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Reid Helps GOP Go NIMBY on Gitmo
How the top Senate Dem joined the Republicans' detainee scare campaign.
On Tuesday-after Democrats joined with Republicans in the Senate to vote against President Obama's request for $80 million to close the Guantanamo Bay prison-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters that he didn't want terrorist suspects in US prisons. Yet in the midst of scoring-or deflecting-a political point, Reid apparently forgot a basic fact: there are dozens of terrorists in US jails.
Senate Democrats, including Reid, moved to strip the Gitmo shutdown money after the Republicans initiated a scare campaign, warning that the worst will happen if Obama transfers Gitmo detainees to federal prison facilities in the United States. Looking for a winning political issue, Republican House members and senators have been sending letters to Obama and declaring, "Not in my state." Though Reid's home state of Nevada has no federal prisons, he joined this chorus, saying: "Part of what we don't want is [terrorists] be put in prisons in the United States. We don't want them around the United States."
But there already are dozens, if not scores, of terrorists in US prisons. Since 9/11, according to Human Rights Watch, federal courts have tried 145 people on terrorism charges. Those found guilty are in US jails. And it's no secret that a number of prominent terrorists-including key figures connected to al Qaeda-have been sent to high security federal prisons. Here's a sampling:
* Omar Ahmad-Rahman, a.k.a. the Blind Sheikh, who was convicted for masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center attack, is in the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in North Carolina.
* Richard Reid, the failed shoe-bomber terrorist, is in the supermax federal prison in Florence, Colorado.
* John Walker Lindh, the so-called "American Taliban," is in the Terre Haute Federal Correctional Complex.
* Ramzi Yousef, one of the planners of the 1993 WTC bombing and a nephew of 9/11 plotter Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, is in Florence.
* Jose Padilla, accused of plotting a dirty bomb attack (before those particular charges were dropped), is in Florence.
* Zacarias Moussaoui, dubbed the "20th hijacker," is in Florence.
* Ahmed Ressam, who planned to bomb Los Angeles International Airport, is in Florence.
* Mohamed al-Owhali, Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, Mohamed Odeh, and Wadih el Hage-each convicted for the bombings of the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998-are in Florence.
* Domestic terrorists Terry Nichols and Ted "Unabomber" Kaczynski are also in the Florence facility.
The United States does have the ability to lock up terrorists. And none of these bad guys have been able to escape and terrorize the communities surrounding these federal jails. (Thirteen members of the ring behind the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole were imprisoned in Yemen, but they managed to escape; most remain at large.) Adding some or all of the 240 detainees now in Gitmo would certainly pose challenges to federal prison authorities. But the system has worked. Officials Hardin, Montana, have even expressed interest in taking the Gitmo prisoners to fill the town's detention facility, which has been sitting vacant since completion in 2007.
Republicans, eager for any political ammo, are trying to turn Gitmo into a NIMBY issue. And they have at least succeeded in frightening Reid and his fellow Senate Democrats-to such an extent that Reid ended up echoing their demagogic talking points. (A senior Democratic Senate aide says that Reid did try to "walk back the comments a bit.") "At this time, [Reid] opposes transferring detainees to American prisons," a Reid spokesperson says. "If the administration proposes a plan that recommends the transfer of some detainees to Americans prisons, he will evaluate it carefully and make a judgment at that time. He will always strongly oppose the release of any terrorists onto American streets."
On Thursday, Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech outlining his plan for closing down Gitmo-in an effort to regain support for the funding request he submitted to Congress. He will, no doubt, appeal to reason and make a calm and deliberate case to back up his position. And, no doubt, the Republicans will try to blast him for shuttering Gitmo and possibly sending nasty terrorists into the American heartland. It would be good for the Obama White House if during this round Reid doesn't give aid and comfort to fear-mongering GOPers.
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10 Comments so far
Show AllSo David Corn and Steve Aquino are volunteering to take these folks in their neighborhood prison? If not its time to shut up.
Tommy Franks was quoted as describing Doug Feith as "the stupidest f#@*ing guy on the planet". I think we can now say Harry Reid has taken over that position! Everyone should take the time to read Glenn Greenwald's blog from this morning. With Democratic friends like these, who needs enemies??
First, the US government and US media are doing a terrible job informing US citizens of the true status of gitmo prisoners. For example, Mother Jones might have provided a quick link to something illustrating that status or at least the government failure to deliver it. But Mother Jones failed.
Second, members of the US congress, and their cohorts, are delivering extremely irrational arguments for hate-driven official positions, violating their oaths, and the spirit of the constitution and the laws. Yet the people accept this as status quo and even support it, while pursuing the "American Dream" ($30,000 bathroom upgrades, etc). They could have voted these losers out of office, and shook the whole societal foundation by voting third parties, but they failed.
None of this makes for a very bright future for the USA. Expect more imperial blowback against a society that's "falling down" and can't help itself.
First off, the absolute cowardice that those people screaming about how we just can't keep these people here is astonishing. I thought we were supposed to be a country of strong, proud people, not of scared, whining babies.
Secondly, WHO is talking about releasing ANYONE onto the streets of America? NO ONE is even suggesting that, other than the righties who are trying to use it against Obama. They are, like always, building up straw men so they can appear to be "tough". What they are actually doing is showing just how shallow, stupid and hypocritical they are.
Thirdly, these are NOT American citizens we are talking about, they would not be able to be released on the streets of America even if we WEREN'T guilty of illegally detaining them in the first place. They are citizens of OTHER countries, and would be sent there.
Fourth, we build prisons at HUGE expense to the people of this country that are FAR more than necessary to house and hold ANYONE. NO ONE has EVER escaped from a super max prison, NO ONE. Read my lips, NO ONE. If they can hold everyone they have held so far, they can hold these guys.
Fifth, until these guys have been tried and found guilty, you will have to prove to me that they SHOULD be held in prison at all. We have laws against just locking people up with no trial in this country, and until these guys have had their trials, the gov't has to PROVE they SHOULD be held. If their cases are so shoddy that they can't prove them beyond a reasonable doubt, then they have to be released. It's just that simple.
Sixth, if the things we have been told are true, then I think it's pretty clear that these guys are complete basket cases by now. The human mind can only take so much before it snaps, I don't care HOW strong you are. It's a proven fact that there are limits beyond which no human can be pushed without suffering serious, permanent damage. Look at what Jose Padilla turned into by the time they convicted him. He is no longer a fully functioning human being, mentally speaking, and I think it's a safe bet to believe that these guys, after receiving far worse treatment for even longer are no better off.
This whole thing is a sad, sorry example of just how irrational some people are, and YES, I AM including Reid in that group. He has shown that he is a man with no courage before, and he is living down to that standard every day. It's time for him to go home and let someone with a set between his (or her) legs take over the job. To stand with the party of fearful children is disgraceful. One thing we DON'T need in this country is MORE cowards running things. In fact, we need to get rid of the ones we have already.
A small town in Montana with a new prison volunteered to take them, Harry. They need the jobs. Are you against jobs?
Reid, the mouse, will eventually be swallowed by his own cowardice and all that will be left is a pair of horn-rimmed glasses placed around a wooden replica of his head atop a cloth body with strings leading from every limb to the major lobbyists on the hill.
tom harkin received his first thank you note from me today for voting to close gitmo (as did durbin, leahy, levin, reed, whitehouse - where was feingold, murray, feinstein, boxer ?)
{"The president has already said he's going to close it down, " said Sen. Tom Harkin, "and we ought to put the money there to continue on the pathway and get it done before the year is out."}
{"I never could understand why people are afraid of these people being in jail. It's like, they can't go anywhere," Harkin said. "Do they think they're going to create some activity outside the prison? I mean, that never made sense to me. If they're in jail, they're in jail."}
this was a no brainier -
i am disappointed looking at the numbers (90-6), if mildly progressive dems can't gel on this issue we're doomed. we need new leadership in the senate and in the house. reid and pelosi need to go.
...peace...
You guys are missing the point! The Democrats triangulated this issue because it was win-win for them; they score points with the lower 2/3 of the bell curve and Obama gets political cover to break yet another of his promises. The cheap demagoguery served them well in this case, and justice, rule of law, Constitution, Geneva Conventions, our reputation in the world, and the likely increase in violence against American troops be damned.
Obama can give articulate speeches, but his decisions tell a different tale, one of utter disregard for the law. Other than cleverly and cynically building a legal firewall around himself, he's demonstrated himself to be no different from Bush.
The congressional democrats cave in to nimby-politics as usual.
The is only 1 political party in America, lets get real!