This week Obama indicated that he intends to close Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba. To this I say Amen. This prison and the actions taken there against enemy combatants captured in Afghanistan have in my estimation done more harm than good. I will not take time to outline or argue about the costs and benefits here. What I will say is that while I am very pleased that Obama will be closing the now infamous prison, it is important to point out that this will be a mute point if He does not make a clear break with many of the Bush administration's policies in acted in the wake of 9/11. The use of warrantless wiretaps, water boarding and harsh interrogation methods by members of the intelligence services and the U.S. military are deplorable. What is even more saddening is that these policies were not just allowed but apparently encouraged by high ranking administration officials, such as former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Chaney. Simply put, the United States in responding to murderous and evil men have take a few plays out of their play book and in so doing have abandoned the moral high ground, that among other things, lead them to attack us in the first place. Also if we simple transfer the detainees to another location either stateside or in their home countries where they will continue to be held indefinitely without being charged or put on trial would be to miss the point. I am not in any way defending their membership, association or sympathies to al Quada or the Taliban or standing up for their rights to hold jihadist ideology. What I am saying is that many of these men are criminals and should be treated as such (some are innocent and should be released). If the U.S. government has reason to hold them because of perceived wrong doing the correct course of action would be to charge them with the perceived wrong committed and conduct a trial and let justice be served. Right now neither justice nor the rule of law is being up held. So to reiterate; for Obama to simply close Guantanamo bay and not reform the current bush policies would not only be short sighted it would be to deny the rule of law, justice two of the guiding principles of the American way of life.