Remind me...what was the 2008 election all about, again? | Philly

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Monday, June 29, 2009

Remind me...what was the 2008 election all about, again?

A tragic, must-read column from Bob Herbert of the New York Times tonight:

No one seems to know how old Mohammed Jawad was when he was seized by Afghan forces in Kabul six and a half years ago and turned over to American custody. Some reports say he was 14. Some say 16. The Afghan government believes he was 12.

What is not in dispute is that he was no older than an adolescent, and that since his capture he has been tortured and otherwise put through hell. The evidence against him has been discredited. He has tried to commit suicide. But the U.S. won’t let him go.

The decorated Army officer once assigned to prosecute Jawad is now working with the ACLU to seek his release. But at least Barack Obama was elected to fix problems like this. Right? Right? Mr. President?

There is no credible evidence against Jawad, and his torture-induced confession has rightly been ruled inadmissible by a military judge. But the Obama administration does not feel that he has suffered enough. Not only have administration lawyers opposed defense efforts to secure Jawad’s freedom, but they are using, as the primary basis for their opposition, the fruits of the confession that was obtained through torture and has already been deemed inadmissible — without merit, of no value.

Changing the president was easy! Changing the system is a lot harder.

Posted by Will Bunch @ 11:20 PM Permalink | 94 comments

Comments

Posted 11:50 PM, 06/29/2009

bill at

I think it would be a great idea for Dear Leader to just randomly release terrorists. America would love that.

Posted 06:03 AM, 06/30/2009

langx

Bush already did that.

Posted 06:11 AM, 06/30/2009

langx

This reminds me of the joke about the man whose job it was to clean up the smelly bucketloads of prolific elephant dung "GOP's Mess." A passerby, who saw him hip-deep in the excrement, asked, “My good man, how can you put up with such demeaning conditions? Haven’t you ever thought about another line of work?” To which the man replied, “What—and give up the Presidency?” This is just another pile of dung left by the elephants who were in charge. The F'd up part is that while he's trying to clean up the dung they left they are constantly trying to take a dung on him. They can't wait to blame the dung they put us in on Obama. They have no shame.

Comment removed.

Posted 07:21 AM, 06/30/2009

bryanc

Be careful Will -- comment too much against our Supreme Leader and you will be told to go to the backyard and pick a switch from a tree for your lashings, a la Bill Maher.

Posted 07:33 AM, 06/30/2009

Norton

There's plenty of dung to go around. After the next round of inflation, we won't be able to afford a shovel. That's this administration's future gift to us and our kids.

Posted 07:44 AM, 06/30/2009

faralli

Why is it that Will never shows any indignation when a US Solider is killed by these animals? Will you are a seriously misguided left wing loon. You and your paper are garbage! I continue to count down the days when you and your newspaper go broke and out of business. Maybe you could get a job with Al Jazeera! You already work for free in their propaganda department.

Posted 08:04 AM, 06/30/2009

Think for myself

Thank God Obama had the backbone to set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. The Iraqis celebrated their Independence Day. Remember, John McCain wanted to stay for another 100 years. Yeah, our economy could survive that!

Posted 08:06 AM, 06/30/2009

jmc

So he came across the interrigation report “by sheer happenstance,” and now he's working with the ACLU. I suspect nothing is going on here except the purest virtue in the pursuit of justice. Yeah, that's it.

Posted 08:07 AM, 06/30/2009

jwad (D)

Obama and backbone what a joke! The troops are still there genius.

Posted 08:12 AM, 06/30/2009

montani semper liberi

"Why is it that Will never shows any indignation when a US Solider is killed by these animals?" . . . . . . . . . . . . . Is that what it would take to get you to enlist?

Posted 08:16 AM, 06/30/2009

Talking point sleuth

---}}} "Why is it that Will never shows any indignation when a US Solider is killed by these animals?" {{{--- Which "animals" are you referring to. Teenage boys? Prisoners held with no evidence except confessions attained by torture? Teenage boys held with no evidence except confessions attained by torture? People named Mohmammed? Which of those types of "animals" is killing US soldiers? Or, are you just referring to Muslims in general? Do you realize that there are 1.5 billion Muslims in the world? Hold each and every one of them responsible every time another Muslim kills an American solider might be a bit tough, logistically.

Posted 08:21 AM, 06/30/2009

Talking point sleuth

---}}} So he came across the interrigation report “by sheer happenstance,” and now he's working with the ACLU. I suspect nothing is going on here except the purest virtue in the pursuit of justice. Yeah, that's it.{{{--- Good detective work there, jmc. No one can pull a fast one on you. Yup, you've figured it out. Clearly, that guy was an ACLU plant all along. He's probably a Obama minion, recruited to implement Obama's Marxist/Stalinist government, who just happened to win a bronze star along the way: --snip-- Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld of the U.S. Army Reserve, a recipient of the Bronze Star, among other commendations, was named the lead prosecutor on the case in 2007. By then, Jawad had already been held for nearly five years. Colonel Vandeveld assumed that the case would be uncomplicated and that a conviction could be easily secured.

Posted 08:28 AM, 06/30/2009

stoneman

Amazing how the anti Obama morons/whiners constantly complain about everything our PRESIDENT does whether the results are yet known or not. You people lost the election fair and square (unlike how you got the election for Georgie/Dickie). During the eight painful/inept yrs of doing nothing except tax breaks for super rich and hey, let's start a war and then give the clean up contract to Dickie's company, we had to suffer your drivel about Patriotism. SIX MONTHS, I repeat, 6 MONTHS ago, this fair man won an election and inherited the incredible mess at home and abroad. Wew will not know whether his actions are productive for a couple yrs. Until then, please shut the hell up, or if you have ANYTHING productive to offer get your leaders, oh that's right, they're all chasing skirts. Anyway, when they finish their dalliances and saluting their flag and singing their righteous songs, get them to do something that, at least won't embarrass the rest of us true Americans.

Posted 08:30 AM, 06/30/2009

beetlejuice

will.... at least Obama is changing the light bulbs.

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About Will Bunch

Will's book: Learn about it here and purchase it here.

Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.

E-mail Will by clicking here.

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