Matt Yglesias

Former Cole Commander: Damn the Human Rights — Full Speed Ahead

The former commander of the U.S.S. Cole is none too happy with Barack Obama’s efforts to return the United States to the rule of law and the international community:

The former commander of the USS Cole, the American war ship that was struck by a suicide boat in Yemeni waters more than eight years ago, on Thursday slammed President Barack Obama’s orders to close the Guantanamo detention center and reassess the prisoners being held there.

”We shouldn’t make policy decisions based on human rights and legal advocacy groups,” retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Kurt Lippold said in a telephone interview. “We should consider what is best for the American people, which is not to jeopardize those who are fighting the war on terror — or even more adversely impact the families who have already suffered loses as a result of the war.”

With respect, this is just wrong. I am one who believes that international relations should be largely understood through the lens of interests. But there’s still such a thing as right and wrong. And we should, in fact, make adequate respect for the law and for human rights an important priority when making our policy decisions. Over the long run, Americans will much prefer to live in a world governed by law and human rights than one of chaos and brutality. And other countries will be better-disposed to our national power and leading global role insofar as they see us upholding humane values and basic decency. Besides which, it’s the right thing to do.

The Thunder and the Laughter, the Last Thing They Remember

I’ve been absolutely Gobsmacked by the nonsense the right is running with on the Guantanamo Bay issue, and the double-nonsense I’ve been hearing about it on television. The basic conservative position, as I understand it, is that the very same federal officials who can’t be trusted to prevent a breakout from a military prison in Kansas can be trusted to administer a system of indefinite detention and kangaroo courts fairly. Other arguments I’ve heard people make, apparently with a straight face:

• The fact that the Bush administration has let dangerous terrorists go free means Obama should keep innocent people detained.
• The fact that the Bush administration screwed up the paperwork on detainees shows that there was more wisdom to Bush’s policies than Obama acknowledged on the campaign trail.
• Obama’s promise of change was empty and hypocritical because it will take time to implement his executive orders.
• The “Guantanamo” issue is primarily about the physical location of the facility rather than the legal status or treatment of the detainees.
• Since many liberals live in San Francisco, anyone who thinks it would be ill-advised to transfer prisoners to a museum in the San Francisco Bay that hasn’t been a prison for decades is a hypocrite.

There’s some really out of this world stuff.