<p>The government holds that it can in its sole discretion, without judicial review, declare an individual an enemy combatant at which point they lose rights of citizenship and legal rights as an American citizen as we have understood them. Fortunately, the courts disagreed.</p>
<p>Whether Padilla is innocent, guilty, or just looney tunes is irrelevant. The government’s stance on what it can do and how it can do it are a nightmare.
And I’m sure that via the farcial “compromise” now on the table that Padilla would be tortured legally under previously impermissible conditions.</p>
<p>Padilla is a terrorist. No one has any doubts about it. We are at war with terrorism in war certain things happen that do not happen during peace time. Terrorism is not a matter of regular crimminal courts but a military mather and it should be handled as such, but even so you feel that it is valid to make a comparison between the US and Iran?</p>
<p>I am shocked that Charles Rangel said that. I always assumed he was a kool-Aid drinker for the left. I have to say that my respect for GWB wanes daily, and I understand why some world leaders might accuse him of being “the Devil”. Nevertheless, I was mildly irked that Chavez would come to our country and insult our President, regardless of that President’s party his affiliation. That’s roughly equivalent to being invited to someones home for a formal dinner, and then proceeding to spit in the host’s face. Something tells me that Bush could never get away with that same behavior in Venezuela. </p>
<p>What I found most troubling in this whole scenario, however, was the support Chavez enjoyed from the rest of the U.N. Delegation during his speech. It could well be claimed that our current President has so alienated the world community, that this reaction was understandable. But I wonder…had Chavez (or some other world leader) made a similar speech about Bill Clinton during his Presidency, would not the world reaction have been much the same? Before answering this with a resounding, “no”, bear in mind that we suffered terrorist attacks both here and abroad during his watch.:rolleyes:</p>