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Politics : President Barack Obama -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bread Upon The Water who wrote (54369)	5/10/2009 12:26:41 PM
From: ChinuSFO	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 149317

Notice a glaring error in this ======================================= Obama's allies in revolt on Gitmo Naftali Bendavid, Washington \| May 11, 2009 Article from: The Australian US Democrats are challenging the Obama administration, demanding details of how the Guantanamo Bay jail will be closed before offering the necessary funds. Republicans, hoping for a political opening, are ratcheting up charges that the closure risks releasing terrorists across the US. Republicans released a video over the weekend complete with ominous music and footage of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, asking: "How does closing Guantanamo Bay make us safer?" When President Barack Obama signed an executive order in January to close the prison for terror suspects in Cuba by year's end, Democrats and anti-war activists cheered. Now that the White House is preparing to implement the shutdown, some Democrats are concerned about what would happen to about 245 inmates, many considered hardened terrorists - in particular, what congressional districts they would land in. In a war spending bill that otherwise gave the administration even more money than it wanted, Democrats on the house appropriations committee last week removed $US80 million that Mr Obama had requested to wind down operations at Guantanamo. "You can't close Guantanamo unless you have a plan," said Republican John Murtha, who heads the panel's defence subcommittee. Republicans have introduced a Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, saying that 60 days before the transfer of any detainee to US soil, the administration must issue detailed reports to Congress and the governor of the destination state. "The American people have a right to know exactly what the White House plans to do with these terrorists," senator Kit Bond, the ranking Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said yesterday. "Americans don't want these terrorists in their neighbourhood." Republicans have begun targeting Democrat Dennis Moore, who represents a swing district near Fort Leavenworth, a potential destination for detainees. "Will (Mr Moore) stay silent in hopes of avoiding the repercussions from endangering the families in his communities by allowing the terrorists to be relocated to Fort Leavenworth?" asked a GOP news release. "I have serious concerns that the transfer of detainees to the Fort Leavenworth facility is not possible as Fort Leavenworth currently exists," Mr Moore said. But, he added, "politicising this process, however, only further detracts from the necessary goal of providing due process to the detainees and trusting the judgment of the panel of national security experts charged with detainee relocation". Closure of the prison facility at Guantanamo has been sought by those who believe it violates US legal norms and damages the country's image. Senator John McCain supported a shutdown during his presidential campaign. The US is pressing foreign governments to accept some of the less dangerous detainees. Guantanamo's population also includes such figures as September 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and al Qa'ida operative Abu Zubaydah. An administration taskforce is crafting a closing plan, including how to put the detainees on trial. Options include military tribunals, which have been criticised by civil libertarians, courts martial or civilian courts. The issue erupted at an appropriations committee meeting last week to consider Mr Obama's $US94.2billion war-spending bill. Republican Frank Wolf said the Justice Department was prepared this month to release Guantanamo prisoners into his district - which the administration denied - and he called for a moratorium on such releases. "We need a plan. We need to know where these men will go," Mr Wolf said. Democrats accused Republicans of sensationalising the issue. They said they had dealt with the issue by demanding a plan before giving the administration money to shutter Guantanamo.