Military Commissions Have Been Told To Stand Down By The White House

(Reuters: Joe Skipper )

White House Puts Military Commissions on Hold, Source Says

The White House has sent word to the Office of Military Commissions to stand down because President Obama will not support military trials at this time, a source close to the Pentagon told Fox News.

Another military source supported this account, telling Fox News that all signs in recent weeks point in that direction.

Asked to respond to claims that the commissions were told to stand down, a senior administration official told Fox News, “we intend to use all of the tools at our disposal to bring these guys to justice.”

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My Comment: This being Thanksgiving .... I doubt that anyone is going to confirm (or deny) this story for the next day or two. But if true (and I believe that it is true), this signals a continuation of President Obama's and Attorney General Holder's continuing belief that civilian trails are the way to go, and that they have no interest to change their Guantanamo detainee trial policies in the near future.

On a side note, Marc Thiessen has an interesting opinion piece on "the enduring appeal of trying terrorists before military commissions".

Ann Coulter Comments On The History Of US Military Commissions

My Comment: President Obama voted against setting up military commissions when he was a Senator.... this probably explains why as President he is now uncomfortable with the idea of having military commissions. Ann Coulter is right .... the President is being consistent with his philosophy on trying terrorists in civilian courts.

Military Commissions For Guantanamo Detainees Signed Into Law

Obama Endorses Military Commissions For Guantánamo Detainees -- Christian Science Monitor

Obama signed the Military Commissions Act of 2009 Wednesday. Critics say it is an improvement over past efforts but still offers only second-class justice to Guantánamo detainees.

In signing the National Defense Authorization Act on Wednesday, President Obama has personally endorsed yet another attempt by the US government to conduct military-commission trials of terror suspects currently held at the Guantánamo detention camp.

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My Comment: This pours cold water on any hope that all Guantanamo detainees will be tried in an American court system. I cannot say that I am surprised, some (if not most) of these detainees were brought into Guantanamo on evidence that would not be admissible in an American courtroom. Expect the critics to be even more incensed when the full implications of this new law begins to be understood.

Obama Set to Revive Military Commissions

From Washington Post:

Changes Would Boost Detainee Rights

The Obama administration is preparing to revive the system of military commissions established at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, under new rules that would offer terrorism suspects greater legal protections, government officials said.

The rules would block the use of evidence obtained from coercive interrogations, tighten the admissibility of hearsay testimony and allow detainees greater freedom to choose their attorneys, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The military commissions have allowed the trial of terrorism suspects in a setting that favors the government and protects classified information, but they were sharply criticized during the administration of President George W. Bush. "By any measure, our system of trying detainees has been an enormous failure," then-candidate Barack Obama said in June 2008.

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My Comment: Muddling through something that is very straight forward ... sigh .... this debate is going to go on for years.