GOP Wants More Time For Gitmo

By Celia Canon- Talk Radio News Service

It was a day of confrontation for Senate Republicans today as more members of the GOP decided not to back President Obama on his decision to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) recently returned from a visit to the Cuba-based facility.

Both agreed that the detention center is the best solution for the allocation of the Guantanamo prisoners, at least for the moment.

“It is a remarkable facility, it really seems to be the perfect facility for these detainees,” Barrasso said. “The facility that they have there is remarkably equipped, it is safe, it is secure, there has been no escape from that area and the treatment these detainees are receiving was surprising to me because it is so good.”

In terms of Human Rights, Barrasso argued that the medical treatment in the prison is “Health care at the level that you’d want for the people of this country.”

Calling to all Republicans, Brownback said “ I think it’s important for us to send a signal and hopeful that we get an affirmative vote in the Senate not to have detainees to the U.S. and I think we should have that vote and do it on the supplemental this week.”

Additionally, Barrasso warned that “I would challenge the President to go to Guantanamo Bay. Look at this facility before you make your final decisions and determinations, I think you should take a look at this
facility.”

“When you say I want to close it if you choose to still do that, I recommend that you have a specific plan before coming to the senate and this specific plan should say what you want to do with the detainees, but it shouldn't be bring them to the U.S.,"said Barrosso in his message to President Obama.

Guantanamo Prisoners: Soon In Your Neighborhood?

By Celia Canon Talk Radio News Service

It is still unclear whether prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility will be transferred to military prisons in the United States. That was the message given to top members of Congress today by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who testified for two hours before the Committee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies to discuss Department of Justice budget priorities.

Closing the prison “require(s) immediate interagency action,” Holder said. “While implementing these (Presidential) orders, the Department will take necessary precautions to ensure decisions regarding Guantanamo detainees account for (the) safety concerns of all Americans. Executing these orders will have a significant workload and cost impact on the Department and this budget reflects what is needed.”

In January, President Barack Obama announced that he will fulfill his campaign promise to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay. The facility is slated to close within a year of Obama’s announcement, and it is up to the Justice Department to find detention locations for the prisoners, most of whom have been imprisoned for years as suspected terrorists.

The Committee was concerned with Holder’s $30 million request to close the prison, perhaps because Holder did not confirm or deny his authority to allow the detainees to be transferred and housed in the U.S.

Committee Chair Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) said DOJ is suffering from a lack of morale and trust. “I want to know how the Department of Justice has improved accountability of taxpayer dollars so that every dollar spent to secure our communities is a dollar well spent... Spending excesses will not be tolerated.”

Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said that “the very idea of taking money from victims and law enforcing officers to educate and comfort terrorists, pedophiles and career criminals, I think, is an abomination.”

Critics of Obama’s decision fear that housing suspected terrorists on U.S. soil opens the country to terrorist attacks.

On the safety of Americans, who could potentially live near former Guantanamo detainees, Mikulski said that while international law must be upheld, “we have to make sure that streets and neighborhoods don’t think that they are going to be the repository of Guantanamo prisoners.”

Holder replied: “I will work to strengthen the activities of the federal government to protect the American people from terrorism. I will use every available tactic to defeat our adversaries, and I will do so within the letter and the spirit of our Constitution.”

“The Most Dangerous Credit Card in the History of the World”

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

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House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio)
Photo by Michael Ruhl

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) called congressional voting cards “the most dangerous credit card in the history of the world”, because then enable Congress and the president to engage in reckless spending. This was not Boehner's first criticism of Obama, but his statement came on the 101st day of the Obama Administration, a time which Boehner has criticized as being pock marked with excessive borrowing, reckless spending and a massive growth in government.

Boehner said that Democrat’s “record on spending and debt is staggering, but our economy is growing weaker, and it’s not going to get any better by growing the size of the government here in Washington.”

Boehner believes that the Democratically controlled Congress has enabled and contributed to the recklessness, and thinks it is up to the Republicans to put a stop to it. Republicans must be “the party of better solutions” if they are going to stand up to the Democrats in Congress, Boehner said, adding that he hopes Democrats will be committed to a bipartisan policy approach..

Citing the elections of 2008, Boehner said “out brand has been tarnished”, but to help the party serve the American people, Republicans must stand up to the Obama Administration when disagreements arise, and to offer alternative solutions.

Leader Boehner applauded President Obama on his strategy towards Afghanistan and Iraq, but showed concern at Obama’s greater national security policy.

“The big question continues to be: what is the Administration’s overarching plan to fight terrorism? Judging from their recent decision to release 30 terrorist detainees with no plan on where to put them, it continues to beg the question,” referring to Obama’s closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center without knowing where the detainees will be sent.

Send detainees to Chicago if Guantanamo closes?

By Suzia van Swol and Candyce Torres, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service
After the President's Address to Congress, Congressman Phil Gingrey (R-GA) says it was a broad brushed, but well delivered speech. Gingrey also says that Guantanamo Bay cannot be closed without a plan of what to do with the detainees. He continued, "do you want them in your state? We don't want them in Georgia, and I don't think most states, maybe California will take them, maybe, hey, maybe Illinois, the Chicago area would be a good place for them." (2:55)

Former United Kingdom Secretary of Defense Talks About Transatlantic Security Post-Bush

By Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News Service

Former UK Secretary of Defense, Rt. Hon Des Browne, Minister of Parliament (MP), spoke today about "Transatlantic Security Post-Bush," at The Center for American Progress.

In his statement to the audience, Des Browne MP covered a number of issues affecting the transatlantic community.

With regard to his thoughts on how The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should move forward, Des Browne MP said: "I think there is an agreement across the alliance that it need to transform and by that I mean that it needs to equip itself to operate in environments in which we need to deploy our forces and support them for an extended period of time, in order to provide the security that we need to avoid conflict."

Speaking about the situation in Afghanistan he stated: "I think as far as Afghanistan is concerned what we need to do is recognize that Russia, China, Pakistan, India and Iran to name some, have an interest in the stabilization in Afghanistan, they are already involved and we just need to engage them."

On the subject of how President Obama has been received in the United Kingdom and Europe Browne said: "The big advantage Obama has is that he is already immensely popular in Europe and that includes the United Kingdom...What he needs to do, like all leaders, is he needs to deliver on the promise that he generates and the expectations...Our responsibility is to ensure that the inevitable disappointments and there will be some don't undermine the promise of his election. So we need to support him. That is the point I am making today and that was the point his Vice-President was making in security terms to the countries of Europe."

When questioned about the Iraq war Browne ended by saying: "As far as Iraq is concerned, I think there is now a consensus that we have reached the stage where Iraq's own ability to provide security and governance for their country is such that we can begin drawing down our troops...there seems to be a consensus emerging round about a date about 2011 and I don't think there is any dispute about that any longer."

Browne also expressed a desire for the rest of Europe to seriously consider following the UK example and take prisoners from Guantanamo Bay.

"The closure of Guantanamo Bay generates the immediate consequence, of what does one do with the 200 plus occupants of that part of the island of Cuba?" he concluded.