Obama Lawyer Defends Rendition

It seems President Obama’s rollback of Bush era policies has hit a snag: According to The New York Times, the Obama administration is arguing, like the Bush administration before it, to dismiss a case by Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian native, and four others against a subsidiary of Boeing that helped arrange secret flights under the “extraordinary rendition” program to other countries, where they allege they were tortured. Both Bush and now Obama administrations said discussing such tactics in court could harm national security. When a judge on the trial asked an Obama lawyer if the change in administration “has no bearing,” Obama’s lawyer said “No, your Honor." Mohamed alleges “he was routinely beaten, suffering broken bones and, on occasion, loss of consciousness. His clothes were cut off with a scalpel and the same scalpel was then used to make incisions on his body, including his penis. A hot stinging liquid was then poured into open wounds on his penis where he had been cut. He was frequently threatened with rape, electrocution and death.”