Obama’s Prosecution Drama

By Alyssa Landers

Following the hotly debated release of confidential CIA memos outlining torture strategies used on high level detainees in American off-shore, black site prisons, President Obama has taken a shaky stance on whether or not prosecution is in store for those responsible.

The president has officially stated that those who physically committed atrocities such as waterboarding, or simulated drowning, would be exonerated, his language surrounding the decision to hold the Bush administration accountable is decidedly opaque. While Mr. Obama has openly condemned the “enhanced interrogation techniques” (which have since been officially classified as “torture” by the International Committee of the Red Cross), he also turned up his nose at Senator Patrick Leahy’s proposal to form a Truth and Reconciliation Committee. Earlier this year, when asked about his position on the prosecution of Bush administration officials, he stated that he “doesn’t believe that anybody is above the law. On the other hand, I also have a belief that we need to look forward, as opposed to looking backwards."

This kind of stance may be diplomatic, but sends an unclear message to American constituents who feel both angry and deceived by the notoriously shady antics of the previous administration. There are also many in Congress, including Representative John McCain, who feel that Obama’s decision to release the torture memos was not only unscrupulous, but unpatriotic.

But regardless of what may happen at home, nations like Spain are not sparing any time in issuing a public indictment of the actions of Bush administration officials. After reviewing the memos, Judge Baltasar Garzon said that the actions of the United States were clearly in violation of the principles of universal justice and were obviously carefully pre-meditated. It is unclear at this time as to whether the U.S. will cooperate with Spain’s investigation.

Regardless of harsh criticism from Republicans, president Obama has stood by his banning of waterboarding and other methods of interrogation deemed “torturous” and maintained that he has “no regrets” about releasing the memos. And while the reliability of information obtained through torture remains a topic of debate, the president has taken a clear stance that cruel and inhumane methods of obtaining information are unnecessary and damaging to the reputation of the U.S. as a champion of human rights.