No hope for the hopeless

I'm beyond disappointed in the news from the Obama folks that they appear to be dodging the Gitmo issue -- I'm positively devastated that there appears to be nobody left in a position of power who cares about fundamental human rights and decency. Years of deprivation and torment, without hope of appeal, fairness, the possibility of release... is this what America wants to stand for? Even the right wing used to hold up gulags as a sign of moral bankruptcy! Also chilling is this quote from a guy from the Center for Constitutional Rights:

If the last eight years have taught us anything, it's that executive abuses, left to continue unchecked for many years, have a tendency to congeal into precedent.

I sympathize with the nearly impossible position in which Obama finds himself, with terrible situations not of his creation, and the solution of which involve opposition from many sides. But at some point, he has to provide more than rhetorical leadership on the fundamental issues of our times.