Jan 23 2009
Obama Moves On GITMO Without Any Plan In Place – Updated
Sorry for the light posting, work is kicking my butt (which is a good problem considering). Just a kick post on what I heard this morning on the GITMO debacle. Seems President Obama issued the Executive Order to close GITMO without and plan or idea on what to do with the inmates there (most hard core killers, many wanting to plead guilty, some unable to return home). Seems pretty bass ackwards to issue an order to close the facility without any plans on what to do with these mass killers. I would call that extremely reckless and simply meant to generate cheap political points. Not a good start to what could be a disastrous learning experience for an inexperienced leader.
Update: And this is the reason why this kind of action, executed with little to no thought, is dangerous:
The emergence of a former Guantánamo Bay detainee as the deputy leader of Al Qaeda’s Yemeni branch has underscored the potential complications in carrying out the executive order President Obama signed Thursday that the detention center be shut down within a year.
The militant, Said Ali al-Shihri, is suspected of involvement in a deadly bombing of the United States Embassy in Yemen’s capital, Sana, in September. He was released toSaudi Arabia in 2007 and passed through a Saudi rehabilitation program for former jihadists before resurfacing with Al Qaeda in Yemen.
His status was announced in an Internet statement by the militant group and was confirmed by an American counterterrorism official.
There is almost no chance that these enemy combatants can be tried in our Federal Court system, given the fact they were ‘arrested’ without due process, and much of the evidence against them was gained without legal counsel available. To push these cases out of a military war tribunal almost means setting them free. Not to mention the fact that trials tend to expose our intelligence gathering methods and what we know – required to build a tight case in normal courts. We cannot be in a position of tipping our hands and exposing our current knowledge to our enemies simply to bring known killers to justice.
Update: Geez, if the Washington Post thinks we unilaterally surrendered the War on Terror, why wouldn’t al Qaeda and their ilk?
President Obama yesterday eliminated the most controversial tools employed by his predecessor against terrorism suspects. With the stroke of his pen, he effectively declared an end to the “war on terror,” as President George W. Bush had defined it, signaling to the world that the reach of the U.S. government in battling its enemies will not be limitless.
In other words, you CAN hit us and we have no strength of will to bring justice. Wonderful.
GUY……..He was put into Gitmo because he was picked up on the battle field in Afghanistan. For what I don’t know. He was let out and sent to a reeducation camp in Saudi Arabia, many have been sent to Saudi Arabia from Gitmo. The Saudi’s thought he was healed. He lied to them, they say, so when they let him go he went to Yemen and started killing again.
PS GUY, the terrorist that killed in Yemen was a Saudi. Many of those that they might release that are left are Yemeni. Yemen does not have a good track record keeping terrorists off the street. Remember the 8 from China that we couldn’t send home and the brilliant judge wanted them to roam the streets of DC until their trial? That is what people are afraid of. There people in high placed that are really stupid!
Guy,
a crook by any name is still a crook
seems you’re wrong about him being confirmed, according to your link, only the committee has confirmed him for a vote, he has to be confirmed by the full senate. Keep up with us, mmkay?
You didn’t tell me if you were in favor of the One appointing an admitted crook. As I said, I am, I think he should be able to be with people he’s comfortable with.
Redteam:
You do know the current make-up of the Senate, right? 59-41 ring a bell? It’s a done deal.
Unless you think that somehow this might be more controversial than the vote on Clinton for State, which was passed by the oh-so-close vote of 94-2.
kathie:
So, you don’t know why he was picked up.
And you don’t know why he was released.
But, you’re willing to make a judgment on him anyway.
Nice.
GuyF
why are you avoiding answering the question. Are you for admitted crooks being approved or not?
Guy….logic and truth…….you are totally out to lunch. He was picked up on the battle field playing tidily winks, they relieved him to the Saudi’s to get a hair cut. Did you read what I said on the previous communication?
Redteam:
If he was a crook, wouldn’t he be in jail?
He said he is a crook, I didn’t. Do you think all crooks are in jail?
My question was Are you for admitted crooks being approved or not?
still doing the old soft shoe.
Dick Morris owed over $3 million in back taxes. (10 times what we are talking about here.)
Should crooks be allowed to be commentators on Fox News?
from McMind, I think this is really good, don’t you Guy?
The Obama administration has waived its ethics rules to allow William Lynn to serve as the deputy secretary of Defense.
He can participate in decisions regarding Raytheon only if “specifically authorized to participate by an appropriate ethics official,†Levin said in a statement on Friday.
“The decision of the Administration to impose an additional set of requirements, and then waive them for this nominee, does not change the standards to which we hold all nominees,†Levin said.
Several Washington watchdog groups have ratcheted up pressure on Levin and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the panel’s ranking Republican, to not confirm Lynn because of Obama’s ethics rules.â€
Oh well, those pesky lobbying rules. Guess in the Obama administration “transparency†– like with tax cheat Timothy Geithner for Treasury – means that they look the other way when it benefits them.
wanta tap dance around this one also, guyF.
No lobbyist, unless it’s MY lobbyist. Lynn
No crooks, unless it’s MY crook. Geithner
No terrorists, unless it’s MY terrorists. Ayers.
No God Damn America preachers, unless it’s MY GD America preacher…..Wright
well at least he’s bipartisan, uh except..”I won”
kathie:
Please state for the record if what I am typing here is untrue:
You do not know why he was put into Gitmo. You do not know why he was released.
Any of that inaccurate?
GuyF
and your answer is? yes…. No….?
crooks yes?_____
crooks No?______
William Lynn should not be allowed into that position. I do not agree with, and do herewith condemn, any decision that allows Lynn into this decision.
Gosh, not that tough, is it? You all should try it some time – just say a single bad word about Dubya. It’s quite liberating.
and your answer on Geithner is?
Gosh, not that tough, is it? You all should try it some time
not tough for me but you sure are struggling seems to be very hard for you to decide. still tap dancing.
Geithner(admitted crook) yes____
Geithner(admitted crook) No ____
Something bad about Dubya? easy. He’s out of office now.
Redteam:
Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot you were there.
“No.”
Should crooks be allowed to be commentators on Fox News?
that’s up to Fox News, same as it being up to the One.
oh, okay so you officially do not agree with Lynn and Geithner. I’ll give you credit for being upright in that respect (only)
Guy:
Do you honestly think that quoting that fruitcake Cole gets you anywhere? A former Bush supporter, like Andrew Sullivan is a former Bush supporter.
And how would Kathie know exactly why all the people in Gitmo are there? My guess is there are people in the county jail right here where I live and Kathie does not know why they are there.
Besides, if they are all innocent people then just turn them lose right now. Or better yet, if they are just criminals, then bring them to the US, put them on trial and see how many CIA agents we can out in the process of giving evidence.
And I thought outing CIA agents a mortal sin.
The thing is Guy, Obama set about ordering the closing of Gitmo without a plan. Remember how important plans are? After all, the previous Democrat administration made the removal of Saddam a national policy, without a plan.
I think that if Bush had remained in office another year or so Gitmo might have been closed anyway. I think that was the purpose to putting many of the detainees on trial. I also think that a lot of terrorists picked up today are being held in countries like Afghanistan and you will not see Saint Obama turning them lose any time soon.
He will just find another place to stash them and people like you will not much care about them anymore.
BTW, I heard that some reporter asked an Obama spokesman what kind of questioning Osama would get if he were taken. Would it be the army manual kind of questioning, or would there be some “special” loophole kind of questioning for him.
The spokesman said he would have to get back to him.
Sure he will. I bet that guy does not get to ask any more questions. Just like the guy who asked Obama about the press being cut out of the second oath…I see in a headline that Obama got agitated.
After all, he is the President. Doesn’t the press know that they are supposed to continue to kiss his butt?
And what about Obama giving an interview with people who come up with campaign money. Access for money. Yep, that is hope and change all right.
As for Morris, who cares? After all he has spent a lot more years of his life as a Democratic insider fixer type of guy than he has as a commentator.
Bush is gone. Not much point in debating him.
I think Gitmo was a mistake.
High value captures should never have seen the light of day and have been visible to no one.
Except for high value captures, I say there shouldn’t be any other captures. Take no prisoners. Thats what I say.
Obama may not be making mistakes in that I suspect his actual plan is to destroy the strength of the USA insofar as he can before he gets thrown out or happens to be in DC when that first Iranian nuke sails quietly up the Potomac.
What did any of you expect?
Nothing about that guy is honest, decent, or as seen.
He’s not even eligible to be President.
I told you so.