America's Future Foundation

So Barack Obama has decided that it’s important for the United States to be able to keep a hold of enemy combatants/terrorists even if a court finds them not guilty of whatever crime they’ve been accused. I for one applaud this flip-flop: I think we all knew that the President was simply scoring political points when he lambasted his political opponents for forcing a “false choice” between security and liberty on the American people. But I do wonder why his supporters are so quick to roll over for this obvious violation of basic human dignity.* Allow me to posit the following: If George W. Bush said that he was going to hold those accused of crimes in prisons around the world regardless of what the courts said, we would be hearing squeals of indignation about the evils of the neoconservatives and their Manichean worldview and how they hate freedom. Instead we hear some weaksauce complaints about timelines.

Principles are fun things to have…especially when you’re fine with discarding them at the first sign they come into conflict with the behavior of your idols.

*Note: That’s sarcasm. I have no problem whatsoever with this move. Like Goldfarb, my problem is with hypocrisy. I’ve long hated hypocrisy far more than political differences.

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