Obama Bristles at Comparisons to Bush, Disappoints Human Rights Advocates at Closed-Door Meeting

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
by Alyssa Morin

President Obama has come repeatedly under fire for what has appeared to be reversals on the national security policies he promised during his campaign.  The President's decision to not move forward with a full-scale investigation into torture conducted by the previous administration and his reluctance to end lawless imprisonment at the Bagram air force base in Afghanistan have caused many civil liberties groups to question the President's commitment to any real divergence from the policies of the last eight years.

On the eve of his press conference about the closing of Guantanamo Bay, President Obama met privately with human rights groups Wednesday in an effort to quell mounting criticism over national security decisions, such as the continuation of military tribunals for Guantanamo prisoners and not releasing further photographs of detainee abuse.

What was supposed to be a closed-door meeting became more public after Press Secretary Robert Gibbs mentioned the gathering in his daily briefing, prompting certain attendees to speak out about what was discussed behind the doors of the Cabinet Room.  While reports on the secret meeting are limited, most accounts describe the attendees leaving less than satisfied by the President's reassurances.

A New York Times article relied upon anonymous meeting attendees in its coverage of the talks and focused on Obama's admission that he was considering allowing for the "preventive detention" of terror suspects.  The secret sources described the meeting as disheartening, explaining that they left the meeting disappointed with the President's defense of taking heightened liberties when imprisoning terror suspects as a possible solution to long-term concerns over the handling of suspects who cannot be formally charged. 

In an article of greater scope, The Huffington Post relayed the impressions of Elisa Massimino, CEO of Human Rights First, who attended the meeting yesterday.  Massimino described the meeting as largely an opportunity the President created for civil liberties groups to question his recent policy decisions as a positive step towards improved transparency, though she confessed that she left the White House with many of her questions relating to the President's recent decisions unanswered.  Massimino painted a fairly tense picture of the gathering, during which Obama faced tough questions from leaders of human rights organizations and accusations that his policies were dangerously reminiscent of his predecessor's. 

Specifically, the President defended the decision not to release detainee abuse photos as a potentially temporary measure to protect the safety of American troops in Afghanistan and expressed a certain powerlessness on the issue of military tribunals.  Obama explained that his preference remains trying Guantanamo detainees in federal courts but that certain cases dictate the use of military commission.  While Massimino said she was encouraged by the President's initiation of open discussion with his critics, many of the participants remained skeptical of his policies even after the meeting.

Michael Isikoff of Newsweek, reporting on the Rachel Maddow Show, offered a more probing report of the meeting, explaining that the impressive showing of White House staff, including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Attorney General Eric Holder, and advisor David Axelrod was evidence of the administration's concern with the left's criticisms.  He described the President's tone as defensive of comparisons to Bush more than forthcoming with any evidence to the contrary.

Obama talked about the unfortunate situation he inherited from President Bush and dismissed likenessess between his policies and his predecessor's as unhelpful.  The President continued to doubt the usefulness of a commission to investigate torture during the Bush presidency as a distraction and flat-out rejected a call for a single, symbolic criminal prosecution despite the fact that he had previously claimed that decisions of this kind would be made by Attorney General Holder.  Isikoff described this oversight as potentially damning as it exposes the President's prioritizing political repercussions over justice.  Isikoff, while not naming his sources, made it clear that liberal skepticism of the President's policies was far from assuaged by the talks yesterday.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT