Lieberman: Obama Should Consider Keeping “Humane” Guantanamo Open
Updated below with Lieberman’s quote, in which he calls Gitmo “humane.”
Joe Lieberman’s Senate office confirms to me that he said in an interview to air later today that President Obama should consider keeping Guantanamo Bay open, a move that will intensify the political skirmishing around an issue that already has the White House on the defensive.
Lieberman’s demand was first reported by the Weekly Standard, which claimed that Lieberman says Obama “should seriously consider” that option in an interview that will air on NPR later this afternoon. The Standard didn’t source its claim, but Lieberman’s office confirms that the characterization is accurate.
The White House is in retreat on Guantanamo, and Lieberman’s move will allow Republicans to claim that concerns about the plan to close Guantanamo are not a partisan issue. The Washington Post reported today that the Obama administration is close to abandoning all hopes of resettling Gitmo detainees in the United States, due to Congressional opposition.
Update: NPR sends over Lieberman’s exact quote, which will air sometime after 7 P.M. He said:
“Though I understand the President had a good intention in saying that he would close Guantanamo, because Guantanamo has become a symbol for past bad behavior by the United States, but maybe we just have to say, look, today it’s as humane a facility as you’re gonna find for prisoners of war, and we have to explain to the rest of the world that that’s the place we have chosen to keep prisoners of war.”
The homepage of this blog is here. RSS feed here. Twitter feed here. Email me here.
lieberman is showing his true colors not that he has his committee assignment sewed up. Oiga! CT voters – please relieve us of him first chance you get.
Liberman is a thorn in the side of Barach and a true blue representative for the American people.
Most people do not care what Joe Lieberman says or thinks!
I think the real issue here is the artificial self-imposed timeline. Why not just close it when you can safely do so? Close it after all Federal/military trials, after the detainees have been repatriated, etc. Further, if Obama is going to support indefinite detention – why not keep them at Gitmo? We’ve already paid for the bad thing – we’ve already taken all the criticism (Spare me the symbolism stuff.)
He’s wrong. sometimes I wonder about Joe. Gitmo is a stain on the nations honor, but he’s willing to continue. why? doesn’t want those guys in Conn.? I don’t think so. sometimes I wonder who he works for.
Anybody who wants Gitmo to remain open is at odds with Petrayus and Gates. Why are they going to start questioning these two now? I thought they were Gods or something to Republicans and Liebermann. How quickly they forget.
sbj, I hear that argument and think its a load of ****. Who on this planet doesn’t set time lines in projections for goals? No wonder the bureaucratic process is so damn slow. I heard Mitch McConnel on TV arguing against time lines. What an backwards way of doing things.
Hey Joe! You are a Jewish person and you love to see these wars against the Arabs…I wonder why you stand with the Republicans all the time…You are part of the friggin problem….The only reason you want Guantanamo left open is because they are all Arabs……I bet if a Jewish person was down there you would be Running that ugly mouth to close it down….SO SHUT UP JOE…..People need to vote your butt out!
Lieberman is a chickenhawk Israeli double agent. His goals are to sabotage the middle east peace process and keep us in Iraq and Afghanistan torturing our alleged terrorist detainees for as long as possible. He is an accessory to war crimes and should be rotting in jail along with Bush and Cheney for the rest of his life.
@Mike: Well, Mike, if you have a timeline and it calls for relocation of detainees to Europe by June 12th and June 12th comes and goes and Europe won’t take them – then you’ve got a problem sticking to an inflexible schedule. We need something that is based on results, on achieving certain intermediate goals. Once a sub-goal is reached you move on to the next. In this case, safety is more important than meeting a certain date. Leave ‘em there until they’ve been tried or releassed, but please don’t fling open the gates just because it’s December 31, 2009. Even Obama adjusted his Iraq withdrawal timeline – kudos to him – and here’s hoping he’ll adjust this one if need be.
Who says its an “inflexible schedule”? who says there aren’t “intermediate goals”? Who said anything about “opening the gate”? Who says anyone is going to “fling open the gates”? There have been about 20 relocations just this month, plus a bringing to trial on prior indictment.
.
Can we get smarter conservatives to make their case, Greg? Is there ANYONE on that side that is based in reality? Or is it all nothing but unsubstantiated bullsh!t?
@James, the answers to your questions are: sbj, sbj, Boss Limbaugh; Glenn Beck; No they are all idiots and wankers; and the last two with one answer, Daniel Larison.
Another edition of Simple Answers about simple-minded people…
@James: I’m confused. Hasn’t Obama repeatedly promised that Gitmo would be closed in one year?
Joe L is right, but the Far Left of our party is not interested in saving American Lives! I am finally embarrassed to be a Democrat and so is every Dem I know! I wish I could take back my Obama vote!
The main reason congress doesn’t want them in the country is because they don’t want them in the US court system. It has nothing to do with safety of americans. It is all about them wanting to protect themselves and they should feel ashamed.
@sbj,
dude. He said he wanted a plan to close GTMO within a year. Executive plans, by people who are smart that is, generally have a timeline attached to the plan, along with an objective, benchmarks, and measurable goals. Othereidr, they are just aimless and feckless wish lists. See?
.
Your wild, unsubstantiated, evidence-free assumptions speak to your lack of understanding of what an actual *plan* comprises. “Flinging open the gates”? *Huge eyeroll*
MN Proud is really what I hate about the anonymous internet. No Democrat, let alone every Democrat, would HATE the President because of something Lieberman says, he barely got any Democratic votes in his last win. Certainly no Democrat would use the phrase FAR LEFT to describe trying people in a court of law. What’s the prez’s approval amongst Dem’s, 97%? Take your ball and go home.
Joe Lieberman/ Weekly Standard / NPRs McShame’s friend “…that that’s the place we have chosen to keep prisoners of war.” Would any one believe the Weakly NONstandard?? Lieberman should take his Shame and go home.
The typing “…The White House is in retreat on Guantanamo,” is also a wrong wing spew. The White House has never given a time line except that it going to stop the unjust American prison to contunion. because it’s not with in our LAWS.
I forgot “prisoners of war” I thought (there I go again suffering under the illusion that I can think) the were not POWs as McShame was. Am I wrong, but did not the bUSH/cHENEY Adm. said they were enemy combatants.
Even the grate Lieberman can’t get it correct.
Your post would have more believability, if you could spell Lieberman and Barack correctly.
Just when you think the transpolitical mutants can’t sink any lower.
Lie- berman, is a right wing zionist moll
The way around people like Lieberman is to keep Gitmo open but with certain modifications. Like opening it to on-demand inspection by Red Cross / Red Crescent. And any time visit by inmate’s lawyers. And declassify all records of inmate’s treatment. Oh, wait. Obama is dedicated to secret detention and harsh treatment of designed prisoners. He’ll never do this but he should have on the first day of his administration.
williamc, can you read? Where do you see “…HATE the President…” in MN Proud’s post. There is some indication that you are semantically challenged at best when you choose to interpret and respond to a post any way you choose without regard to what was actually printed.
All the Arab freaks in Gitmo need to be killed. Only then should they close the facility.