Hot off the Press.. "I am not going to release individuals who endanger the American people." Barack Obama

So. Funny how it is easy to complain and to make unreasonable demands when you aren't in power, but when you obtain power, the problems suddenly become more complex.

Such is the case with Barack Obama.

As Obama has settled into the seat of power of the Presidency of the United States, he has realized, now publicly, that terrorists are the enemy of the west, and must be treated - not as "criminals" with full rights of due process and some obligation to prove guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt", but, as (to use his words) "prisoners of war" who may be detained simply because they are enemies of the United States of America.

The darling of the left, President Barack Obama, has made it clear that he is supportive of indefinite detention of terrorist suspects (now "prisoners of war").

We are going to exhaust every avenue that we have to prosecute those at Guantanamo who pose a danger to our country. But even when this process is complete, there may be a number of people who cannot be prosecuted for past crimes, but who nonetheless pose a threat to the security of the United States. Examples of that threat include people who have received extensive explosives training at al Qaeda training camps, commanded Taliban troops in battle, expressed their allegiance to Osama bin Laden, or otherwise made it clear that they want to kill Americans. These are people who, in effect, remain at war with the United States.
As I said, I am not going to release individuals who endanger the American people. Al Qaeda terrorists and their affiliates are at war with the United States, and those that we capture - like other prisoners of war - must be prevented from attacking us again.

When reality strikes, Mr. President, it strikes hard doesn't it?

Ok. Michael Ignatieff - where is your moral compass pointing now? Is it shifting back to that of your pal, Barack Obama (you know, the guy in the Times Square photo).. consistent with your writings in 2004 when you wrote in the New York Times about "Lesser Evils"?

As Ignatieff wrote:

..defeating terror requires violence. It may also require coercion, secrecy, deception, even violation of rights.

..To defeat evil, we may have to traffic in evils: indefinite detention of suspects, coercive interrogations, targeted assassinations, even pre-emptive war. These are evils because each strays from national and international law and because they kill people or deprive them of freedom without due process.

Of course - now, as recently as April 15, 2009, Michael tells us that there is no justification for this. Ok.. so that's your position yesterday, where do you stand today? Is Obama your friend, your mentor, or not?

Indeed.