Obama leading with his finger in the wind

President-elect Obama has given us a glimpse of his Clintonian style of leadership. A stark contrast to the out-going President Bush's belief in 'What is right over what is popular'.
Obama's team announced that he will sign an executive order to close the prison on Guantanamo. This, as we recall, was a campaign cry of the left, who believed that those same terrorist who wanted to mass murder Americans, should have all the rights afforded to law abiding Americans. President Bush, upon taking the advice of CIA and military leaders, chose to keep these enemy's of the free world off of our soil. Yesterday President Bush pointed out that those same countries who wanted Gitmo closed, refused to take the prisoners to their own countries. I would like to know where Mr. Obama plans to send them?
We now know that Mr. Obama will not allow torturing of prisoners to gain valuable information. He believes that these murderers should be able to use the legal system to skirt the law. He also does not support the death penalty and would rather these people be tried by an international court.
This may prove to be the stick that knocks "The One" off of his towering pedestal. And he may take the liberal media with him.
Suppose that sometime in the future we are attacked again. Attacked by 21st century Muslim extremists with a dream team of ACLU lawyers. Using the "I was a victim of Gitmo so what choice did I have" defense. The lawyer in the White House would hardly disagree.
Any attacks in the future will bring up the questions "Could we have stopped it through interrogations?" and "Did we let one of the operatives get off on a legal technicality?".
President-elect Obama should not rush to a popular leftist judgement. Waiting until he has all access to information and a plan for what to do with the prisoners would be the right course for Gitmo. Instead he is using his internal polling to win over the far left. Just as choosing Rick Warren to speak at his inaugural is for the evangelicals. There is no reason other than to pacify a select group.
I hope President Bush leaves his big stick for Obama. The one that Theodore Roosevelt carried. The war on terror is a war for control of fear. Whether we fear the terrorist or the terrorist fear us more, determines who is winning.