Guantanamo is Just So Icky

Or so was the argument hoisted upon the shoulders of an unpopular President Bush (and his evil henchman Cheney) for the creation of the terrorist detention camp.

Within its walls detainees were routinely tortured, their holy books flushed down apparently the world's most efficient toilets, denied their most basic human rights, were otherwise demoralized, and were kept from receiving legal counsel. Rumor has it that bomb making wasn't even offered in the vocational career center, and the lemon pilaf sucked!

The outrage!

America would have none of it, and Barack Obama was swept to victory on an anti Bush platform--if Bush did it, it was stupid at best, and evil at worst. Guantanamo fell within the latter category. One of Obama's campaign promises was to close Gitmo in an effort to solidify the anti-war, anti-government, anti-imperialist, and anti-American crowd. They voted for him in a monolithic bloc being joined in the booth by snot nosed kids, socialist union members, and watchers of The View and Oprah.

Shortly after becoming elected, Obama, to the sound of great applause, tossed his favorite constituency a bone (well, third favorite behind racists and Marxists) and pledged to close the camp within one year, an act that could go far in cementing his name in the history books as the dumbest president since Jimmy Carter.

Now, the deed is done. Sure, now after some countries have balked at accepting the prisoners, and some of the released have successfully joined the jihad, our illustrious administration has announced that some detainees could be released into the United States.

Because a terrorist freed on Main Street with access to our malls, airports, and schools is better than having one locked away behind bars.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Some of the Guantanamo Bay prisoners could be released into the United States while others could be put on trial in the American court system, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Wednesday.

Holder, who was chosen by President Barack Obama to lead the administration's efforts to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba within a year, said the review of what to do with each of the prisoners had begun.

About 240 terrorism suspects, including suspected planners of the September 11 attacks, are being held in the prison. Many have been detained for seven years without charges and some were subjected to interrogation techniques denounced by critics as torture.

The administration faces intense political resistance to the idea of bringing the prisoners to the United States as part of closing the detention camp. The administration seeks to transfer some detainees to Europe or other countries while freeing others.

Holder told reporters at the Justice Department that the administration's review, made on a case-by-case basis, would determine whether the prisoners need to be put on trial or whether they can be released.

"For those who are in that second category, who can be released, there are a variety of options that we have. Among them is the possibility that we could release them into this country," he said.

Nice.

h/t Little Green Footballs