Bush wants to end Guantanamo: the most cynical event in US history

[Phlegmak]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4983314.stm

US President George W Bush has said he would like to "end" the detention centre in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

But in an interview on German TV he says he must wait for a Supreme Court ruling on whether inmates could be tried by military or civilian courts.

Around 490 detainees are in Guantanamo Bay, which opened in January 2002.

There has been international criticism of conditions at the US camp and the length of time detainees have been held there without trial.

Rights groups have said the detainees, held on suspicion of involvement in terrorism, are mistreated through cruel interrogation methods - a charge the US denies.

Detainee list

"We're at war with an enemy. And obviously we've got to protect ourselves," said Mr Bush.

"I would very much like to end Guanatanamo," he went on.

"I would very much like to get people to a court."

The Supreme Court is expected to decide in June whether military tribunals can hear the cases of the detainees.

White House National Security Council spokesman Frederick Jones said Mr Bush was repeating a long-held policy that the US "has no intention of permanently detaining individuals".

"We want to see all these individuals brought to justice," Mr Jones said.

The US last month released its most comprehensive list yet of those held in Guantanamo Bay.

Many of those named had been held at the camp for more than four years.

Can Bush be blamed for putting people in Guantanamo? He's certainly been in no hurry to get them out of there.

Now he wants to end Guantanamo. So now, he can be remembered in history as the person who put an end to extrajudicial prisons owned by the US.

The cynicism inherent in his statement is screaming.

 

[The Yankee]

It did take him a long time to say this. He didn't give a timetable for when he'd like them in a court of some kind, even if the Supreme Court decision comes next month. And it makes me wonder what happens if the Court decided the tribunals could not go forward.

 

[Abaddon]

Gitmo needs to go!


got a ring to it at least.

 

[amadeus]

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. So you want the place to stay open, or what?

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. So you want the place to stay open, or what?

Bush does. The only reason he's saying this now is so he can cover his ass after the Supreme Court hands it to him.

If Bush sincerely wanted these people to go before courts, Gitmo wouldn't exist. It was built to indefinitely detain POWs.

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

And, of course, the President's base thinks we should throw away the key.

 

[warpus]

What do you Americans call this?.. Flip flopping?

 

[Red Stranger]

I think Plegmak is a fake account to make liberals look like Bush hating whiners. "Guantanamo is bad, I hate Bush. Bush wants to close Guantanamo, I hate Bush"

 

[The Yankee]

I think Plegmak is a fake account to make liberals look like Bush hating whiners. "Guantanamo is bad, I hate Bush. Bush wants to close Guantanamo, I hate Bush"

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[Red Stranger]

I apologize Yankee. I only post that because he kept saying that about me and accusing my posts of being stupid.

Back on topic. Bush didn't say his reason for closing down Guantanamo. Just because he wanted to close it doesn't mean he believed it was doing anything illegal. It could simply be that it's expensive to operate in a foreign territory.

 

[The Yankee]

Moderator Action: Then report it to us. We will look into it. But, please, stay on track.

 

[Perfection]

Back on topic. Bush didn't say his reason for closing down Guantanamo. Just because he wanted to close it doesn't mean he believed it was doing anything illegal. It could simply be that it's expensive to operate in a foreign territory.

I doubt that. What made it so much more expensive?

I see no reason other than PR to close it.

 

[The Yankee]

It shouldn't be expensive. We get the land for free, first of all. Sure, we're supposed to pay Cuba something like $2000 in gold coins every year by treaty, but Castro's been refusing it since he came to power.

That is, unless they don't have the room anymore, even in the new Guantanamo camps.

 

[Red Stranger]

Because it's in a foreign territory, the interogators must be more highly trained, otherwise they fall to corruption.

Or it could be that the liberal media has attacked the place so much that its innocent name is ruined. Wasn't there a human "rights" group that was offered to visit Gitmo, but refused. They just wanted to continue criticizing it without proof, because they were afraid that if they saw it, they couldn't lie anymore.

 

[Perfection]

It shouldn't be expensive. We get the land for free, first of all. Sure, we're supposed to pay Cuba something like $2000 in gold coins every year by treaty, but Castro's been refusing it since he came to power.

Well, when it comes to the Federal government, land is pretty cheap no matter where. It's really only operating costs that are at issue.

Because it's in a foreign territory, the interogators must be more highly trained, otherwise they fall to corruption.

Ummm, Cubans have absolutely no role in the operation of Guantanamo bay, so I really don't see how the location woulkd make a difference.

Or it could be that the liberal media has attacked the place so much that its innocent name is ruined. Wasn't there a human "rights" group that was offered to visit Gitmo, but refused. They just wanted to continue criticizing it without proof, because they were afraid that if they saw it, they couldn't lie anymore.

The fact that there are abuses there come from fairly reliable sources. I would advise not playing the persucation card.

 

[Red Stranger]

If we don't have room anymore, we wouldn't close it. We would expand it.

 

[bhsup]

While I don't think they rate it, we should just grant them POW status and let the International Red Cross make it's standard visits. That'll shut up the other countries' governments, which while I honestly don't care what they think, is like an irritating sound I can't escape that's driving me crazy.

 

[The Yankee]

If we don't have room anymore, we wouldn't close it. We would expand it.

Maybe, though I wouldn't know the costs and the availiable space. Somehow I have the feeling the place is tiny...but it was designed for a naval base, IIRC...so perhaps not.

But at the rate we're trying prisoners in court, Gitmo should be open for many, many years.

 

[Red Stranger]

I personally don't want the terrorists to be transferred to the States though. I'd rather pay a couple more bucks to keep them away from me. Just imagine what 200 terrorists could do if they escape from prison on American terrority.

The fact that there are abuses there come from fairly reliable sources. I would advise not playing the persucation card.

Which reliable sources. No matter how reliable a source was in the past, they can't be considered reliable until they have actually been there. But every one who has actually been there gave very positive accounts of the camp.

 

[Perfection]

Which reliable sources. No matter how reliable a source was in the past, they can't be considered reliable until they have actually been there. But every one who has actually been there gave very positive accounts of the camp.

http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2006/05/05/news/world/aarmy0505.txt