Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said that his reason for voting “yes” for Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor was not based on what he described as President Obama’s view that the “heart” of a judge could potentially determine the outcome of a controversial case. Rather, Graham said we should value judges based on their ability to stick to the rule of law. (1:29)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said today that he believes Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s past speeches do not reflect her record and decisions as a judge. Graham contends that he has probably made some speeches that some people did not like also, but that he hoped those people would also look at his work as a politician, not as a speech-maker. (0:45)
By Laura Woodhead – Talk Radio News Service
A proposed reform to the manner in which foreign detainees are tried will ensure that prisoners receive treatment more in line with the U.S. judicial system, said military officials during their testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday.
“We are willing to be judged by what we are putting together today. You ought to feel very comfortable sending anybody to this commission process with these changes because we have what we believe to be a fair and just system,” said Vice Admiral Bruce E MacDonald USN, Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy.
The hearing took place in response to the committee’s proposed amendments to the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which have been included in the National Defense Authorization Bill for the 2010 fiscal year. The proposed changes would alter “a long list of problems” with military commissions so that they “provided basic guarantees of fairness identified by the Supreme Court”, thereby eliminating the language that places the burden upon detainees to prove that ‘hearsay’ evidence against them is unreliable said Chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D- Mich.)
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I- Conn.) responded negatively to the proposed reform, warning that allowing detainees the right to a civilian trial would be affording them rights they simply do not deserve.
“We would be giving these terrorists greater protection in the federal courts than we given any other war criminal in our entire history…Yes it may be an act of murder that killed the people in the twin towers on 9/11, but it was [also] an act of war. The people that did that do not deserve constitutional protections of federal courts.”
Sen. Graham (R – S.C) disagreed with Sen. Lieberman, saying that creating a hybrid situation that involved civilian courts and military commissions is the key, considering there is no clear end to the war on terrorism.
“That’s not being soft on terrorism, that’s applying American values to this war” he said.
Sen. John McCain (R- Ariz.) took a different view, asserting that it was not just what type of trial took place but where it was held. Sen. McCain repeatedly questioned the officials as to whether there would be a difference in the rights awarded to detainees if they were tried at Guantanamo Bay or in the continental U.S.
“I think it is important for this Committee to know when writing this legislation, if detainees would have all kinds of additional rights if tried in America as opposed to Guantanamo. I think the Committee and the American people should know that.”
Chairman, Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said that this new legislation would address the “shortcomings of the existing law” in relation to tribunals.
However, he added, that the Government “will have a long way to go to restore public confidence in military commissions and the justice they produce.”
Present at the hearing were Sen. Levin (D-Mich.), Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Lieberman (I – Conn.) , Sen. Reed (D- R.I.), Sen. Graham (R – Ga.), Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Sen. Martinez (R-Fla.), Sen. Udall (D- Colo.) and Sen. Hagan (D- N.C.)
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) argues that the U.S. is lacking a hybrid military and civilian process that would legitimize the trial of detainees. Sen. Graham also says that it is important that detainees are not isolated from the judicial system, but face review periodically to determine their status as to whether they will be released, tried or detained. He says that the effort to reform how detainees are tried is not soft on terror, but applies American values to the ongoing war. (0:45)
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) at the Senate Budget Committee today asked witnesses Simon Johnson, professor at the Massachusetts, Brad Setser, fellow for geoeconomics and Tim Adams, managing director of The Lindsey Group, if they thought the first $350 billion bailout fund was spent wisely and Adams stated that the money should have been used for what it was supposed to be for. Graham agreed and said “People are running out of trust and patience with us up here.”
by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service
