Retired Military Leaders
Just days after his inauguration, a group of retired military leaders organized by Human Rights First was standing behind President Obama as he signed the executive orders that call for an end to torture and secret prisons, as well as the closure of Guantánamo within one year.
President Obama, as he signed the first executive order, explained who they were and how they have influenced him:
"The individuals who are standing behind me represent flag officers who came to both Joe and myself, and all the candidates, and made a passionate plea that we restore the standards of due process and the core constitutional values that have made this country great, even in the midst of war, even in dealing with terrorism. They've made an extraordinary impression on me. They are outstanding
Americans, who have fought and defended this country, and for them to fight on behalf of our constitutional ideals and values, I think, is exceptional, so I wanted to make sure that they were here to witness the signing of this executive order."
With these executive orders, we saw a willful departure from the Bush Administration's polices of torture, unjust trials, and prolonged detention without criminal charge. Read the Executive Orders: on Guantanamo, detention policy, interrogation policy, and the al-Marri case
Press release and the military leaders' statement
HRF's press conference:
Download our press conference (MP3) | Read the transcript [PDF]
Significant press coverage:
- New York Times article announcing the orders
- The story of the coalition in the New York Times and the Salt Lake Tribune
- White House Counsel Greg Craig discusses the role that meetings with these retired military leaders had in correcting key interrogation and detention policies, in the New Yorker
- A round-up of significant quotes on an HRF blog
Watch the signing, Major General Paul Eaton on Countdown with Keith Olbermann