What Excuse Remains for Obama’s Failure to Close GITMO?

[Kevin_Kennedy]

The excuse-making on behalf of President Obama has always found its most extreme form when it came time to explain why he failed to fulfill his oft-stated 2008 election promise to close Guantanamo. As I’ve documented many times, even the promise itself was misleading, as it became quickly apparent that Obama — even in the absence of congressional obstruction — did not intend to “close GITMO” at all but rather to re-locate it, maintaining its defining injustice of indefinite detention.

But the events of the last three days have obliterated the last remaining excuse. In order to secure the release of American POW Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the Obama administration agreed to release from Guantanamo five detainees allegedly affiliated with the Taliban. But as even stalwart Obama defenders such as Jeffery Toobin admit, Obama “clearly broke the law” by releasing those detainees without providing Congress the 30-day notice required by the 2014 defense authorization statute (law professor Jonathan Turley similarly observed that Obama’s lawbreaking here was clear and virtually undebatable).

The sole excuse now offered by Democratic loyalists for this failure has been that Congress prevented him from closing the camp. But here, the Obama White House appears to be arguing that Congress lacks the authority to constrain the President’s power to release detainees when he wants. What other excuse is there for his clear violation of a law that requires 30-day notice to Congress before any detainees are released?

But once you take the position that Obama can override — i.e., ignore — Congressional restrictions on his power to release Guantanamo detainees, then what possible excuse is left for his failure to close the camp?

What Excuse Remains for Obama’s Failure to Close GITMO?

So why should Obama not be held accountable for his lie about closing Guantanamo Bay Prison?

excuse???

you mean congress passing legislation to block it's closure isn't enough?

So he can unilaterally free prisoners whenever he wants, but he needs Congressional approval to do so? What?

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Are you implying that Glenn Greenwald is a Republican, or that I am? Neither I nor Greenwald have any issue with the trade made by Obama, merely the hypocrisy in claiming that he can't act on Gitmo without Congressional approval and then going ahead and unilaterally making this move.

What will be done with the prisoners at GITMO? The US refused as did other nations..We are stuck with a Bush era problem...

As they've been convicted of no crimes, I'd suggest letting them go wherever they want. They should probably be given some sort of reparations for pain and suffering as well.

As much as I agree with you, that would be the single worst political decision that any American politician could possibly make.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

What Excuse Remains for Obama’s Failure to Close GITMO?

Congress's refusal to let him do it?

Let me quote from Greenwald's column again.

The sole excuse now offered by Democratic loyalists for this failure has been that Congress prevented him from closing the camp. But here, the Obama White House appears to be arguing that Congress lacks the authority to constrain the President’s power to release detainees when he wants. What other excuse is there for his clear violation of a law that requires 30-day notice to Congress before any detainees are released?

But once you take the position that Obama can override — i.e., ignore — Congressional restrictions on his power to release Guantanamo detainees, then what possible excuse is left for his failure to close the camp?

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

With this "Hostage Swap" he just pulled? What do you think he's doing? He's trying to empty the place.

That's just partisan nonsense.

Why?
I think you are incorrect here. This might be exactly what he is doing – testing the waters to see what the reactions are of the public and congress when he unilaterally does as you suggest.

How is that a partisan opinion? That has nothing to do with whether or not anyone thinks that is the correct decision to make. This does give him the opportunity to gauge the response when others are released.

It wouldn't make sense for Obama to "lose" on the issue of Guantanamo if he was going to do it anyways. He would've just done it in the first place.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

What will be done with the prisoners at GITMO? The US refused as did other nations..We are stuck with a Bush era problem...

As they've been convicted of no crimes, I'd suggest letting them go wherever they want. They should probably be given some sort of reparations for pain and suffering as well.

As much as I agree with you, that would be the single worst political decision that any American politician could possibly make.

Possibly. Shame that's a consideration.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

As they've been convicted of no crimes, I'd suggest letting them go wherever they want. They should probably be given some sort of reparations for pain and suffering as well.

As much as I agree with you, that would be the single worst political decision that any American politician could possibly make.

Possibly. Shame that's a consideration.

That's politics.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

As much as I agree with you, that would be the single worst political decision that any American politician could possibly make.

Possibly. Shame that's a consideration.

That's politics.

Maybe that's why there needs to be a separation of justice and state.

 

[Siete]

With this "Hostage Swap" he just pulled? What do you think he's doing? He's trying to empty the place.

when the troops are withdrawn from Afghanistan GITMO gets emptied anyway. The 5 POW's he traded for our soldier would have walked sooner or later. When a war is over POW's from either side get released. That's an international Law.

 

[JakeStarkey]

What Excuse Remains for Obama’s Failure to Close GITMO?

Congress's refusal to let him do it?

Let me quote from Greenwald's column again.

The sole excuse now offered by Democratic loyalists for this failure has been that Congress prevented him from closing the camp. But here, the Obama White House appears to be arguing that Congress lacks the authority to constrain the President’s power to release detainees when he wants. What other excuse is there for his clear violation of a law that requires 30-day notice to Congress before any detainees are released?

But once you take the position that Obama can override — i.e., ignore — Congressional restrictions on his power to release Guantanamo detainees, then what possible excuse is left for his failure to close the camp?

False equivalency. Prisoner of war exchanges are not releases. Congress's refusal is enough to end the OP.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

What Excuse Remains for Obama’s Failure to Close GITMO?

Congress's refusal to let him do it?

Let me quote from Greenwald's column again.

The sole excuse now offered by Democratic loyalists for this failure has been that Congress prevented him from closing the camp. But here, the Obama White House appears to be arguing that Congress lacks the authority to constrain the President’s power to release detainees when he wants. What other excuse is there for his clear violation of a law that requires 30-day notice to Congress before any detainees are released?

But once you take the position that Obama can override — i.e., ignore — Congressional restrictions on his power to release Guantanamo detainees, then what possible excuse is left for his failure to close the camp?

False equivalency. Prisoner of war exchanges are not releases. Congress's refusal is enough to end the OP.

Of course they are.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Let me quote from Greenwald's column again.

False equivalency. Prisoner of war exchanges are not releases. Congress's refusal is enough to end the OP.

Of course they are.

Of course they are not.

Let Congress allow the closure of Gitmo. Of course if it did, every one on the far right would blame Obama anyway.

This is a fail OP from the start.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

False equivalency. Prisoner of war exchanges are not releases. Congress's refusal is enough to end the OP.

Of course they are.

Of course they are not.

Let Congress allow the closure of Gitmo. Of course if it did, every one on the far right would blame Obama anyway.

This is a fail OP from the start.

What's the difference, and why is Congress required for one but not the other? Yes, the right is going to blame Obama for whatever he does regardless, so it would be better if he would just do the right thing.

 

[Vigilante]

 

[Politico]

He ran out of excuses on day two when he didn't do it.

 

[ClosedCaption]

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to cut from a war spending bill the $80 million requested by President Obama to close the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and to bar the transfer of detainees to the United States and its territories.



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/us/politics/21detain.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Obama just unilaterally released 5 prisoners in Guantanamo. He doesn't need Congress.

Is that what you're promoting then?

 

[J.E.D]

So why should Obama not be held accountable for his lie about closing Guantanamo Bay Prison?

Lie? Congress blocking its closure doesn't make Obama a liar

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to cut from a war spending bill the $80 million requested by President Obama to close the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and to bar the transfer of detainees to the United States and its territories.



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/us/politics/21detain.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Obama just unilaterally released 5 prisoners in Guantanamo. He doesn't need Congress.

Is that what you're promoting then?

Am I promoting that he keep his promise and close Guantanamo instead of hiding behind the obviously paltry excuse that Congress stopped him when he literally just showed that they have no power to stop him? Yes.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

So why should Obama not be held accountable for his lie about closing Guantanamo Bay Prison?

Lie? Congress blocking its closure doesn't make Obama a liar

For the third time.

The sole excuse now offered by Democratic loyalists for this failure has been that Congress prevented him from closing the camp. But here, the Obama White House appears to be arguing that Congress lacks the authority to constrain the President’s power to release detainees when he wants. What other excuse is there for his clear violation of a law that requires 30-day notice to Congress before any detainees are released?

But once you take the position that Obama can override — i.e., ignore — Congressional restrictions on his power to release Guantanamo detainees, then what possible excuse is left for his failure to close the camp?

What Excuse Remains for Obama’s Failure to Close GITMO?

How can Congress stop him when he just showed that he can unilaterally release prisoners whenever he wants?

 

[BlindBoo]

The excuse-making on behalf of President Obama has always found its most extreme form when it came time to explain why he failed to fulfill his oft-stated 2008 election promise to close Guantanamo. As I’ve documented many times, even the promise itself was misleading, as it became quickly apparent that Obama — even in the absence of congressional obstruction — did not intend to “close GITMO” at all but rather to re-locate it, maintaining its defining injustice of indefinite detention.

But the events of the last three days have obliterated the last remaining excuse. In order to secure the release of American POW Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the Obama administration agreed to release from Guantanamo five detainees allegedly affiliated with the Taliban. But as even stalwart Obama defenders such as Jeffery Toobin admit, Obama “clearly broke the law” by releasing those detainees without providing Congress the 30-day notice required by the 2014 defense authorization statute (law professor Jonathan Turley similarly observed that Obama’s lawbreaking here was clear and virtually undebatable).

The sole excuse now offered by Democratic loyalists for this failure has been that Congress prevented him from closing the camp. But here, the Obama White House appears to be arguing that Congress lacks the authority to constrain the President’s power to release detainees when he wants. What other excuse is there for his clear violation of a law that requires 30-day notice to Congress before any detainees are released?

But once you take the position that Obama can override — i.e., ignore — Congressional restrictions on his power to release Guantanamo detainees, then what possible excuse is left for his failure to close the camp?

What Excuse Remains for Obama’s Failure to Close GITMO?

So why should Obama not be held accountable for his lie about closing Guantanamo Bay Prison?

Two different issues. Congress blocked funding to close it and forbid the transfer of the super villains to this country. The negotiations for this deal are/were well known in Congress. Congress leaks (from both ends no doubt). Kudos to the President for finding his balls and basically telling Congress they will not have the chance to **** the deal up with their usually BS.

Anyone who believes everything any candidate tells them while trying to get elected is a fool.

 

[TooTall]

As usual republicans taking the fact Obama got a POW back for 5 government officials as a bad thing and thinks he should just do as he pleases...maybe next time to please the republican assholes we can let them know a war THEY STARTED that has gotten a soldier taken POW 30 days before hand and then he or she will die or be executed because they need to know before hand.

I bet you think FDR started WWII just because the Japanese Navy killed a few sailors at Pearl Harbor. Just admit it!