Tipsheet

Gitmo: If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

Ericka Andersen
Ericka Andersen  |  February 27, 2009 3:27 PM
President Obama's decision to close Guantanamo Bay prison within a year is infuriating. It's more infuriating than the fact that he spent more in one month than President Bush did in seven years. It's more infuriating than his predicting catastrophe if we don't do exactly what he says. It's more infuriating than the fact that he got unlimited free passes from the media on his way to the presidency. 

Shutting down the only appropriate place we've got to house suspected terrorists without a plan is foolish.  Obama made promises during the campaign that he's already broken -- including making transparency a priority and pulling troops out of Iraq immediately. But closing down Gitmo is, unforunately, one promise he has decided to keep.

Americans are angry. After one prisoner released in 2007 became a top Al Qaeda leader, they are worried. What about the others? Will the several hundred prisoners go back to their countries better prepared, more angry and ready to take American lives? At this point, Obama has no concrete plans on the fate of Gitmo prisoners. They certainly can't release them all but what American prison is willing to take them in? Apparently, Rep. John Murtha is cool with it but I'm not sure about the rest of Pennsylvannia.

As Doug Feith said recently, "The real issue is whether we can make sure that the extremely dangerous people that we're holding at Guantanamo can continue to be held so they don't engage in terrorism in the future."

Obama is happy to rail against interrogation tactics that have delivered valuable intelligence information but doesn't seem as concerned with protecting Americans from those already in our custody. Is this so-called international image more important than our national security? I think not.

Sen. Mitch McConnell weighed in this morning with this: "The Obama Administration needs to answer a question: Where exactly do they expect to send these guys next January? They have no answer. Well I do: these terrorists are right where they belong."

I concur.