Posted on Dec 2, 2014
President Obama dealt major setback in closing Guantanamo
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From: Army Times
WASHINGTON — President Obama's 5-year-old campaign to close the federal prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, suffered a major setback as lawmakers finalizing the annual defense policy bill rejected steps toward shuttering the facility.
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Armed Services Committee, told reporters on Monday that the final bill omits a provision giving the president the authority to transfer terror suspects to the United States if Congress signs off on a comprehensive plan to close the prison.
Levin had pushed for the authority and hailed it in May as creating "a path to close Guantanamo." With lawmakers rushing to complete the defense bill in this month's lame-duck session, Levin said proponents were unable to prevail.
"Our language ... (on Guantanamo) ... will not be in," Levin said.
The House and Senate are expected to vote and overwhelmingly approve the sweeping policy bill in the coming days, sending it to Obama.
The president has pushed to close the post-9/11 prison since his inauguration in January 2009. He has faced strong resistance from Republicans and some Democrats in Congress who don't want terror suspects housed in U.S. facilities and have warned of suspects returning to the fight when they are transferred back to their home countries.
In its version of the defense bill in May, the Senate Armed Services Committee included a provision that would authorize the transfer of terror suspects to U.S. soil "for detention, trial and incarceration, subject to stringent security measures and legal protections, once the president has submitted a plan to Congress for closing Guantanamo and Congress has had an opportunity to vote to disapprove that plan under expedited procedures."
The House version of the defense bill prohibited the transfer to U.S. soil, and Republican and Democratic lawmakers who have repeatedly and successfully fought White House efforts to move detainees prevailed in the final version of the defense bill.
Currently, the prison holds 142 men, including 73 already cleared for release.
Last month, the Pentagon said it sent a Saudi citizen who has spent the past 12 years detained at Guantanamo to his homeland. The transfer of Muhammad al-Zahrani was based on the conclusion of a U.S. government board that has been re-evaluating the need to continue holding some of the men as prisoners.
http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/capitol-hill/2014/12/01/obama-dealt-major-setback-in-closing-guantanamo/19759741/
WASHINGTON — President Obama's 5-year-old campaign to close the federal prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, suffered a major setback as lawmakers finalizing the annual defense policy bill rejected steps toward shuttering the facility.
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Armed Services Committee, told reporters on Monday that the final bill omits a provision giving the president the authority to transfer terror suspects to the United States if Congress signs off on a comprehensive plan to close the prison.
Levin had pushed for the authority and hailed it in May as creating "a path to close Guantanamo." With lawmakers rushing to complete the defense bill in this month's lame-duck session, Levin said proponents were unable to prevail.
"Our language ... (on Guantanamo) ... will not be in," Levin said.
The House and Senate are expected to vote and overwhelmingly approve the sweeping policy bill in the coming days, sending it to Obama.
The president has pushed to close the post-9/11 prison since his inauguration in January 2009. He has faced strong resistance from Republicans and some Democrats in Congress who don't want terror suspects housed in U.S. facilities and have warned of suspects returning to the fight when they are transferred back to their home countries.
In its version of the defense bill in May, the Senate Armed Services Committee included a provision that would authorize the transfer of terror suspects to U.S. soil "for detention, trial and incarceration, subject to stringent security measures and legal protections, once the president has submitted a plan to Congress for closing Guantanamo and Congress has had an opportunity to vote to disapprove that plan under expedited procedures."
The House version of the defense bill prohibited the transfer to U.S. soil, and Republican and Democratic lawmakers who have repeatedly and successfully fought White House efforts to move detainees prevailed in the final version of the defense bill.
Currently, the prison holds 142 men, including 73 already cleared for release.
Last month, the Pentagon said it sent a Saudi citizen who has spent the past 12 years detained at Guantanamo to his homeland. The transfer of Muhammad al-Zahrani was based on the conclusion of a U.S. government board that has been re-evaluating the need to continue holding some of the men as prisoners.
http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/capitol-hill/2014/12/01/obama-dealt-major-setback-in-closing-guantanamo/19759741/
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Barack Obama Policy
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 21
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Given all of the commentary on global this and global that. We need GITMO or something like it to deal with the "other than" problems. We have for some time now had global non-state bad actors (international criminals/terrorists) causing havoc for the whole planet. Perhaps we need an internationally administered site (no, not the UN, they have caused more problems than they have fixed) We have Interpol, why not Interprison, Run as was post war Germany by a collective of countries. The SciFi writers seem to understand this, removing all the assorted bad apples off world.
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SGT Brian Watkins
No worries, the US as usual would be the ultimate authority to implement the plans and processes while they all sit around scratching heads.
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Cpl Dennis F.
SGT Brian Watkins Thank you. The compliment would have meant much more, had you spelled my name right.
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SGT Brian Watkins
Aw man apologies!!! I tend to blast though typing sometimes and that detail eluded me.
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I've never understood the rationale behind the President's desire to close the prison. He hasn't shown any interest in reducing the national debt. Do you think he would cut the salary of his helpers to save the nation from further debt? Maybe taking fewer vacations at the public expense could save enough money to balance the budget? Oh, right, we don't have a budget. I forgot that one.
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CPT Zachary Brooks
SFC (Join to see) I guess I could have worded that better. I was referring to :
"attempting to accomplish those goals" as the not to be argued about here as there are differing opinions as to what his goals are or are not. Many different perspectives on that and I do not think those belong on a thread about GITMO.
I am all for debate and responses, guess my response was not ideally worded.
"attempting to accomplish those goals" as the not to be argued about here as there are differing opinions as to what his goals are or are not. Many different perspectives on that and I do not think those belong on a thread about GITMO.
I am all for debate and responses, guess my response was not ideally worded.
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CPT Jack Durish
I don't understand the President's rationale on anything he has done or wants to do. I am loathe to ascribe malicious intent to his actions inasmuch as no one can ever truly understand what is in another's heart. However, after six years of this, I begin to suspect either incompetence or malfeasance.
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COL Ted Mc
CPT Jack Durish Captain; Go with "incompetence".
The way the "candidate selection process" works these days, the people who are doing the actual candidate selection simply don't want competent people filling the slots which serve as the window dressing for how the country is actually being run.
Competent, experienced, knowledgeable, and skilled legislators of open minds and independent dispositions who aren't afraid to speak openly are a REAL P.I.T.A. when you want to run the country for your own benefit and to hell with the fallout on everyone else.
Please note - this is NOT an endorsement of any "conspiracy theory" is it simply an open acknowledgement that The Golden Rule ("The one with the gold gets to make the rules.") is as applicable today as it was in 1776 BC.
The way the "candidate selection process" works these days, the people who are doing the actual candidate selection simply don't want competent people filling the slots which serve as the window dressing for how the country is actually being run.
Competent, experienced, knowledgeable, and skilled legislators of open minds and independent dispositions who aren't afraid to speak openly are a REAL P.I.T.A. when you want to run the country for your own benefit and to hell with the fallout on everyone else.
Please note - this is NOT an endorsement of any "conspiracy theory" is it simply an open acknowledgement that The Golden Rule ("The one with the gold gets to make the rules.") is as applicable today as it was in 1776 BC.
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