Terrorists Are Not 100 Feet Tall. Nor

Terrorists Are Not 100 Feet Tall. Nor Do They Deserve The Abject Fear They Seek To Instill.

Al-qa'ida Does Not Follow A Traditional Command Structure, Wear Uniforms, Carry Its Arms Openly, Or Mass Its Troops At The Borders Of The Nations It Attacks. Nonetheless, It Possesses The Demonstrated Capability To Strike With Little Notice And Cause Significant Civilian Or Military Casualties.

I'm Not Ideological. I Think Sometimes When People Are Ideological, The World's A Lot Easier. Because It Falls Into Either Right Or Wrong, Or Black Or White, Or Whatever. To Me, I'm Still Trying To Figure Out A Lot Of Things.

I Want To Be Very Clear - Whenever It Is Possible To Capture A Suspected Terrorist, It Is The Unqualified Preference Of The Administration To Take Custody Of That Individual So We Can Obtain Information That Is Vital To The Safety And Security Of The American People.

By The Time President Obama Took Office, Guantánamo Was Viewed Internationally As A Symbol Of A Counterterrorism Approach That Flouted Our Laws And Strayed From Our Values, Undercutting The Perceived Legitimacy - And Therefore The Effectiveness - Of Our Efforts.