Military Chief: Gitmo 'Needs to Be Closed'

So whose opinion carries more weight - Mr. Cheney, or the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the Armed Forces.....

Five deferments says all you need to know about Cheney's credibility on all things military.

Mr. Stephanopoulos, I was watching the political debate by your roundtable guess, and once again the republican journalist mention California’s need to cut union workers pay rate.

I have one question hat has several parts. Why is it a common practice of the Republican Party to take money from the working class to fix the problems that bad republican policies caused?
Like:

• Why do they continually support the cutting of taxes for the rich that virtually has no trickle down effects to help the people?

• Why is there a Machiavellian mentality amongst the Republican Party, where they said one thing and almost never deliver? One former Republican Governor in Florida said about a bill that the public passed was the public don’t know what they want and virtually killed or vetoed its non-implementation.

• Finally, why can’t the Republican Party just admit to the nation that they were wrong in there policy making towards middle and lower class American citizens economic stability?

The reason many religious and none religious Americans view the Republicans as being foul is they came to Americans in the name of the Lord. Wherefore, they would resolve many issues concerning their moral and economic precedence, only to line the pockets of special interest intergroup of the rich on their constituent’s backs by privatizing socio-programs.

In return the now privatized program places their cost out of reach primarily medical insurance.

One republican popularize the state of government medical insurance for the populist amounts to Medicaid. That’s funny doesn’t every politician receive government back insurance, Doesn't line of thinking also make them recipients of Medicaid.

There is no plan of theirs in answering these questions will not satisfy the public’s demand for answers that are strait forward and down to earth without the Missouri two step.

Citizen of the Republic

Whats the matter arent there enough prisons in the USA to separate all the people in Guantanamo prison putting each one in solitary confinement and not allowed to have contact with any other prisoners? The most important thing is to separate these people from each other. I agree if the terrorists consider it a recruiting tool then yes it should be closed. Furthermore Obama ought to take a more all or nothing approach to the war by ending it on both fronts and seeking prosecution of anyone republican or democrat, al-qaeda, taliban or otherwise accused of war time misdeeds.

We should all be reminded this coming Memorial Day of what the USA stands for every time we see an American flag. It stands for freedom and truth and justice and our soldiers who fight to keep this country free. Some would have you believe it stands for white people taking over the world. That isnt what the flag represents. It stands for both the north and south and all 50 states united. This is the United States and not Iran give the accused people a fair trial and if convicted send them to a supermax and solitary dont allow them contact with other inmates.

Stephanopoulos beats the drum for Obama's Kool-Aid! Colin Powell is sobering up to his hangover and realizing Obama's radical and irresponsible leadership is damaging America. No doubt the worst Congress in 20 years will push this forward.

MILITARY DRAFT!

Norman Matton Thomas (November 20, 1884 - December 19, 1968) was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America. He was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1911. As a candidate for President of the U. S. , Norman Thomas said, in a 1944 epoch speech: "The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of "liberalism", they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened." He went on to say: "I no longer need to run as a Presidential Candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democratic Party has adopted our platform."

lookforananswer | May 24, 2009 12:50:17 PM........How do you accomplish this when every Senator and Congress person says 'not in my state/district'?

O'kay, some of the DNP and the RNP members and leaders who have opposed and are still wrangling on putting Gitmo detainee's, terrorists, and prisoners in US prisons are starting to show limited capability in thinking.

What are they or any American citizen, who oppose Pres. Obama plan, thinking? Do they think that we are going to allow them to collaborate and congregate together in prision and plot another attack. This is stupidity coming from the mouth of anyone opposing the Gitmo shut down.

Even if, an escape of one or several terrorists or Gitmo detainee occurred, which very impossible and a hypothetical, aren't the FBI, CIA, SWAT Teams, and other law enforcement agents capable of taking care of any escaped prisioner? Where are these people faith in these systems and law enforcement personnel?

What kind of super powers do they think these terrorist have to break out of a prison? Are these senators and congressional men and women thinking? Do they think that the Gitmo prisoners, detainee's, and terrorist have an ability or power to turn into a super-sized Godzilla-like monster and be able break through prison walls and start a terror campaign in America?

Anyone, including senators and congressional men and women, who continue to oppose the Gitmo shut-down plan have some other special interest that is not about saving taxpayers money or improving the United States image or reputation. They are spewing from their mouths and brain ideals that is "crazy talk" and more fear-mongering.

So, please senators and congressional ladies and gentlemen, show us you have the ability to think in the real world about prisons. The Gitmo terrorists and detainee's do not have super powers or are giant Godzilla-like monsters hiding in human form which will allow them to break out of our prisons. I repeat they do not have super powers.

Geez, whoda thunk it. Our finest men and women in congress can't extrapolate logic concerning a prison system or homeland security personnel(National Guard, Military, FBI, CIA, SWAT, Local Police Departments, etc, etc....).
Gosh and for goodness sakes, standing against Pres. Obama plan with the current fear-mongering kind of thinking should be embrassing.

Hey Georgie that was kind of stupid of showing Jon Stewart doing clips of Obama PLAGERIZING George Bush to justify his ways of fighting terror..Obama Stoled Bushes Speeches to us as his own.. OBAMA/Bush NO DIFFERENCE

To my earlier blog post.

Add to post ARE NOT GIANT GODZILLA-LIKE MONSTERS where are giant Godzilla-like is posted.

They are called Federal Prisons right? Who cares what the state and local governments think?

Let me see. My boss is the President of the United States. I should probably go along with what he wants or get fired.

Thank you Admiral Mullen!!!
Admiral Mullen was sworn in as the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on October 1, 2007. He serves as the principal military advisor to the president, the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council.

A native of Los Angeles, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968.

He commanded three ships: the gasoline tanker USS Noxubee (AOG 56), the guided missile destroyer USS Goldsborough (DDG 20) and the guided missile cruiser USS Yorktown (CG 48).

As a flag officer, Mullen commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2, the George Washington Battle Group and the U.S. 2nd Fleet/NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic.

Ashore he has served in leadership positions at the Naval Academy, in the Navy's Bureau of Personnel, in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and on the Navy Staff. He was the 32nd Vice Chief of Naval Operations from August 2003 to October 2004.

His last operational assignment was as commander, NATO Joint Force Command Naples/Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe. Mullen is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School and earned a Master of Science degree in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Prior to becoming chairman, Mullen served as the 28th Chief of Naval Operations.

Close Guantanamo now. If you have evidence of crimes, then try the detainees in US courts. Otherwise release them. You say they are bad people, but we don't believe you. We don't believe anything you tell us anymore. We're tired of your lies.

If there's not enough room in US prisons, start releasing non-violent drug offenders and other political prisoners jailed unconstitutionally.

I'd rather live with terrorists than tyrants.

Admiral Mullen is completely correct in saying that Gitmo should be closed ASAP.

1. We have about 240 detainees right now. Of these 61 have been found to be iinnocent and are awaiting some place to take them.
2. There is no way (except for maybe 3 or four) that we can judge all 179 remaining detainees guilty of anything. If history prevails most of these will also be found innocent once they get a hearing and sent elsewhere.
3. let's say that 50 detainees are actually guilty and need to be detained. The federal government has a number of supermax prisons these guys can go to. Just pick one or two. What the Senators want is besides the question here. Obama will have to bite the bullet and send the 50 somewhere.
We cannot ask another country to take detainees where we will not.
4. The $80 Million is a political gimmick. All Obama has to do is to move
the necessary funds to close Gitmo from one or two programs to the closure program. Bush did it all the time.

Finally, closure will do a heck of a lot to ease bad feelings towards us by
other countries. It will help close one
source of recruitment for Al Queda.
Whatever we think is important but what
other countries also think of us is
also highly important.

The Gitmo detention center is our baby.
We have to fix it.

The question is who do we trust on Gitmo
detention center - Cheney or Admiral
Mullen? American would voe for the
Admiral every time.

I am so looking forward to our new neighbors in our state prison systems - terrorists from foreign lands.

The problem is not the detention facility or the introgation methods. The problem is the people leaking the photos and methods used. The leaks probably serve more as a recruiting tool than anything else. As such the people leaking should be tried for treason.

"What are they or any American citizen, who oppose Pres. Obama plan, thinking? Do they think that we are going to allow them to collaborate and congregate together in prision and plot another attack. This is stupidity coming from the mouth of anyone opposing the Gitmo shut down. "
------------------------------------

LOL...you fool, wait until the ACLU gets their cases after conviction. Or all these other bleeding heart liberals who will say anything we do different with them constitutes "torture" again!

The fact that this entire debate isgoing on AFTER this president foolishly announced on the 2nd day in office, tells you just how short-sighted this Administtration & the talking heading of the left really are.

It is extrememly obvious that NONE of this was really discussed and a true plan developed for how to proceed before telling the world we were going to close it. Obama said close iit in a year, here are almost into June, and all we have to show for it is a ZERO plan!
This is becoming a major trend of this president. Strange how legties whined abou this all during the previous administration, but only make excuses for this one.

I beleive the Chief of Staff is wrong in wanting Gitmo closed. And to have it closed by 2010 is almost impossible. Gitmo serves a purpose and has saved American lives. If there is a problem inside Gitmo, fix it, but leave it open.

When you rise to that level, you are nothing more than a bootlicker.

So what to do with the prisoners at Club Gitmo? With the nation having such a hard time filling vacant rental properties, I propose we put one prisoner in each of the rentals that are currently unrented, where the owner is looking at certain foreclosure.

The government could place the prisoners in the rentals, then pay the rent, plus have 3 security guards watching the place 24/7. This helps the economy and the jobless rate.

Kottaras: Are you a military man or an intelligence expert? I think not so I think I will go along with Gen. Mc Millan

If we close GITMO, how are we going to deny prisoners their Constitutional rights? We need GITMO as a safe haven from the U.S. Courts and the ACLU!Cheney is right-plus Halliburton needs the construction and maintenance costs from their facility since they moved everything but their office building in Texas to the United Arab Emeriates that have no extradition for contractural violations and/or other illegal behaviors!