January 23 2009 day 4

January 23rd 2009

The 67th U. S. Secretary of State

Hillary R. Clinton was sworn in as President Obama's Secretary of State on Wednesday January 21st. Hillary has become the United States 67th Secretary of State after the Senate approved her nomination by a vote of 94-2. The two votes against her confirmation were cast by Republican Senators Jim DeMint of South Carolina and David Vitter of Louisiana. Clinton was sworn in by D.C. Court of Appeals Associate Judge Kathryn Oberly. Her husband Former President Bill Clinton and her Senate staff were in attendance for the swearing in ceremony. Following the ceremony Secretary of State Clinton submitted her resignation from the Senate to Vice President Biden, Secretary of the Senate Nancy Erickson and New York Gov. David Paterson. The website WhiteHouse.gov has not updated the status of Hillary Clinton from Designate as yet on the Cabinet page of the site. I am sure they will do so shortly.

The Replacement Senator for New York

The expected replacement for Senator Hillary R. Clinton has been named by New York Gov. David Paterson. According to CNN Gov. Paterson has reportedly chosen Democratic Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, a 42 year old Democrat who represents New York's 20th district. Congresswoman Gillibrand is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, and as such tends to hold more of a conservative view than her more liberal counterparts. Gov. Paterson is expected to formally announce his decision at a noon press conference in Albany, New York.

Closure of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center

By Executive Order President Obama has ordered the closure of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center within a years time. There has however been no decision made on what to do with the prisoners currently being held in the detention center. Some have made reference to the possible use of the Naval Consolidated Brig in Charleston, South Carolina, while others seem to be more interested in building new facilities in the U.S. Those interested in the building of new facilities in the United States may meet with strong "not in my backyard" opposition.

The decision to close the detention center has been meet with strong international praise as it is viewed as a decisive move away from the Bush administration's less favorable policies which included the use of torture. The full text of the Executive Order to close the GitMo Detention center can be viewed here.

Detention Policy

President Obama executed an Executive Order to establish a Special Task Force on Detainee Disposition to identify lawful options for the disposition of individuals captured or apprehended in connection with armed conflicts and counter terrorism operations. This is another move away from the Bush Administration's stance on the treatment of prisoners and suspected terrorists.

The full text of the Executive order can be viewed here.

Review of the Detention of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri

President Obama has called for a Review of the Detention of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri. Al-Marri is currently held in facilities inside of the U.S. and in not party to the earlier executive order as such. For those not familiar with the al-Marri case:

Mr. al-Marri is a citizen of Qatar and legal U.S. resident who came to the United States with his wife and five children was arrested in Peoria, Illinois, where he was working towards a masters degree at Bradley University. He was arrested in 2001 as a material witness in the FBI's investigation of 9/11. In 2002, he was charged with credit card fraud and other criminal offenses. Shortly before his criminal trial commenced in June 2003, President Bush declared him an "enemy combatant" and moved him to the Navy Brig in South Carolina. Over five years later, Mr. al-Marri still remains in solitary confinement.

The full text of the Executive Order can be viewed here.

Lawful Interrogations

President Obama issued an Executive Order that attempts to enforce the lawful procedure guidelines for interrogation practice. President Obama revoked the former Executive order enacted by former President Bush executed on July 20th of 2007 as Executive Order 13440 and put the use of the Army Field Manual as the guideline for conducting interrogations. Some members of Congress are concerned that this will allow enemies of the United States unprecedented access to procedures and may compromise the effectiveness of the interrogation practices.

The full text of the Executive order can be viewed here.

Politifact's Obametor has now been upgraded to show President Obama has the following record on his campaign promises:

7 Promises Kept - view page here

14 Promises in the works - view page here