BUSH, CHENEY & GONZALES Blocked Gitmo Closing (NYT)

[kpete]

New to Pentagon, Gates Argued for Closing Guantánamo Prison


By THOM SHANKER and DAVID E. SANGER
Published: March 23, 2007

In his first weeks as defense secretary, Robert M. Gates repeatedly argued that the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, had become so tainted abroad that legal proceedings at Guantánamo would be viewed as illegitimate, according to senior administration officials. He told President Bush and others that it should be shut down as quickly as possible.

Mr. Gates’s arguments were rejected after Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and some other government lawyers expressed strong objections to moving detainees to the United States, a stance that was backed by the office of Vice President Dick Cheney, administration officials said.

As Mr. Gates was making his case, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joined him in urging that the detention facility be shut down, administration officials said. But the high-level discussions about closing Guantánamo came to a halt after Mr. Bush rejected the approach.

more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/washington/23gitmo.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[Purveyor]

1. Last I heard, Congress was to cut off funding for the continued operation of Gitmo...

Anyone have an update on this?

[berni_mccoy]

2. Gates isn't a loyal bushie....hmmmmmm

[originalpckelly]

3. GITMOGATE?

:shrug:

[fooj]

4. I bet that's why Newsweek said "torture" is the next problem for WH!

Has everyone had enough yet?

[bleever]

5. How can the president get honest advice

if his underlings can't propose the crimes that are a natural extension of their policies?

KR. :hi: kp.

[aquart]

6. There's a way to undo the Gitmo damage.

Hold public hearings and let them testify to what happened. Then let them sue our asses off.

[Patriought]

7. Veddy Interesting...

"Mr. Bush", not Mr. President.

Could the cold grip of sanity be creeping into the subconcious here?

[Roland99]

8. "*I'm* The Decider"

:eyes:

[malaise]

9. To the fugging Hague

Arrest them.

[Felinity]

10. Their rules.

If it is right, don't do it. Unless there's money in it, a lot of money to balance off doing anything positive.

How much air is left in the Neocon hot air balloon?

[The Lost Patriot]

11. A Hopeful Outcome.

[newyawker99]

18. Hi The Lost Patriot!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[IWantAChange]

12. Is Dubyha's psyche that delicate he can't ever admit a mistake?

perchance there should be a battery of psychological tests administered to all presidential candidates to determine if they are well-balanced adults capable of the job??

[yardwork]

13. chimpy's war crimes are going to come back to haunt him eventually

from the article -

"Some administration lawyers are deeply reluctant to move terrorism suspects to American soil because it could increase their constitutional and statutory rights — and invite an explosion of civil litigation. Guantánamo was chosen because it was an American military facility but not on American soil."

[maxsolomon]

14. nice try, gates

even condi can see how it hurts our diplomacy.

next time you try, use fear as a motivator - its the only thing * understands.

[frogcycle]

15. is gitmo a DoD op or a DoJ?

here we have two cabinet-level officials arguing to close it, and the DoJ guy with the inside track to the boss (and no doubt a long list of transgressions he could expose) has veto power?


The executive branch is supposed to carry out the laws as defined by congress. The one place the executive is given some vague sort of autonomy is the statement that the executive is CinC of military.

So shrub is using that to do whatever the fuck he wants in all branches - I'm sure if he wanted to clearcut the redwoods he'd say it was a military necessity.

Sounds more and more like gonzo/rove is "bush's brain". Or maybe gonzo is just a convenient shill for rove. Regardless, we have unquestionably the most warped, distorted, evil imitation of what the Constitution calls for imagineable.


We HAVE to keep the heat on congress to KEEP PROBING. And BE READY.

The more cornered they feel the more likely they are to go postal. And Congress had damned well better have a Plan B in mind for that eventuality. When it comes, there won't be time to waste on impeachment.

[MetaTrope]

16. They're afraid that in taking the facility down, somebody will dig up the ground behind it...

[McCamy Taylor]

17. If we get a new AG, he or she will not want to be associated with the Gulag.

So it is no wonder the administration is prepared to fight for Al till the bitter end.