President Obama’s National Security Speech at the National Archive
Posted by Cloe on May 21, 2009 at 01:34 PM
President Obama gave a major national security speech at the National Archives this morning where he provided the broad context in which his Administration makes national security decisions. He also discussed several issues including the banning of enhanced interrogation techniques, our detention policy and the on-going balance between security and transparency.
By all accounts, the speech was a tour de force. The President calmly and reasonably and passionately explained his approach to national security issues in the context of a deep and unwavering commitment to keeping our country safe and abiding by the principles on which this country was founded: freedom, fairness, equality and dignity. He made very clear that choosing between our values and our security is a false choice – our principles are the very thing that strengthens this country and keeps us safe.
Couple of other things:
– As so many have said before, I was once again struck by President Obama’s obvious respect for the intelligence of the American people.
– Abuses of power by the previous administration have severely distorted our understanding of what a President should and should not be able to do. President Obama’s commitment to the rule of law, transparency, accountability and divided government is a much needed reminder (and shot-in-the-arm) of how we should have been operating all along.
In case you missed it, I’ve excerpted a few highlights below. Visit the blog at BarackObama.com for more information and the full text of the speech.
On America’s core values:
“…But I believe with every fiber of my being that in the long run we also cannot keep this country safe unless we enlist the power of our most fundamental values. The documents that we hold in this very hall – the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights –are not simply words written into aging parchment. They are the foundation of liberty and justice in this country, and a light that shines for all who seek freedom, fairness, equality and dignity in the world….
“I took an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution as Commander-in-Chief, and as a citizen, I know that we must never – ever – turn our back on its enduring principles for expedience sake.
“….I make this claim not simply as a matter of idealism. We uphold our most cherished values not only because doing so is right, but because it strengthens our country and keeps us safe. Time and again, our values have been our best national security asset – in war and peace; in times of ease and in eras of upheaval.”
On matters of accountability:
“On all of these matters related to the disclosure of sensitive information, I wish I could say that there is a simple formula. But there is not. These are tough calls involving competing concerns, and they require a surgical approach. But the common thread that runs through all of my decisions is simple: we will safeguard what we must to protect the American people, but we will also ensure the accountability and oversight that is the hallmark of our constitutional system. I will never hide the truth because it is uncomfortable. I will deal with Congress and the courts as co-equal branches of government. I will tell the American people what I know and don’t know, and when I release something publicly or keep something secret, I will tell you why.”
On action the Administration has taken so far:
“…the policies that I have proposed represent a new direction from the last eight years. To protect the American people and our values, we have banned enhanced interrogation techniques. We are closing the prison at Guantanamo. We are reforming Military Commissions, and we will pursue a new legal regime to detain terrorists. We are declassifying more information and embracing more oversight of our actions, and narrowing our use of the State Secrets privilege. These are dramatic changes that will put our approach to national security on a surer, safer and more sustainable footing, and their implementation will take time.
Comments (10) «
The Borgen Project has good info on the estimated cost of ending global poverty:
$30 billion: Annual shortfall to end world hunger.
$550 billion: U.S. Defense budget.
I felt proud of the administration when President Obama said that he will propose banning torture and also try to make it so lawmakers cannot use information obtained from torture in U.S. Court’s. This proposal leads the whole country where future administrations may have to abide by the same rules unless they go through Congress or the Supreme Court to change the legislation.
The think-tank brains behind this proposal to involve law enforcement also impresses me because it encourages those in the judicial and military branches to prove their case in some other way. Which, in the end, may turn out more conclusive evidence against hard core terrorists.
The United States does not want its President of any political party, or its military leaders, involved in interrogator’s decision’s to even smack a guy up against the wall, even under the worst of emergency situations, because there are some times when interrorgators are wrong and it could later bring embarrassment to the President, the U.S. Military and to the country itself.
Go U.S. Dignity! It’s so nice to see dignity represented again, isn’t it?
It's been since about 1968 that I've heard a President, or a politician, sound like this. President Obama makes me think o fthe last great man in politics in my opinion - Robert Kennedy. He seems genuinely interested in the common American and their plight. He seems as real as the guy you sit next to at work, and uses the same kind of language my family understands and can agree with. He has inherited a truckload of crap from the previous administration, and I hope ALL Americans will not listen to the same old fear-mongering that the old Administration is STILL trying to get us to listen to. And YES WE CAN keep those prisoners from Guantanamo Bay the rest of their natural lives - we have Charlie Manson and have had him almost 40 years without incident, so WE CAN do it. We are already footing the bill for the camp in Cuba, are we not? Be Logical - I'd rather pay a few more tax dollars holding on to them than trade our Dignity as a Nation to do otherwise. Think about it...
John
Dick Cheney speech yesterday, epitomized exactly what the last 8 years of failure have been like.
Don't they get it? Their way did not work. They can continue with their "We kept American safer" rhetoric, but you can bet your bum, had they stopped any attack, any attempts , they would have been on TV non-stop bragging about it.
Of those 500+ released prisoners from Guanatanmo thus far, I wonder the kind of stories they made up when having their heads being water-boarded?
It is funny, though that Cheney remarked that he was approving of "Bush' decisions" regarding 'enhanced interrogation" methods ( a pretty word for torture). YET we have not seen Bush out there defending what they did at all.
Could it be after all, that Dicky Cheney DID pull the strings as the puppet master, and little Georgie merely signed the papers?
Wonder what kind of tale HE was singing by the 100th time? If it worked so well, wonder why they had to keep doing it 183 times???????
PamB
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I know that you feel so badly for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed but as he was the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks once again your sympathy for terrorists exposes your deep-seated hatred for America.
Besides you and Mohammed, who in their right mind really gives a rat's ass how much he hated the US because he was being forced to confess to murdering 3000 innocent Americans? We already know that like you, he hates America.
Just one more reason for him to shit his pants.
thestupidtimes
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Your name says it all.
Bla bla Bla, Baloney "We are reforming Military Commissions, and we will pursue a new legal regime to detain terrorists." What is the matter with using the courts- a new legal regime?? If they have committed a crime- charge them and try them. I am against this "new legal regime". We have laws - follow them.
As for people stuck "in the past". I do believe Obama is referring to those who would charge Chaney- Bush and Co with war crimes- for Torture. Since when do we turn our backs on crimes such as these. The next President - a Chaney clone- could just re-instate the "enhanced interrogation techniques" if these crimes are not punished. America can once again become a nation that torture- as quick as a wink. Chaney says it is just a "policy difference". torture is not a policy- it is a crime- against our lasws and against international laws. Obama is a lawyer- he knows this. Chaney and co should not go free.
Chaney is doing his media blitz to convince non thinking Americans that they should get away with raping our constitution. I say- hold them accountable in a court of law.
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