Could Gitmo Get Worse?
As Congress and the Obama Administration start to clean the mess left by Bush, Cheney, and their respective minions, Washington’s highest priorities will include restoring the Rule of Law. A fundamental bedrock of modern democracy, it has withered under a multi-faceted assault by the White House entailing executive secrecy, self-aggrandizement, cronyism, corruption, and violations of various statutory, constitutional, and international legal obligations. To repudiate the Bush legacy and restore fundamental American values, few steps would cover as much ground as ending surveillance, detention and torture. Obama’s impending inauguration offers hope for progress on all three fronts, but observers have overlooked how enforcing executive accountability would support these concrete policy changes. Leaving former officials unaccountable could lead to even worse problems taking their place. In the face of Washington’s reluctance to deepen partisan divisions, or implicate leaders of both parti
