There are few in this country who doubt that our priorities have changed since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, as many Americans have become hungry for security and freedom from terrorism. The Bush administration moved quickly in the wake of the attacks to act on a large variety of legislation and executive orders that would give American authorities more freedom to fight those who intend to harm America.
One of the policies revised a few days after the planes hit, while Ground Zero was still smoldering, was that of rendition - the policy of sending those suspected of crimes, usually terror-related, to other countries for interrogation. Although many in the Bush administration publicly contend that rendition has prevented attacks, it seems much more likely that it has given America's reputation a black eye and wasted resources on policy that is morally inconsistent with the stated goals of this country.
It is foolish to expect democracy to reign supreme around the world when the United States pays scant heed to the details of due process at home. Unfortunately, the Bush administration has spent an extraordinary amount of time and money trying to justify the selective denial of rights to prisoners in the War on Terror. With the policy of "extraordinary rendition," foreign citizens suspected of terror-related crimes are transported around the world without charges or trial as part of America's efforts to bring "justice" to terrorists.
One of the claims made by unnamed officials in the New York Times yesterday was that the policy of rendition saves America money. After all, the officials stated, interrogation is a costly process; why not get other countries to foot the bill? What we should be asking, however, is why taxpayer dollars are being used to ferry prisoners around the world and to pay the Americans overseas who supposedly supervise their detention.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of rendition is the suspicion by many that it might be used for torture of suspects. Several stories have emerged regarding how terror suspects were transferred overseas and tortured at America's behest. Although such tales have not been confirmed by our government, the mere fact that we are sending those we suspect of crimes to countries with dismal human rights records, such as Egypt, Syria, and Pakistan, is cause for plenty of concern here at home.
Some justify our policy towards terror by stating that the ends justify the means. Don't believe it. We cannot fight a war for world freedom while indefinitely imprisoning certain "suspects" around the world. Every person who claims he was tortured at the hands of Americans in captivity will proclaim his story, true or not, from the mount as an inspiration for those disgruntled to rise up against America. Even worse, every suspect that is "rendered" to another country undermines our own moral standing as we ask others to take steps towards freedom. While we may need to use the sword to reach the olive bough, we must not use that same sword to stab lady justice in the heart.
