"Down to business; Obama prepares order to close Guantanamo site, works on Iraq withdrawal; Huddles with military leaders, economic advisers; signs directive on lobbyists" by Joseph Williams and Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | January 22, 2009
WASHINGTON - Signaling a swift and sweeping break with his predecessor, President Obama yesterday prepared to issue an order closing the controversial Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention center, called in top military commanders to plan the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, and signed a series of executive orders designed to limit the influence of lobbyists and make government more open.
In his first full day in office, Obama also huddled with his key economic advisers and - in a symbolic, share-the-sacrifice move - announced he was freezing the pay of about 100 senior White House staffers making more than $100,000 a year. "Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington," he said.
The burst of activity gave Obama a running start on his foreign and domestic policy agendas and fulfilled several campaign pledges that were crucial to the support he received from core Democratic constituencies. But his first actions also seemed explicitly designed to sweep away lingering policies of former President Bush, who left office Tuesday as one of the most unpopular chief executives in US history.
Or at least look that way.
Though the economy has dominated Obama's attention since the election, the most dramatic moves he made yesterday involved the Guantanamo detention center, created under Bush and decried around the world as a violation of human rights. At Obama's direction, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates yesterday requested - and tribunal judges agreed to - a 120-day suspension of the trials of terrorism suspects at the military-run facility in Cuba....
Why not END IT COMPLETELY?
Related: Getting Rid of Gitmo
So there will be no end to rendition, secret black site prisons, and the floating dungeons the U.S. maintains are all kept safely out of the public eye. For more on the abominable atrocity of U.S. torture, go HERE and scroll down.
The suspension of the Guantanamo trials is seen as the first step toward closing the controversial prison altogether. Obama's advisers have already drafted an executive order for his signature that would shutter the detention center within a year. Closing the facility "would further the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States and the interests of justice," states the draft order, obtained yesterday by the Associated Press, which reported that Obama plans to sign it today.
Longtime advisers on the issue said Obama would probably establish a team to conduct a case-by-case review of the evidence against all 245 detainees remaining at the prison with the aim of sending as many as possible back home. The governments of Ireland and Switzerland signaled yesterday that they would be open to resettling some of the inmates should the United States not be able to return them to their home countries and did not want to keep them.
"With the stroke of a pen, President Obama will make great progress toward restoring America's moral authority," Jennifer Daskal, senior counterterrorism counsel at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "By shutting down a global symbol of abuse, he will deprive terrorists of a powerful recruitment tool."
But other human-rights advocates were not satisfied.
"It only took days to put these men in Guantanamo, it shouldn't take a year to get them out," said Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which provides many of the detainees with legal representation. "President Obama should commit to dismantling the military commissions, not just suspending them, and to prosecuting any cases before federal criminal courts - real courts with real laws."
And not only that! He should commit to EXPOSING the FALSE-FLAG FRAUDS that are BEHIND 9/11 and the resulting TYRANNY!!!
Last night, the White House announced that Obama will meet today with retired military officers to discuss proposed executive orders on detention and interrogation policy. In another break from Bush, Obama also huddled yesterday with his top military commanders to act on another major foreign policy goal: formulating a plan to pull the vast majority of American combat troops out of Iraq within 16 months.
In late afternoon, Obama convened a closed session in the White House Situation Room with top Pentagon and military leaders, including Gates; Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; General David Petraeus, the head of the US Central Command; by video link, General Raymond Odierno, the top commander in Iraq; and Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq.
A senior Pentagon official said the meeting was intended to focus solely on Iraq, an opportunity for the new commander in chief to hear firsthand from his top field generals and get their advice on how to end the war without jeopardizing the military's hard-won gains.
After the meeting, Obama said in a statement: "I asked the military leadership to engage in additional planning necessary to execute a responsible military drawdown from Iraq. In the coming days and weeks, I will also visit the Department of Defense to consult with the Joint Chiefs on these issues, and we will undertake a full review of the situation in Afghanistan in order to develop a comprehensive policy for the entire region."
They already have them:
Earlier in the day, the Army's vice chief of staff provided a flavor of the cautionary warnings Obama could expect from the top brass, telling reporters that any withdrawal plan has to be carefully drawn. "You can pick up and leave anything very quickly, but if you do, you'll leave it in a certain condition that won't be as good if you went through a certain deliberative process," said General Pete Chiarelli.
Oh, that explains the events in Iraq the last few days:
"Blasts target US military, Iraqi convoys
BAGHDAD - Two bombs struck separate US military and Iraqi governmental convoys in Baghdad yesterday, killing five Iraqi civilians and wounding two American soldiers, the US military said. The attacks were the latest reminder of the daily violence that continues to face Iraqis and Americans even as the US military prepares to withdraw from the country over the next three years.
A car bomb targeted a US convoy in the afternoon in a northwestern area of Baghdad called Mansour, killing three Iraqi civilians and wounding the two US soldiers, the US military said. It added that initial intelligence indicated Al Qaeda in Iraq was to blame....
Please see Occupation Iraq: Israel's IEDs and related links, readers, for WHO is RESPONSIBLE for the violence!!
Attacks against Americans have dropped sharply along with overall violence over the past year but US troops continue to be targeted along with Iraqis. US and Iraqi officials have warned that militants would step up attacks before Jan. 31 provincial elections.
Yup, the MSM's yo-yo violence of Iraq! Whatever serves the purpose at the time, right?
"Sunni politician escapes bombing; Attack comes amid runup to key election" by Kim Gamel, Associated Press | January 22, 2009
BAGHDAD - A top official of Iraq's biggest Sunni party escaped assassination in a Baghdad car bombing that killed at least two other people yesterday - only 10 days ahead of an election that could reshape local power bases.
The US military blamed Al Qaeda in Iraq for the attack.... a "dangerous indication" of the perilous security in Iraq, even as President Barack Obama prepares to shift America's focus to Afghanistan.... There were conflicting casualty reports, as is common in Iraq. The US military initially reported college guards were killed but later said two Iraqi civilians had died. Iraqi police and hospital officials reported four people killed in the attack....
The US military has warned that insurgents would likely step up attacks ahead of the Jan. 31 vote for ruling councils in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces. Ani was not a candidate in the elections. However, a strike against a senior political figure could serve as a warning signal to voters and to the party. Despite a dramatic drop in violence, attacks continue on a daily basis in Iraq.
I am SO SICK of the BULLSHIT, folks!!!
That has prompted US commanders to warn that security here is fragile, even though the American public wants an end to the costly US mission here. Obama pledged during the US election campaign to withdraw US combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office. A US-Iraqi security agreement approved last November requires all US troops to be gone by the end of 2011.
Iraqi officials and some US commanders have expressed concern that a speedy withdrawal might threaten the country's fragile security.
--more--"
Get the message, 'bamer? We gotta stay!
Also yesterday, the president phoned four Mideast leaders - President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority - to reinforce his promise to push for Arab-Israeli peace and to strengthen the Gaza cease-fire by helping on ways to prevent the smuggling of arms and to rebuild the devastated territory. Former Senator George Mitchell of Maine is expected to be named special envoy for the Mideast for new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Yeah, yeah, we all know he's got his nose up Israel's ass.
On domestic policy, Obama signed an executive order to shut the revolving door between lobbyists and government, banning former lobbyists from working in government agencies they had courted or from getting involved in policies they lobbied on. The order also bars officials who leave his administration from working as lobbyists for two years after their departure.
The president also vowed to make his administration more open and transparent, issuing a memorandum requiring federal agencies to "adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure" when the public seeks government records under the Freedom of Information Act and a separate executive order designed to make presidential records more accessible.
Obama told assembled White House staffers that they are now public servants. "We need to make the White House the people's house," he said, saying his actions represent a "clean break from business as usual."
Before getting down to work, Obama observed several traditions yesterday. Arriving in the Oval Office for the first time as president, he read a personal note that George W. Bush left him in an envelope addressed, "To: #44, From: #43."
Pffffttt! I would have thrown it in the trash without even opening it!! Fuck him!
Then, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama attended a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, sharing a front pew with Vice President Joe Biden, his wife Jill Biden, former President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Later, Obama began a tradition of his own, hosting an open house with his wife. They greeted a steady stream of visitors to the White House. "Enjoy yourself, roam around," a smiling Obama told one guest. "Don't break anything."
The guy seems well-intentioned and human enough; I just wish he wasn't taking orders from his Zionist globemasters!
