What would happen to our nation's political landscape

[NJmaverick]

if Obama releases a Gitmo detainee who then goes on to kill Americans in a terror attack? Would it hurt the President? Would it hurt the Democrats? Would it revive the nearly dead GOP? Would the Democrats ever see the White House again or control of Congress in our life times?

[GarbagemanLB]

1. you're right. Holding people indefinitely without trial or evidence is a great thing.

It's all about politics over principle.

[msongs]

2. cigarettes kill 300,000 Americans every year. whos' really a "terrorist"? nt

[Dreamer Tatum]

4. I don't buy terrorists 20 at a time of my own free will and stick them in my mouth

false analogy. Fail.

[Posteritatis]

24. Your icon's the first thing I pictured when I read that (nt)

[TankLV]

25. Speak for yourself...sex can get BORING after just a few years...

sex can get BORING after just a few years, ya know...

now where's my "SawsAll"?...

[NJmaverick]

6. How is a question right or wrong exactly?

Oh and in case you missed it, you never answered the questions.

[villager]

3. You mean, if Cheney's black bag ops boys made it *look* that way?

n/t

[NJmaverick]

8. Considering that Bush and company rob many innocent men of 6 years of their lives

I suspect that the urge for revenge will be strong in some of them. Not sure the nation is sophisticated enough to see that is where the real fault would have been.

[Ready4Change]

5. Depends on how you think the media would push it.

I think the media is strongly biased towards damaging liberals/progressives/Democrats, so I think such an occurance would be very damaging to Dems. Certainly lossed seats in Congress/Senate ad Govenorships. Likely a major cause of loss of the next Presidential election.

However, this is ALREADY happening with Gitmo releases under the Bush Administration, but we have't heard a peep about it in months:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/14/gitmo.detainees/index.html

[NJmaverick]

7. No question that between the corporate media bias and the GOP's message discipline

it would play out that Democrats are naive and foolish and incapable of keeping the nation safe.

[billyoc]

9. Thank you for summing up the craven political cowardice that is the Bush-Obama Doctrine.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[NJmaverick]

10. I didn't think a question summed up policy

tell me, in your worlds of absolutes, how do people fair if the Republicans control our Country. After all over half a million people were killed as a result of the last Republican President. So how do you figure there is no harm in losing the WHite House or Congress?

[billyoc]

11. Questions sum up many policies.

BTW, half a million people were killed as a result of the last Democratic President, too.

[NJmaverick]

14. The question raises an important issue in the current debate

the world is far more complex than simple declaration of political cowardice.


I am curious how do you figure half a million people were killed as a result of the Clinton Presidency??????

[billyoc]

20. Were you just not around during Clinton's presidency?

Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price--we think the price is worth it.

--60 Minutes (5/12/96)

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1084

[Aloha Spirit]

12. you mean released in the US? Or released to their country...

And is the attack in the US or overseas...

If he released a detainee in the US and the detainee committed an act of terrorism against Americans, the President would lose "soft power" and gain, oh, about 300 million enemies at home.

I don't see how that would happen though.
If the detainee had enough latitude to plan and execute an attack, he would be murdered by a vigilante first.

[NJmaverick]

15. No need to qualify, in my opinion

if Americans are killed at the hands of released terrorists, here or abroad, the results will be the same no matter where they are released.

[Aloha Spirit]

19. You mean released detainees I assume

Anyone who has committed an act of terrorism or made a terroristic threat will not be released.
The process of releasing a detainee to another country would be very closely monitored to the point that it would make your hypothetical, well, extremely hypothetical.

With hypotheticals, it's useful to make them somewhat realistic.
If you can set up a hypothetical that's more specific and realistic, you might get more of a discussion.

[dorkulon]

13. Depends on whether you think governing is about principles or hypothetical threats.

But hey, I guess illegality is cool as long as it helps us politically.

[NJmaverick]

16. I don't follow, does the answer depend on what a person thinks about

governing? I asked a question that is a factor in this discussion. Remember the half million people that were killed as the result of the last Republican President and Congress?

[dorkulon]

17. It's interesting that you think you can put your statements in the form of a question and that

absolves you of having made your opinion totally clear. Frankly, your rationale isn't much different from Bush's rationale for detaining these guys without charges in the first place. The Bushies thought we needed to hold these gys or they'd commit terrorist acts. You think we should hold them because they'd commit terrorist acts, and that means we'd lose an election. I have this crazy idea that we're supposed to follow our society's laws on these issues and all others.

[Aloha Spirit]

18. I think the point is that the hypothetical threat's political consequences, while real, are not

sufficient or necessary to justify not releasing a detainee.

[MasonJar]

21. What will happen to our country if our president does not follow the

rule of law and the dictates of our Constitution? That scenario is much more frightening. Obama needs to do what is right because it is right. That is what we are memorializing today: all those who gave their all to keep America a Constitutional democracy. We cannot let their bravery and their lives be lost in vain. It is time for politicians to forget the next election and support the rule of law.

[ClarkUSA]

22. "President Obama Announces Tribunal Changes That Bring Them In Line With The Rule Of Law"

Link: http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8412739

[Number23]

23. To paraphrase Dr. Lanning from "I, Robot"

"That is not the right question. You must ask the right questions."

[Optical.Catalyst]

26. Been there, done that, nothing happened

Sa'id Ali Jabir Al Khathim Al Shihri was captured by the Bush Administration, held at Guantanamo Bay, released after six years and went on to join Al Qaeda. Ali al-Shihri masterminded a bombing that killed 16 people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Said_Ali_al-Shihri

What happened politically? - nothing
What happened to former president bush? - nothing
What happened to the reputation of the United States? - nothing

The short answer is that connecting the dots would require the Main $tream Media to think, and as we all know, thinking is hard. The M$M would not consider it newsworthy.