Obama’s Empty Call for Reflection, Insult to Justice

(8 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

“This is a time for reflection, not retribution.”

This statement misleadingly substitutes the concept of retribution for accountability.  This statement, coming after seven years of brutal and illegal retribution for a heinous act, hypocritically calls for our crimes to be met with reflection only.  This statement implies that appropriate responses to war crimes are variable, dependent on time.  This statement calls for reflection, an impossibility in the face of unrelenting insistence that we not look back.   Finally, and most significantly, this phrase arrogantly implies the ability to choose when and if government officials are subject to the law of the land.

One thing I have always admired in President Obama is his skill in employing language to precisely articulate ideas which renew the resonance of our best liberal heritage.  His speech on race will be forever remembered for plainly acknowledging a painful, difficult past and a challenging present while calling forth the better parts of ourselves in the service of a colorblind future.  Even as some of his actions as President have dismayed, his meaningful words have always reassured that the decisions arise from a profound understanding of democracy and a motivation to serve all Americans.  Obama has brilliantly explicated the destructive effects of racial intolerance, ideological blindness, and partisan squabbling while prescribing and practicing the most promising ways to eliminate these drags on our collective psyche.  

For these reasons, President Obama’s manipulative and shallow speech on America’s war crimes felt like a surprising blow to the gut.  I spent the better part of the day attempting to unravel the dangerous confusions embodied in one phrase in particular:  “reflection, not retribution.”  The more time I spend with these words, the less I can avoid the conclusion that the slippery logic they embody is carefully calculated to marginalize lovers of justice.

This is a time for reflection, not retribution. I respect the strong views and emotions that these issues evoke. We have been through a dark and painful chapter in our history. But at a time of great challenges and disturbing disunity, nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past.

Do these words shed light on our present challenge?  Do they indicate the best way forward?  I say they confuse rather than enlighten.

Here is a request for the readers of this diary.  An administration of our country has been involved in crimes against humanity.  This is not about Obama.  I ask that we discuss our responsibilities to the world, to the law, and to our ideals irrespective of the implications either for Obama’s worthiness or for his political agenda.  I come neither to bury Obama nor to praise him.  I do not indulge gratuitous and hyperbolic condemnation, nor do I look for a savior.  I propose only to examine the accuracy and usefulness of his words yesterday on the issue of torture committed in our names.

This is a time for reflection, not retribution.

Some may be bloodthirsty for revenge.  Others may be interested only in the blame which Obama tells us will not help.  But what of the many U.S. and global citizens who hunger for justice?  We are the responsible critics, calling for reasonable accountability in accordance with well-established universal law.  President Obama either insults us by demeaning our motives or ignores us by offering no response to the call for accountability.  Retribution is whimsically visited by the powerful on the weak; justice is blind to power and unbiased by circumstance.

This is a time for reflection, not retribution.

The sleight of hand which insultingly replaces “justice” with “retribution” enables the most crucial confusion of all.  Change the words to, “This is a time for reflection, not justice,” and the logic of Obama’s rhetoric is laid bare.  The reasonable sounding appeal is based on an insupportable assumption that justice is not always appropriate.  An definitional element of justice is its universal application.  Justice that varies with the seasons is no justice at all.

This is a time for reflection, not retribution.

One can only imagine how different our world would look if we had adopted this attitude following the attacks of 9/11.  A few people attempted to point out some American actions which would shed light on the motivations of the terrorists.  Remember the reaction to Reverend Wright’s claim that the chickens had come home to roost?  All such people were self-righteously dismissed as blame-America-first traitors.  Such an atrocity–how could any patriot excuse it?  As a nation, we committed ourselves to retribution with unabashed vigor.

Now America has committed atrocities, and our president tells us the appropriate response is reflection free of accountability.  America’s self-centeredness has never been more ugly.  This is the behavior of the bully, who understands his position among others on the basis of an imbalance of power rather than mutually accepted codes of behavior.

This is a time for reflection, not retribution.

Reflection entails looking at the past with an openness to discovering something new.  In light of all of Obama’s previous words on this topic, the recommendation to reflect arises in a vacuum.  When speaking of prosecution of crimes against humanity, Obama invariably states his preference for looking forward rather than back.  He has been insistent on this point.  Likewise, he has stated the position of his administration with a certainty which discourages contemplation and a finality that implies the issue has been resolved.  Furthermore, this speech included unambiguous praise for every CIA member, including those whose behavior cries out for thoughtful examination.  Self-discovery is unlikely to flower in such an atmosphere.  Pep rallies are not conducive to reflection.  I am loathe to say this about Obama’s words, but I can only interpret the use of “reflection” as empty rhetoric.  I’ll stop short of calling it cynical.

This is a time for reflection, not retribution.

When the hidden meaning of this innocuous sounding sentence is examined, the high-sounding words fail to cover the bare meaning.  Our country does not intend to honor our obligations under international and domestic law.  Rather than investigate and bring to justice those who planned, ordered, and committed acts offensive to all civilized people, we propose to move forward with absolutely no accountability.  We presume to choose when accountability to the laws of nations is appropriate.  This behavior can only be counted as arrogant, exhibiting an abandonment of responsibility to other nations while presuming a special status which exempts us from the common demands of justice.  Beautiful words do not hide this ugly truth.