President Barack Obama noted that he was of a mind to look forward not backwards. He must attend to the wrongs of the past eight years before he can ever concentrate on building trust with the American people and America's allies.
Documents confirm the US Department of Defence involvement in the CIA's "ghost" detention program, and the existence of secret prisons at Bagram air base in Afghanistan and in Iraq.
These documents confirm that Guantanamo prisoners who were scheduled to be sent home cannot do so and must wait another month and a half in order to avoid bad press.
The document from the transport division recommended "hold(ing) off on return flights for 45 days or so until things die down to avoid hero welcomes on their return.
An email issued round that time a UN report on Guantanamo had been released recommended transfer in a smaller, more discreet plane.
Documents also revealed that Defence had a policy not to register prisoners with the Red Cross for 14 days and sometimes for 30 days in the interests of collecting intelligence and that this policy was known to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Margaret Satterthwaite, director of New York University's International Human Rights Clinic said, "it is increasingly obvious that Defence officials engaged in legal gymnastics to find ways to co-operate with the CIA's activities."
A "truth commission" answerable to both chambers of Congress to investigate the actions of the Bush administration and departments has been established by Democrat Patrick Leahy, head of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Senator Leahy called his proposal a "middle ground" between those critics of the Bush administration seeking to prosecute officials, and others wishing to concentrate on the future as opposed to investigating the past.
The next 28 days will be crucial witness to Obama's integrity in dealing with the atrocities of the so called 'War on Terror'.
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