House Panel Deals Gitmo Closure a Major Setback

[babylonsister]

House Panel Deals Gitmo Closure a Major Setback
Move Prohibits Use of Defense Department Money to Buy a New Detention Facility
By Spencer Ackerman 5/20/10 1:01 PM


The Obama administration’s longstanding pledge to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay just hit a major obstacle in the House, creating doubts over whether the detention facility can be closed this year — if at all.

Last night the House Armed Services Committee finished this year’s bill authorizing $567 billion worth of defense spending and another $159 billion for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars for the fiscal year beginning in October. Following an administration budget plan announced in February by Pentagon comptroller Robert Hale, the Afghanistan war request contained a vague provision — indeed, not even carrying the words “Guantanamo Bay” — called a “transfer fund” to authorize the purchase of the Thomson Correction Center in Illinois. The administration wants to buy Thomson in order to have a secure facility on U.S. soil to house those Guantanamo detainees it designates for military commissions or indefinite detention without charge. Once the federal government buys Thomson, it can shut down Camp Delta at Guantanamo Bay.

Or that was the plan. The actual bill hasn’t been released yet. But buried at the bottom of an extensive summary the committee released last night is an express prohibition on the use of any Defense Department money to buy a new detention facility. According to the bill summary, the bill now requires Defense Secretary Robert Gates to give Congress a report that “adequately justifies any proposal to build or modify such a facility” if it wants to move forward with any post-Guantanamo detention plan.

“The Committee firmly believes that the construction or modification of any facility in the U.S. to detain or imprison individuals currently being held at Guantanamo must be accompanied by a thorough and comprehensive plan that outlines the merits, costs, and risks associated with utilizing such a facility,” the summary text read. “No such plan has been presented to date. The bill prohibits the use of any funds for this purpose.”

more...

http://washingtonindependent.com/85355/house-panel-deals-gitmo-closure-a-major-setback

[zipplewrath]

1. Great

Now we're going to argue about WHERE we maitain a permanent war prison to house our untried prisoners.

Can we try discussing WHY we are holding people, indefinitely, without trial?

[Cant trust em]

2. Today's lesson for political accountability is to not have specific goals or objectives

Now he's going to get hit for failing to close the place in a year. I guess Obama shouldn't have put a timeline on getting this done.

While a terrible idea for leadership in the real world, it is apprently a smart political move to have moving targets and foggy metrics for success.

[FrenchieCat]

3. IT'S ALL OBAMA'S FAULT!

:grr:

[impik]

4. Fucking cowards

[Cha]

5. A setback but that does not mean

it can't be done.

[SpartanDem]

6. when are they going to grow a spine ?