The lack of movement in regard to the detainees at Gitmo is taking on the appearance of the an attempt at BiPartisanship. The GOP paranoia as per Lindsay Graham is being indulged without reason, except, from where I sit as an attempt to appease a need for bipartisanship.
Philip Zelikow is the backbone to the USA's 'understanding' of terrorist networks. However. Every administration that has embraced 'his knowledge' has never abided by 'his recommendations.' Instead of adhering to recommendations by Zelikow to close Gitmo, the current adminisration is back peddling into GOP paranoia and continued prisoner abuse. In other words, CHENEY RULES !!!!!!!!!!!!
Who Is Philip Zelikow? (click here)
Historians may identify Philip Zelikow as a scholar of the Kennedy administration and author of Germany Unified and Europe Transformed (with Condoleezza Rice)....
...Zelikow is the executive director of the the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, more commonly known as the 9-11 Commission....
Do the words below sound familiar? They are the words Obama used during his campaign.
Former State Dept. Official: Treatment Of Terror Suspects A 'Collective Failure' (click here)
2009-05-13 15:31:30 (3 days ago)
Posted By: Intellpuke
(Read 183 times 0 comments)
Former State Department counselor Philip Zelikow told the first congressional panel convened to address allegations of torture that Bush administration officials engaged in a "collective failure" on detention and interrogation of suspected terrorists.
Fresh accounts Wednesday by Zelikow and retired FBI special agent Ali Soufan, who dissented from Justice Department conclusions about the legality of waterboarding prisoners, are likely to expose anew rifts within the highest levels of the Bush administration over the practices.
The testimony comes amid calls for criminal prosecutions, disbarment or a wide-ranging congressionally chartered probe of former government officials and contractors for their activities during the Bush war on terror.
The Justice Department last month released four legal documents that provided the justification for the harsh tactics that critics liken to torture. The clinically worded papers ignited fresh debate and prompted advocates on both sides of the aisle to call for release of more memos and reports, including findings from the CIA inspector general and the Justice Department's ethics watchdogs.
Lawmakers also requested a State Department document that Zelikow wrote about three years ago challenging the idea that the interrogation tactics complied with anti-torture laws.
Published 05/13/2009 by The Washington Independent
Lindsey Graham Hunts for a Kitty Dukakis Moment (click here)
After Philip Zelikow advocates closing Guantanamo Bay, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) — who, earlier in the hearing, praised President Obama for his “responsible view” about Guantanamo — tries to bait Zelikow with a question about Guantanamo’s “recidivism rate.” (The implication being the Bush Pentagon let dangerous terrorists out of Guantanamo to immediately return to the fight, so we have to keep the facility open.)
“There are no reliable statistics on the recidivism rate” at Guantanamo, Zelikow replies, and allows that there are indications that some unknown number of them have returned to fight. Isn’t that a “miscarriage of justice” then, Graham asks?
“Not necessarily,” Zelikow replies.
“What if it was your son or daughter?” Graham demands? How would he feel then?
Zelikow says he wouldn’t feel any different than when a parolee commits a crime. Graham meekly drops the point.
I have to agree with Zelikow. We know exceptionally little on recidivism of former detainees to the ranks of al Qaeda. The issue is not one of national security, UNLESS, the detainees are returning with knowledge provided by USA intelligence. And who knows, anything is possible.
But, the fact of the matter REMAINS that the detainees are FOR THE MOST PART 'grunts' with little to no responsibility for the events September 11, 2001 OR highly valuable knowledge of al Qaeda or the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden. Many of them have been returned SUCCESSFULLY to families and currently Saudi Arabia is looking to send some to the 'Jihadist Rehab' they have about a 50% success rate.
In my opinion this is simply ANOTHER 'GOP Political Stunt' to exonerate the party from the misguided paranoia of Cheney. At the end of the day, in the elections in 2010 and 2012 the GOP will be saying, "Obama did nothing different than Bush" and my guess is that it will continue to say, "He also was a poor choice for his lack of experience." with hopes there will be a percipitous event in the USA to validate that statement. The sincere PROBLEM with Zelikow's assessment of Gitmo and its closure, is it lacks 'political volleys.'
It is my opinion, the Gitmo Detainees CONTINUE to be victim of the GOP and its hold out for their attempted revival. Graham CONTINUES to hammer away at 'the what ifs' and 'in that' continues to state the same stupidity of Bush and Giuliani, "We will be attacked again."
If the people elected to office can't work to secure this country from another terrorist attack, then they have wasted our time and our country's money. We already KNOW the Visa Process is still wide open to fraud and our National Security STILL hangs in the balance. If there is ever ANOTHER September 11, 2001 it will be put directly on the shoulders of the people that held power during the Bush Years when DEARLY NOTHING was done to secure this country, EXCEPT, to terrorize the public and ask them to disrobe at airport terminals while their UNSCANNED luggage went into the belly of the plane.
The National Twinkie Defense (click here)
Sen. Lindsey Graham doesn't think we need anti-torture laws, just anti-torture niceties.
By Dahlia Lithwick
Posted Wednesday, May 13, 2009, at 7:23 PM ET
...Graham dismisses today's hearing as a "political stunt" because "we would not be having this hearing if we were attacked this afternoon." What this really means is that for all his talk of legality and law and the rule of law, in his view the law means one thing "in the quiet peace of the moment" and something entirely different in the immediate aftermath of a terrorism strike. It's sort of like a national Twinkie defense (Colloquialism for exonerating a murderer because of a 'sugar rush.), but Graham is willing to strap a saddle onto that Twinkie today and ride … and ride and ride.
It is all politics and has absolutely NOTHING to do with the USA's National Security. It CAN be argued that by continuing to treat these 'detainees' in such a manner while denying them 'due process' we are as bad if not worse than al Qaeda, the Taliban and Sharia Law, THEREFORE, wedging the USA into greater danger of attack than less.
CLOSE GITMO !
It is impossible to be bipartisan with people that cling to Bush/Cheney rhetoric. The entire GOP under this adminisration were zealots and misguided ideologues. When 'figuring' the quantum possibility of resigning OLD HATREDS of the 'radically right wing' and their policies, there is no 'reasonsable' quotient. There are some things that are not possible in life and bipartisanship with right wing radicals is not possible.
Example: The South Carolina Governor is under fire for his opposition to 'The Obama Stimulus.' Has anyone driven down I-20 in South Carolina lately? It is in disrepair, but, worse than that, the 'wetlands' that line the beauty of this highway are nearly dried up. This is huge drought in the lands of South Carolina and what does the SC Governor say? "We have a big dam for a reservoir nearby. There is a huge dam in Columbia, SC, so therefore 'the severe drought' that swallowed up Lake Lanier is irrelivant. At the very least the drought is the canary in the coal mine. But, no one can deal with this sort of extremism. The politicians that practice it are convinced their elections hang in the balance and they won't come away from it. The only salvation for states like South Carolina is to vote in a new Governor.
Associated Press
SC Legislature approves stimulus resolution (click here)
Associated Press, 05.14.09, 12:20 PM EDT
South Carolina legislators have approved a resolution that might help them deal with legal challenges that could arise in forcing Gov. Mark Sanford to request $700 million in federal stimulus cash.
The House adopted the measure on a voice vote with no debate Thursday. The Senate had approved the measure Wednesday after sending Sanford a $5.6 billion budget that requires him to request the money.
The resolution says the Legislature accepts the money under provisions in the $787 billion federal stimulus legislation.
Legislators say the measure would help them defend taking the money if a lawsuit is filed.
Sanford has said the federal cash needs to be used to offset state debt. The White House twice rejected that idea.
The objection Governor Sanford has to The Simulus Package is self defeating. In unemployment benefits alone, The Stimulus adds money to each check and provides for COBRA benefits. Sanford is unduly putting strain on an already compromised South Carolina economy.
SC borrows more for unemployment benefits (click here)
May 14, 2009
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina has borrowed another $20 million to cover unemployment checks and Gov. Mark Sanford wants legislators to do more to head off a tax increase on employers.
Sanford's office Thursday provided a copy of a letter to Senate and House leaders that asked for a push to move the Employment Security Commission into a new Cabinet-level agency he would control....
South Carolina's unemployment rate is 11.4 %, second in the nation to Michigan. (click here) The Stimulus would add jobs and stabilize the loss of jobs, but, 'the ideologies' of the South Carolina Governor won't allow him to save his own people from strife. It is hideous and these governors should be impeached.
