May 20, 2009 9:16pm
The Great Gitmo Debate
EmailWith a 90-6 vote, the Senate rebuffs the Obama administration’s request for $80 million to close the detainee center at Guantanamo Bay.
Our World News report.
- jpt
With a 90-6 vote, the Senate rebuffs the Obama administration’s request for $80 million to close the detainee center at Guantanamo Bay.
Our World News report.
- jpt
Biden Reflects on Grief, Suicidal Thoughts 
Is Congress Sounding Dumber?
Ninety to six. The Senate must be loaded with right-wingers.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | May 20, 2009, 9:46 pm 9:46 pm
This is, of course, only a logistical tactic but still the Democrats are not toeing the line for the Obamster.
Posted by: drjohn | May 20, 2009, 9:53 pm 9:53 pm
They want to have a solid defined plan before writing the check, I have no problem with that. It’s good to see that with a Democratic majority Congress now takes it’s job as a co-equal branch of government seriously, regardless of who is in the Whitehouse.
Posted by: jhw539 | May 20, 2009, 10:05 pm 10:05 pm
Huffington Post:
THE FIERCE MORAL URGENCY OF CHANGE: Obama: Plame Lawsuit Should Not Be Reconsidered By Supreme Court. “Agreeing with the Bush administration, the Obama Justice Department argues the Wilsons have no legitimate grounds to sue. It is surprising that the first time the Obama administration has been required to take a public position on this matter, the administration is so closely aligning itself with the Bush administration’s views.”
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I support the president’s continuation of Bush policy in the Plame matter, as well as his continuation of Bush policy in the war on terror.
Posted by: mad | May 20, 2009, 10:19 pm 10:19 pm
Democratic congress giving Obama cover so that he can quietly drop the Gitmo thing, save face, and (he hopes) get re-elected.
Posted by: jan | May 20, 2009, 10:48 pm 10:48 pm
Robert Gibbs:
“I think he’ll say this tomorrow, that we’ve made some hasty decisions that are now going to take some time to unwind, and closing Guantanamo Bay, obviously, is one of those decisions.”
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ya think????
Posted by: mad | May 20, 2009, 11:04 pm 11:04 pm
what a losser
Posted by: grt | May 20, 2009, 11:07 pm 11:07 pm
Democratic congress giving Obama cover so that he can quietly drop the Gitmo thing, save face, and (he hopes) get re-elected.
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Yea right and the first thing he does is bring a prisoner into NY for trial from Gitmo.
The President is going to win this one, like he wins them all.
Posted by: Thinking | May 20, 2009, 11:18 pm 11:18 pm
Robert Gibbs:
“I think he’ll say this tomorrow, that we’ve made some hasty decisions that are now going to take some time to unwind, and closing Guantanamo Bay, obviously, is one of those decisions.”
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ya think????
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No. He will get the conviction in NY and that prisoner from Gitmo will be sentenced to a Federal Prison in the States. End of story.
Posted by: Thinking | May 20, 2009, 11:36 pm 11:36 pm
The President is going to win this one, like he wins them all.
Posted by: Thinking
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By flip flopping.
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn | May 20, 2009, 11:37 pm 11:37 pm
NYT:
“An unreleased Pentagon report concludes that about one in seven of the 534 prisoners already transferred abroad from the detention center in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has returned to terrorism or militant activity, according to administration officials.”
snip
“Two administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said the report was being held up by Defense Department employees fearful of upsetting the White House, at a time when even Congressional Democrats have begun to show misgivings over Mr. Obama’s plan to close Guantánamo.”
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ah, transparancy….
Posted by: mad | May 20, 2009, 11:45 pm 11:45 pm
If Gitmo is a maximum security prison and no detainee escaped, what makes this Congress think they can escape from the hundreds of the max security prisons we have here in America.
Now I know that the Democrats in Congress will sacrifice their values for fear of been criticized by republicans. This is true.
Posted by: Brian | May 21, 2009, 12:03 am 12:03 am
Plame Lawsuit Should Not Be Reconsidered By Supreme Court.
“Agreeing with the Bush administration, the Obama Justice Department argues the Wilsons have no legitimate grounds to sue. It is surprising that the first time the Obama administration has been required to take a public position on this matter, the administration is so closely aligning itself with the Bush administration’s views.”
Hee hee heeee…
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | May 21, 2009, 12:04 am 12:04 am
It’s troubling that the Defense Department feels the need to withhold reports from the WH that might upset the WH.
Posted by: mad | May 21, 2009, 12:17 am 12:17 am
jhw539- You write a lot of intelligent comments. You should add to your experience that the democrats making such an overwhelming statement was not a necessity.
Posted by: MarkLeavenworth | May 21, 2009, 12:44 am 12:44 am
A great vote result. Obama needs to rethink what he plans to do with the detainees.
He has no plans at all. Release them in the US and then what?
Posted by: Kottaras | May 21, 2009, 12:44 am 12:44 am
Nobody could have thought this was going to be easy. If Congress had the answer, they would have presented it before today. If Candidate Obama had had the answer, he would be able to present it before now.
This is why we must demand a way for our candidates to answer/address issues in a much more complex way. Platitudes don’t work in the real world.
Posted by: MayBee | May 21, 2009, 1:18 am 1:18 am
Those senators who are now complaining about not wanting the terrorists in the United States prisons , what would they do with those terrorists that blew up the World Trades Center in 1993? ,because their was no GITMO then.
Posted by: joseph | May 21, 2009, 1:35 am 1:35 am
After 6 years of hearing Democrats roast Bush for not having a plan, I guess it’s at least consistant that they roast Obama for not having a plan. Democrats, the party of complaining and blaming. What’s keeping this great Democrat Congress with coming up with their own plan or solution? I thought this was the party of intellectuals?
Posted by: KR | May 21, 2009, 9:05 am 9:05 am
And in related news, a Tsunami Warning has been issued in the Atlantic Ocean in light of a series of titanic Flip Flops emanating from Washington, DC.
Obama, Pelosi, and Reid are finally discovering that….wow, like demagoguing is fun and easy.
But Governing is hard.
Posted by: It's All About the "O" | May 21, 2009, 9:06 am 9:06 am
Everyone is forgetting the fundamental reason we are in this spot.
In past wars when the war was over, prisoners were released and everyone went home.
For the terrorists the war is never over, even if the battle is done. They will go back and pick up their arms and begin again.
WE are in new territory and need new solutions. In the past dems used politics to castigate Bush instead of offering solutions or contributing to the discussion.
It sounds like Obama is going to present a plan for a court that allows “preventative indefinite detention”
The same thing Bush wanted but was blocked by the hateful political climate.
In this new type of war we are in we need these new solutions.
If this is what Obama does I am behind that decision 100%.
Posted by: MNM | May 21, 2009, 9:10 am 9:10 am
“In this new type of war we are in we need these new solutions.
If this is what Obama does I am behind that decision 100%.”
The solution was GITMO. It was US territory in a foreign country. It was on an island whos government hates us. It is situated in a largely remote portion of that island. It truely was the perfect set up. Unfortunately, liberal democrat campaign bafoonery has ruined it, along with plenty of help from a compliant media.
Posted by: KR | May 21, 2009, 9:37 am 9:37 am
If it only cost $80 Million.. this would be he most cost efficient project in POTUS’s 1st 100 Days.
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | May 21, 2009, 9:44 am 9:44 am
“The same thing Bush wanted but was blocked by the hateful political climate.”
Clear example of putting self serving politics before the good of the nation. Now these jokers are in near total control of our country.
Posted by: KR | May 21, 2009, 9:48 am 9:48 am
“In this new type of war we are in we need these new solutions.
If this is what Obama does I am behind that decision 100%.”
The solution was GITMO. It was US territory in a foreign country. It was on an island whos government hates us. It is situated in a largely remote portion of that island. It truely was the perfect set up. Unfortunately, liberal democrat campaign bafoonery has ruined it, along with plenty of help from a compliant media.
Posted by: KR | May 21, 2009 9:37:00 AM
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I am agreeing with you that Gitmo was the new solution, and all the rest of your statement.
Posted by: MNM | May 21, 2009, 9:56 am 9:56 am
“I am agreeing with you that Gitmo was the new solution, and all the rest of your statement.”
Unfortunately too much political capitol rides on its closing. Even though the right thing to do for OUR nation is to keep it as is, Obama has too much face to save now. Self serving politics trumps whats best for the nation again.
Posted by: KR | May 21, 2009, 10:26 am 10:26 am
The obvious solution to Gitmo is to move them all to the expanding facility at Bagram, where everything but the name will remain indistinguisable from Gitmo. And then we can all laugh out loud at the stupidity of the whole self-inflicted flap.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | May 21, 2009, 11:05 am 11:05 am
Maybe Gitmo should be kept open. We will need a place to put Bush, Cheney, et al after their War Crimes Trials.
I suspect “enhanced interrogation techniques” will provide us with their confessions of wrong doing.
And, of course, their healthcare at Gitmo will be better than most Americans have……….including, those free colonoscopies…………which may or may not be voluntary.
Posted by: Sammy | May 21, 2009, 11:26 am 11:26 am
Sammy come now be honest..This has nothing to do with Bush/Chaney, or else you would have included Pelosi as well as several democrats who voted and approved, but has EVERYTHING TO DO WITH CRIMINALIZING A POLITICAL PARTY IN WHICH YOU HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE OF OPINION…BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY… When Liberals, talk one on one and the debate is fairly civilized, talk among several, such as these blogs, and the pack becomes Conan the Barbarians…
Posted by: Parallax View | May 21, 2009, 12:06 pm 12:06 pm
“We will need a place to put Bush, Cheney, et al after their War Crimes Trials.”
There will be no war crimes trials. No one will be prosecuted for “torture.” You may begin to feel better about yourself after you come to grips with these facts.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | May 21, 2009, 12:26 pm 12:26 pm
Shall we start the “Enhanced Interrogations” with you Sammy?
Will that be voluntary or involuntary?
Posted by: American Infidel | May 21, 2009, 1:17 pm 1:17 pm
Of course, there will be Bush/Cheney War Crimes Trials………..whether Americans have the strength of character to have them or not.
If Americans are morally and ethically incapable of prosecuting War Crimes when perpetrated by its own citizens, then other countries, who have some sense of the Rule of Law, will do it for us.
Not to worry………….no one will be torturing me………..except may be these bitter, angry, frustrated neo-cons who created this mess and bemirsched the reputation of the U.S. by their silly justifications for their failure…….truely tortured logic.
Posted by: Sammy | May 21, 2009, 2:21 pm 2:21 pm
“Sammy come now be honest..This has nothing to do with Bush/Chaney, or else you would have included Pelosi as well as several democrats who voted and approved”
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That’s why we need a truth commission. So we know what Pelosi knew and what Bush/Cheney ordered.
Posted by: Joe G. | May 21, 2009, 2:26 pm 2:26 pm
Cheney wants everything out in the open, I say yes… lets have a long hard look at the Bush Cheney 8 years
Posted by: Yes | May 21, 2009, 2:50 pm 2:50 pm
It’s amazing to me that Cheney is going around doing all these interviews debating how Obama is making us less safe when his administration is on record as having released detainees that ended up going directly back to Al-Qaeda and other known terrorist groups.
He didn’t even address that in his speech. It’s the ultimate hypocricy.
Posted by: Joe G. | May 21, 2009, 3:23 pm 3:23 pm