Obama Masterfully Uses Code Pink Heckler To Make His Case That GITMO Must Be Closed

[Tx4obama]

Obama Masterfully Uses Code Pink Heckler To Make His Case That GITMO Must Be Closed

A Code Pink heckler thought she was protesting the president, but in reality she helped President Obama make his case that GITMO must be closed immediately.

-snip- (video)

Obama was explaining that there was no justification for Congress to prevent him from closing GITMO, when a Code Pink heckler interrupted him. The president said, “Let me finish ma’am.” The heckler started ranting about the detainee hunger strike, and the president replied, “I’m about to address it ma’am, but you’ve got to let me speak. I’m about to address it ma’am. Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll tell you exactly what I am going to do.” The Code Pink heckler was incorrectly claiming that Obama is Commander in Chief so he can close GITMO. This is true, but the president needs funding from Congress in order to close the facility, and move the detainees. Congress continues to refuse to fund the closure of GITMO.

The Code Pinker wasn’t going to swayed by anything that the president had to say, so she continued to rant. Finally, the president said, “Thank you. Thank you, ma’am. You should let me finish my sentence. Today, I once again call on Congress to lift the restrictions on detainee transfers from GITMO.” The protester who has been identified as Medea Benjamin interrupted the president a third time. His patience wearing thin, the president said, “Part of free speech is you being able to speak, but also me being able to speak. And you listening.”

Obama later said that he cut her some slack with her interruptions, and admitted that she had a point. The president also mentioned that he thought Benjamin wasn’t listening to a word he said.

Do you want to know why President Obama let her speak? This is going to come as a shock to the far left, but Obama agrees with her on the basic idea that GITMO must be closed. By letting the Code Pink protester ramble on, President Obama got his message about Congress needing to authorize the transfer of detainees out of GITMO on the frontpage of every website, and it will be the lead story all over cable news tonight.

-snip-

Full article here: http://www.politicususa.com/obama-masterfully-code-pink-heckler-case-gitmo-closed.html

A Good Read

[Tx4obama]

1. Republicans Finally Admit That They, Not Obama, Are Preventing Gitmo Civilian Trials

March 10, 2013

Republicans Finally Admit That They, Not Obama, Are Preventing Gitmo Civilian Trials

-snip-

Here: http://www.politicususa.com/republicans-finally-closet-preventing-obama-closing-gitmo-civilian-trials.html

[freshwest]

8. That's always been the case. Obstruct and then blame Obama. So many fall for it, too.

[Buzz Clik]

2. more, highly relevant text

From the next paragraph:

Code Pink has been grossly misinformed, as has much of the far left, about the political maneuverings that have resulting in Congress blocking the closure of GITMO. They want to blame Obama, because as Benjamin put it, he is the commander in chief. Their childlike naive view of presidential power is that the president can do anything, but that’s not the way it works.

[Tx4obama]

4. Correct. I've posted a link in Comment #3 that has time-line updates.

[Tarheel_Dem]

6. +1

[Cha]

12. Media is the perfect example of those who stamp their

feet and won't let facts get in the way of what they insist is reality.

[sheshe2]

17. I just finished listening to the President's speech.

It's posted on my link @ grantcarts thread on the BOG...or you can go to TOD.

It's an hour but worth it, Cha.

[Cha]

18. Thanks She! I saw that OP

by grant in the BOG and was going to get back to it.. got a Little distracted!

[sheshe2]

20. Distracted~

Me too Cha, so much going on today.

[Hissyspit]

23. How President Obama can close Gitmo Without Congress, by a law professor at University of Chicago:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/view_from_chicago/2013/05/president_obama_can_shut_guantanamo_whenever_he_wants_to.html

- snip -

The better interpretation of section 1027, one that avoids constitutional difficulties, bans transfers from Guantanamo to the U.S. only as long as hostilities continue. Courts have recognized repeatedly that the president can act on reasonable interpretations of statutes when they are ambiguous or contain internal contradictions; that statutes should be read to avoid constitutional problems like the one mentioned above; and that the president is entitled to special deference when laws touch on his foreign affairs and military powers. Yet another rule discourages interpretations of statutes that violate international law—which requires enemy combatants to be released at the end of hostilities unless they are convicted of crimes. For all these reasons, if President Obama were to declare an end of hostilities with al-Qaida and release detainees, he would be on reasonable legal ground. And it’s not as though Obama has been shy about asserting executive power when Congress blocks an objective he cares about. His military intervention in Libya in defiance of the War Powers Act (and legal advice from some of his own lawyers) is one example.

If Obama declared hostilities at an end, the Guantanamo detainees would be no different from people who were washed up on U.S. territory by accident, like shipwrecked sailors. Those who pose no danger to the United States (about 86 of the 166), and cannot be returned to their countries, could receive refugee status under existing laws. Those who are known to be dangerous could be arrested under criminal law. If I am correct that section 1027 is unconstitutional, both groups could be brought to the United States. The detainees we cannot convict would be released. That may be politically unpalatable but it is legally unimpeachable.

Congress would squawk, but only a veto-proof majority of Congress would have standing to challenge the president in court, and it is hard to imagine that such a majority would sue. And even if it did, courts tend to duck disputes like this between the branches.

President Obama may worry that if he declares an end of hostilities with al-Qaida, he would need to terminate his beloved drone program, which operates in part under authority of the AUMF. But ample legal precedent shows presidents can use military force under their constitutional powers; and, in any event, nothing would stop President Obama from continuing the AUMF with respect to associates of al-Qaida. And if al-Qaida rises from the dead, Congress will eagerly supply him with a new law to fight it.

MORE

[Tx4obama]

3. The FACTS regarding GITMO, Obama, and Congress (for those that do not know them)

The reason GITMO is still open is because of CONGRESS, not Obama.

Read the updates, from the bottom of the page upwards here: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/177/close-the-guantanamo-bay-detention-center/



Note: Regarding Politifact ratings: An important point about Obameter ratings: A Promise Broken rating does not necessarily constitute failure or mean that Obama failed to be an advocate for his promises. He could exert tremendous effort to fulfill any given promise but it could still die because of opposition in Congress. <SNIP> http://www.politifact.com/about/

[freshwest]

7. Media Benjamin is a Libertarian who hangs out with 2nd amendment march organizer Adam Kokesh, etc.

No, she didn't want to hear a word that he had to say, she was there to do a hit job. She failed, but then she got some more publicity.

Used to think she was cool, but she supports Rand Paul, Alex Jones, Truthers, etc. Here's the company she keeps, pretty conservative bunch of cranks:

http://www.dronereport.net/top-10-voices-drone/

[Tarheel_Dem]

5. I listened on NPR, and it was indeed "Masterful". Repubs online, are calling Benjamin "a plant".

[freshwest]

9. One of *their* plants, for sure. See above, she's another GOP = Teabagger.

[Tarheel_Dem]

10. "Stand With Rand".

[freshwest]

11. Yeah, that just about says it all. Another holier-than-thou faux progressive, that is, libertarian.

[tavalon]

22. Medea Benjamin!

You know nothing freshwest.

[Cha]

13. She's a plant alright..

Poor thing.

[Tarheel_Dem]

15. When you become a career protestor, you really should make point to be aware of current events.

She really came off looking bad, and that doesn't help her movement in the least. It's alienating, and highly disrespectful, because the POTUS was there to address her concerns, but she clearly wasn't interested in listening. She's become Rand Paul's campaign manager in the minds of many of her former allies, and that's just sad.

[Cha]

16. It's totally sad, TD. Rand Paul.. so she doesn't believe in Choice?

I know she doesn't believe in reality about Gitmo.. which begs the question.. Do they really want it closed or just paying lip service?

Hey

[Tarheel_Dem]

21. As she is a career protestor, I'm gonna go with "paying lip service". If there were no more wars...

& no more Gitmo, it would be disastrous for her because people would forget she ever existed. This keeps her in the public eye. She gets much more publicity by attacking a president, than she would for attacking a legislator. See how that works? It's about the attention. I wonder what her DU handle is?

[Cha]

14. thanks Tx! Which begs the question.. Do those like Code Pink really want Gitmo Closed or

are they just freaking lip service?

Obama handled the heckler beautifully, and the whole thing worked out to his advantage, because now the world will get to see who is really preventing the closure GITMO.

[sheshe2]

19. Hi Tx.

Have you had a chance to to watch the speech in full, it was excellent.

The Code Pink heckler was incorrectly claiming that Obama is Commander in Chief so he can close GITMO. This is true, but the president needs funding from Congress in order to close the facility, and move the detainees. Congress continues to refuse to fund the closure of GITMO.

Good article...you can't hear what the heckler was saying..so thanks for the link.