Bush undercut U.S. security, Obama says
WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) -- Former President George W. Bush applied an unjust, "ad hoc" approach to terrorism that undercut U.S. security, President Barack Obama said Thursday.
That "ad hoc legal approach for fighting terrorism ... was neither effective nor sustainable," Obama said at the National Archives building where the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence are kept.
Bush "failed to rely on our legal traditions and time-tested institutions and ... failed to use our values as a compass," he said.
That's why Obama said his administration banned "so-called enhanced interrogation techniques," ordered the closure of the Guantanamo prison camp and directed authorities to review the cases of all of its detainees.
He said the interrogation techniques and the use of Guantanamo not only undermined the rule of law, but also alienated "us in the world," helped terrorists gain recruits and increased "the will of our enemies to fight us."
And now, "We're cleaning up something that is, quite simply, a mess -- a misguided experiment that has left in its wake a flood of legal challenges that my administration is forced to deal with on a constantly, almost daily, basis and that consumes the time of government officials whose time should be spent on better protecting our country."
The president did not mention former Vice President Dick Cheney -- who attacked Obama in a Washington speech immediately following the president's address -- but disputed Cheney's contention U.S. national security interests required waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques.
"Now, I know some have argued that brutal methods like waterboarding were necessary to keep us safe," Obama said. "I could not disagree more."
"As commander-in-chief, I see the intelligence. I bear the responsibility for keeping this country safe. And I categorically reject the assertion that these are the most effective means of interrogation," he said.
Furthermore, the methods risked the lives of U.S. troops by making enemies less likely to surrender and more likely to mistreat captured Americans.
"In short, they did not advance our war and counterterrorism efforts; they undermined them," he said.
Obama: Some Gitmo inmates may move to U.S.
WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama said Thursday some accused terrorists at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, might be moved to U.S. prisons.
But transferring these dangerous inmates to the United States would not endanger U.S. security, Obama said.
"We are not going to release anyone if it would endanger our national security, nor will we release detainees within the United States who endanger the American people," he said at the U.S. National Archives in a speech billed by the White House as a major national-security address.
"Where demanded by justice and national security, we will seek to transfer some detainees to the same type of facilities in which we hold all manner of dangerous and violent criminals within our borders -- namely, highly secure prisons that ensure the public safety."
The president rebutted congressional suggestions from Democrats and Republicans alike that bringing terrorist suspects to the United States to stand trial would endanger national security.
"Bear in mind the following fact: Nobody has ever escaped from one of our federal supermax prisons, which hold hundreds of convicted terrorists," Obama said. "As Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said, 'The idea that we cannot find a place to securely house 250-plus detainees within the United States is not rational.'"
Obama said other Guantanamo prisoners who violated "the laws of war" would be tried by military commissions that are newly reformed to operate "in line with the rule of law."
For instance, "We will no longer place the burden to prove that hearsay is unreliable on the opponent of the hearsay," Obama said.
In addition, 21 inmates will be released because U.S. courts ruled Washington has no legal grounds to imprison them, Obama said. And some 50 other inmates who "can be transferred safely to another country" will be relocated, if the other governments agree, he said.
Obama also promised to work with Congress to develop a safe and fair system to deal with Guantanamo detainees who cannot be prosecuted -- because, for instance, evidence is tainted -- "yet who pose a clear danger to the American people."
"I have to be honest here. This is the toughest single issue that we will face," he said.
But he said that holding true to the basic precepts of the U.S. Constitution would bring about a legitimate legal framework for handling Guantanamo detainees.
Cheney: Obama compromises U.S. security
WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney attacked President Barack Obama's terrorism policy Thursday and defended Bush administration interrogation methods.
"To the very end of our administration ... we focused on getting (al-Qaida) secrets instead of sharing ours with them -- and on our watch, they never hit this country again," Cheney told the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, minutes after Obama defended his terrorism approach in a speech at the U.S. National Archives building.
Cheney said the Obama administration gave "less than half the truth" when it released information about Bush administration tactics -- tactics that Cheney said were approved by members of Congress, including current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"The released memos were carefully redacted to leave out references to what our government learned through the methods in question," Cheney said. "Other memos, laying out specific terrorist plots that were averted, apparently were not even considered for release. For reasons the administration has yet to explain, they believe the public has a right to know the method of the questions, but not the content of the answers."
To call "enhanced interrogation" techniques to extract information from captured accused terrorists "a program of torture is to libel the dedicated professionals who have saved American lives and to cast terrorists and murderers as innocent victims," Cheney said.
"What's more, to completely rule out enhanced interrogation in the future is unwise in the extreme," he said. "It is recklessness cloaked in righteousness, and would make the American people less safe."
He described the Obama administration as priding itself "on searching for some kind of middle ground in policies addressing terrorism."
"But in the fight against terrorism, there is no middle ground, and half-measures keep you half exposed," he said. "You cannot keep just some nuclear-armed terrorists out of the United States; you must keep every nuclear-armed terrorist out of the United States."
Poll finds many Americans dislike Cheney
WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) -- The results of a recent poll indicate the majority of U.S. residents have an unfavorable opinion regarding former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.
CNN said Thursday a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey found 55 percent of the 1,010 adult U.S. residents polled stated they have unfavorable views of Cheney, who has become an outspoken critic of U.S. President Barack Obama's administration.
But the poll conducted May 14-17 did find that the percentage of people with a favorable impression of the former vice president has increased.
The poll, which has a margin of error of 3 percent, found 37 percent of respondents had a positive position in regards to Cheney. That percentage marked an 8 percent increase from the results of a January poll regarding the Republican official, CNN said.
"Is Cheney's uptick due to his visibility as one of the most outspoken critics of the Obama administration? Almost certainly not," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland asked. "Former President George W. Bush's favorable rating rose six points in that same time period, and Bush has not given a single public speech since he left office."
House blocks GOP call for Pelosi probe
WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. House blocked a Republican call for an investigation into whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi knew in 2002 the CIA waterboarded terror suspects.
The House voted 252-172 along party lines Thursday to block the measure by Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, that would have created a bipartisan congressional panel.
"It is imperative to find the truth of the matter," The New York Times quoted him as saying.
A Pelosi spokesman said the panel was unnecessary since the speaker asked the CIA to disclose all the notes from the disputed fall 2002 intelligence briefing about interrogation techniques.
CIA Director Leon Panetta said May 6 the CIA's notes may not be complete.
House Republicans said they would continue to push for an investigation.
Pelosi claims CIA officials told her at the briefing that they had determined the "enhanced interrogation techniques" were legal, but not that they were using them.
She claims she learned from an aide, months after the briefing, that terrorism suspects were being subjected to waterboarding, or simulated drowning,
The CIA and others claim she was told the tough interrogation tactics were being used.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney repeated the assertion Thursday in a Washington speech at the conservative American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.
"On numerous occasions, leading members of Congress, including the current speaker of the House, were briefed on the program and on the methods," Cheney said.
Pelosi accused the CIA last week of misleading Congress and giving her "incomplete and inaccurate" information.
Panetta disputed her claim, saying CIA officers had briefed her truthfully.
Pelosi was at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore giving a commencement address during Thursday's House discussion and vote.
Afghan operation leaves 16 militants dead
MARJEH, Afghanistan, May 21 (UPI) -- U.S. Forces in Afghanistan said Thursday 16 militants have been killed and a cache of drugs and weapons has been located as part of an ongoing operation.
The U.S. Forces Afghanistan Public Affairs Office said in a news release that during the last 24 hours alone, the military operation in Afghanistan's Helmand province has uncovered more than 33,000 pounds of various high-grade narcotics as well as heroin-refining products.
The operation in the city of Marjeh by Afghan National Army Commandos and coalition forces also resulted in the discovery of a cache of military weapons, including 10 rocket-propelled grenades and six mortars.
Bomb-making materials were also found as a result of the military operation, which has resulted in the deaths of a total of 34 militants during its entire run.
While details of possible military casualties were not reported, the public affairs office confirmed no civilians were killed due to the operation.
"The Afghan commandos have dealt a significant blow to the insurgents," said Col. Greg Julian, spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. "They hit them where it hurts the most -- in a main command node and in the wallet."
