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Obama runs into storm of protest over closure of Guantanamo
Paul Thompson, in Miami23 Jan 2009
President Barack Obama's honeymoon is drawing to a close, less than 48 hours after he took office.
The new president's decision to close Guantanamo Bay met a barrage of criticism as a group of House Republicans began action that would prevent the courts ordering the transfer or release of detainees at the Cuban base into the US.
Mr Obama signed an order closing the detention camp for terror suspects that has aroused so much controversy since it opened after the 9/11 attacks.
He also ordered the closure of the CIA's network of foreign “ghost” prisons and a ban on the use of torture and harsh interrogation techniques.
In a clear attempt to restore America's battered image abroad — and distance his administration from that of George Bush, he also ordered a review of the CIA's use of extraordinary rendition, in which terror suspects are kidnapped and sent to foreign countries for interrogation.
While the four executive orders will be welcomed by human rights activists in the US and abroad, they have not received such a warm welcome at home. The planned closure of Guantanamo Bay within a year provoked the most anger and threatened to rip apart the promised bipartisan co-operation that Mr Obama had hoped for in his first 100 days.
“Closing Guantanamo Bay presents a clear and present danger to all Americans,” said Lamar Smith, the top Republican on the House judiciary committee. He was backed by John Boehner from Ohio, who said the order could release terrorists to strike against America. They cited a recent Pentagon estimate which said that 61 detainees released from Guantanamo have rejoined the fight against the US and its allies.
“I think the first thing we have to remember is that we're talking about terrorists here,” Mr Boehner said. “Do we bring them into our borders? Do we release them back into the battlefield, like some 61 detainees that have been released we know are back on the battlefield?
“The big concern is, how do you come up with a policy to say, We're going to close Guantanamo,' without having a policy in place for what you're going to do with those that are there?”
Many of the 245 detainees will be returned to their native countries and their departure will be handled by the new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
* Democratic congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, 42, has been chosen by the New York governor to fill Mrs Clinton's vacate Senate seat. Caroline Kennedy, daughter of John F Kennedy, abruptly withdrew her bid yesterday.
The President's Peacemakers
Veteran senator George Mitchell has been appointed a special envoy to the Middle East and UN ambassador Richard Holbrooke as special adviser to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Mr Mitchell, 75, headed peace negotiations in Northern Ireland which led to the 1998 Good Friday Accord, and later led a commission appointed by President Bill Clinton to find ways to halt Israeli-Palestinian violence. His 2007 inquiry into illegal drug use in baseball named 89 players with links to steroids. He has also been chairman of Walt Disney.
Mr Holbrooke, 67, is former US ambassador to the UN and architect of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement which ended the war in Bosnia. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize seven times.
Reader views (22)
Good points, Americanfirst, USA. ACORN was very instrumental in getting the Oaf of Office elected by going out and signing up lots more voters.
So, he is closing Gitmo! Well, let's all be nice and hug a terrorist. Give 'em love and they'll change their minds. They won't go back to the middle east and Pakistan and help the jihad efforts against us. They'll join hands with us and sing Kumbaya to the Great Obama. Ah! Bless!
Obama has also said he's going to do his big "stimulus" of the economy very soon. Should be through by early February. And guess what? His administration is going to accept responsibility for its success or failure. Well, slap my thigh, knock me down and call me Jeffrey! I thought that was obviously what governments did with their policies. Duh!! But no, Obama has to tell us. Well geee!!! That's kind of him. His government is going to be responsible for its decisions. Whoever heard of such a thing? All praise the Messiah!!
This "stimulus" is going to send the US into very rapid bankruptcy. Might as well get it over with I suppose. Why hang about when you've got a once proud and strong nation to destroy? What was the title of the BBC radio programme this week? "America, Empire of Liberty." Not any more. Say goodbye to liberty. Liberty has left the building. All hail the Sultan of Swing(ing votes)
- Muzzy, Royal Leamington Spa, UK, 24/01/2009 16:53
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Returned to their own countries ! I do not think so why would you want to return to the clapped out country that you came from. 'Little Mr Milliband' is falling prostrate before the new President so as to be allowed to take as many of the detainees into the UK as possible in order to ingratiate himself and Gordon with Obama. Watch this space and count how many of these oiks the UK will allow to settle here. Two years down the line get the ES to see how many of these desirable incomers will be living in the most suitable accommodation that our own homeless citizens can only dream of.
- nick holland, glasgow scotland, 24/01/2009 11:53
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To everyone, but sore Republican losers, a 365-173 victory when the winning post is just 270 would be seen as a landslide.
- Tim, London, 24/01/2009 11:29
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I've heard that the solution revolves around a scheme whereby the Gitmo prisoners will be allowed to be landed in mainland Europe and a fleet of lorries will be standing by with sufficient hiding places on them to get them to UK where they will claim asylum. It sounds a neat well thought out solution.
- Frank, ex-England, 24/01/2009 11:13
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Its a wonderful message to send to the enemy: Invade our country by simply getting captured, you will be brought to a nice warm prison where a gvt paid lawyer will work very hard to have you released on 'bail' into our society. Then you can go underground and resume your war against our country.
Message to the troops: Take no prisoners.
Oh, he was NOT voted in in a landslide.
- Trunk, US, 24/01/2009 07:05
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Lord Obama just ended the war on terror, he did not win a landslide 58 million voted against this socialist that means he only won by 4 million and most of them are questionable, also Lord Obama will review all convicted terrorists and they will be released. At least President Bush protected this country and his royal majasty wants to destroy it.
- Americanfirst, USA, 24/01/2009 04:52
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Who in thier right mind would think this was a BAD thing to do?! I'll tell you what, if I was an innocent person sent to Guantanamo, tortured, kept there for an indefinite length of time without right to legal counsel....guess what? That might just make me wanna lash out! Im not saying they are all innocent, but I thought democracy was about Justice? If some of those guys weren't extremists when they went in, they probably are now, but thats down to the people that kept them there! So if they do come back and attack the west, well what did we expect when our government treats people like that?
- Nora, London, 24/01/2009 02:24
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The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA needs to move on, he can see that, but George W. could not?.
Its all change and he is the leader like it or not. To those who don't like it GET REAL and listen to what he has to say.
Mr President go with your Heart, you are doing the right thing.
- John.L., Scarborough N.Yks U.K., 23/01/2009 17:14
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The problem with Guantanamo is that people (innocent and guilty) have been held there with no charge and no right to a trial (ie no right to justice). The argument has always been that those that they have evidence against should be tried and if found guilty would then, no doubt, be imprisoned. A big problem is that the US basically cast a wide net out and imprisoned everyone caught up within it, including the innocent (like dolphins caught up in tuna nets) who have had no right to be released and have been subjected to torture/rendition (which is unacceptable for both the innocent and the guilty). Given their intelligence error over weapons of mass destruction - it is safe to assume that their intelligence on some, if not all, of these men is equally flawed (and that is why they have refused to bring these men to trial)
- Andy, London, 23/01/2009 16:55
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It was a policy Americans knew about before the election and he was voted in on a landslide. Enough said.
- Jack, London, 23/01/2009 16:39
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The timing is bad with the announcement that Saudi former
detainee, Said Ali al-Shiriri has been found with Al Qaeda in Yemen.
- Jetmpls, MplsMN USA, 23/01/2009 16:08
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Some, possibly many of the inmates are guilty of terror offences - what happens to them?
- Jeremy E, London, 23/01/2009 15:32
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Good for him.
- Alan In Bow, London, 23/01/2009 15:28
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Let's just be nice to the Islamist terrorists and hope they'll all go away... Roll up, people! Make way for naivety on a grand scale! - On board everyone! It's the Obama Express to western Oblivion - This is what you get when you vote for the man with the big smile and the shiny white teeth. I'm afraid his ethnicity is soon going to be seen as redest of inedible herrings!
- James Murphy, Petersfield, hampshire, 23/01/2009 15:08
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I think Obama's problem and it is going to be a bad one, is that he is too honest. He is swimming with the sharks on Capital hill. This his first action, which I think is great,but is going to rankle a lot of powerful enemies within walking distance of the oval office and taking this as a sign of future policy announcements, he will be facing hurricane type headwinds. He may eventually be more popular outside America than he is inside and I dont know if that will work.....
- Bondy, london, 23/01/2009 15:00
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Good. With that kind of crap going on in the backyard the moral high ground in the "war on terror" is completely and utterly lost. It's about time someone with a bit of ethics/honor/good moral compass was in the white house. It's long due! Best of luck to Obama.
- Eddy, London, 23/01/2009 14:43
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Well ... that just goes to prove that the 'Good ole boys'
have no idea about world opinion.
Obama is a breath of fresh air and he knows that he has to restore the respect and reputation of America and if these hard-line republicans don't approve of his actions than they must be the only people on earth who disagree with his plans to stop torture and rendition, well, apart from Mr Bush and Tony Blair of course !
- Kathy Doyle, London, 23/01/2009 14:29
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I apologise in advance for yet more 'Obama Man' related news.
This time it's our own BBC who decided that Obama Man hadn't scared us all enough about the Environment and so using 'the audacity of hope' that we would not notice, cut and paste the soundfile of Obama's speech to make him say something he had not done. That supported the Beebs in house eco prejudices.
See the Harmless Sky Blog where the bbc have taken two distinct sentences from different paragraphs (16 and 22) and cut and paste.
http://ccgi.newbery1.plus.com/blog/?p=147
BBC Newsnight - Warming up President Obama’s inaugural speech?
By TonyN
The BBC is making the news up!
I really wanted to bring this fraud to the attention of the main stream media. So even if you don't post it I urge you reviewer to go to the blog and read for yourself.
- Ethan, UK, 23/01/2009 14:13
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Why didn't he delay announcing any decision on Guantanamo Bay until he had gotten the Republicans on-side for his economic plans? He doesn't seem very good on tactics.
- Phil Jones, London UK, 23/01/2009 14:07
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Speak for yourself, Neil.
- Bloke, London, 23/01/2009 13:46
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Many of the 245 detainees will be returned to their native countries to carry on destroying the West. Great decision.
- Frank, Home Counties, England, 23/01/2009 13:28
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President Obama will quickly realise that he has no power.
- Neil, london uk,, 23/01/2009 11:40
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