Thursday
Jun112009
Senators Hold Press Conf. on War Supplemental Funding Bill and Detainee Photos
By Courtney Ann Jackson- Talk Radio News Service
U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) held a press conference today to discuss the war supplemental and detainee photos.
Said Sen. Graham "to me, if Congress punts, we take a pass and we're worried about this bill passing more than these photos not being released, we are letting a lot of people down who are counting on us." Graham added that every photo is like a "bullet for our enemies," and that President Obama must take some executive action on classifying the documents before the Supreme Court’s final decision is made.
Lieberman agreed, and said that aside from passing the legislation, there is one "clear alternative" and that is for the President to release an executive order classifying the order.
Sen. McCain said the President should be publicly speaking out about this issue now. He thinks Obama is being "strangely quiet" about it. McCain said this issue should be taken seriously because it is a major security issue for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to Sen. Lieberman, none of his colleagues in the Senate as well as most House members oppose publicly releasing the photos.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would not be able to pass the supplemental war funding bill without the support of some of the Democrats.
Sen. Lieberman said opposition to bills happens all the time but in this case, it can’t be taken lightly. He said it is a matter of life and death for our soldiers. Lieberman said he did call the White House and warned that the President’s authority is being challenge by the small group of members in the House blocking this bill.
U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) held a press conference today to discuss the war supplemental and detainee photos.
Said Sen. Graham "to me, if Congress punts, we take a pass and we're worried about this bill passing more than these photos not being released, we are letting a lot of people down who are counting on us." Graham added that every photo is like a "bullet for our enemies," and that President Obama must take some executive action on classifying the documents before the Supreme Court’s final decision is made.
Lieberman agreed, and said that aside from passing the legislation, there is one "clear alternative" and that is for the President to release an executive order classifying the order.
Sen. McCain said the President should be publicly speaking out about this issue now. He thinks Obama is being "strangely quiet" about it. McCain said this issue should be taken seriously because it is a major security issue for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to Sen. Lieberman, none of his colleagues in the Senate as well as most House members oppose publicly releasing the photos.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would not be able to pass the supplemental war funding bill without the support of some of the Democrats.
Sen. Lieberman said opposition to bills happens all the time but in this case, it can’t be taken lightly. He said it is a matter of life and death for our soldiers. Lieberman said he did call the White House and warned that the President’s authority is being challenge by the small group of members in the House blocking this bill.
tagged 
Graham, Kyl, detainee photos, funding, lieberman, mccain, war supplemental in Congress, News/Commentary
Graham, Kyl, detainee photos, funding, lieberman, mccain, war supplemental in Congress, News/Commentary
Bill To Cut Off Funding For Kahlid Sheikh Mohammed Trial Finds Bipartisan Support
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), along with a bipartisan collection of Senators, announced a bill Tuesday to deny federal funding for the trials of 9/11 conspirators if they take place in a New York City civilian court.
"Why in the world would this country take the people who planned 9/11, put them in the middle of 8 million people in New York City, less than 2 miles from where they attacked the country, and think that's a good thing?" Graham asked.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) expressed concern over the heavy financial burden the trials could pose to taxpayers, saying that costs could be in the millions.
"The president's budget that was released yesterday shows how much these decisions will cost American tax payers. In the budget, the Justice Department has given almost $75 million to assist with transferring prosecutions of Guantanamo detainees," said Lieberman.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) stressed that a military tribunal was the only solution to the problem.
"The fact is, we should not try these people in New York, we shouldn't try them in Illinios, we shouldn't try them in Pheonix. We should try them in a court room, in Guantanamo Bay, and we should try them according to the military commission's act. That's the frost and intent of this legislation," said McCain.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) agreed that it is inappropriate to try the terrorists in major cities due to their war criminal identities.
"I believe these individuals are war criminals," said Lincoln. "Trying these conspirators in civilian court is giving them a public stage to advocate their cause. Carrying out the civilian trials also has the potential, I think, to compromise classified intelligence and put our national security at great risk."