "I don't mind because I am innocent" mentality.
There is a fine line in interpreting these situations. Many issues still need to be defined. No matter what Obama decides to do, I believe he has set himself up for failure. He will never be able to live up to his campaign promises of directing a new path against terrorism. In my opinion, this is similar to the Palestine/Israel situation, the only real solution seems to be a lose/lose.
The Hard Cases
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