CNN: Guantanamo closure meeting was scheduled.
CNN: Guantanamo closure meeting was scheduled.
The White House is denying an AP report that senior administration officials were to hold a meeting today to discuss closing the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay. But CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux reported last night that the meeting was scheduled, and that the White House canceled it:
[T]he spokesman for the National Security Counsel, Gordon Johndroe, says that this is a meeting that is no longer the schedule for tomorrow. He won’t go into the details about why this meeting isn’t taking place. … I’m not sure whether or not [the meeting was canceled] was because of the news that broke about this story. The wording from the White House is very careful if you’ll note. They said there will not be a White House meeting tomorrow, which — there’s a little wiggle room there, in terms of whether or not there was something on the schedule for that meeting. We now know that there was something that was scheduled for tomorrow that is no longer taking place.
Watch it:
Transcript:
MALVEAUX: Right, Wolf, well the spokesman for the National Security Counsel Gordon Johndroe says that this is a meeting that is no longer the schedule for tomorrow. He won’t go into the details about why this meeting isn’t taking place. But it certainly reflects a certain eagerness on the part of this administration to move forward and try to move forward as quickly as possible in shutting down this facility. The president has stated his intentions before. We know that Secretary Rice, we know that Secretary Gates, as well as many other administration officials have been pushing for this to happen. And so it is clear that these are high-level meetings that are taking place, that will take place in the future, and they have already started to talk about some real possibilities about making this happen.
BLITZER: In his earlier statement he put out, he tried to suggest the AP story was simply not true, saying there was no meeting planned for tomorrow. But now we know there was a meeting, but it’s been delayed or changed or moved. Was that because of the Associated Press story?
MALVEAUX: You know, I’m not sure whether or not it was because of the news that broke about this story. The wording from the White House is very careful if you’ll note. They said there will not be a White House meeting tomorrow, which — there’s a little wiggle room there, in terms of whether or not there was something on the schedule for that meeting. We now know that there was something that was scheduled for tomorrow that is no longer taking place.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
NSA spokesmen choose their words very carefully.
The meeting is no longer in the schedule.
There are no plans for an invasion of Iraq on Donald Rumsfeld’s desk.
etc.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:44 amObviously a trial balloon.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:47 amThe meeting room was double booked, and Romney’s meeting to discuss doubling the size of Gitmo had seniority.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:48 amAren’t you liberals something. Worrying about the terrorists in the camp and cheering when/if they’re released.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:48 amMAF54,
“Worrying about the terrorists in the camp and cheering when/if they’re released.”
How do you know there are any terrorists there? Have you seen evidence?
Your a terrible American if you think it is ok to hold human beings indefinitely without evidence of wrong doing being presented in a court. Absolutely un-American.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:51 amOk, by this logic, the MSM media should announce they’ve learned about a full-scale, nuclear strike against Iran and massive troop deployments to Iran. That oughtta put an end to all this madness.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:52 amAren’t you Repukes something.
Naming yourself after a pedophile.
Repukes are sickos.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:53 amThe Bush Cultists believe that the government should be so powerful as to convict people without evidence or trials.
Talk about Big Brother Big Government!
-GSD
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:54 amAren’t you liberals something. Worrying about the terrorists in the camp and cheering when/if they’re released.
Comment by MAF54 — June 22, 2007 @ 11:48 am
How many of the Gitmo detainees have been convicted of terrorism?
Guilty until proven innocent?
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:57 amMom, Dad!
Something is wrong here at RNC Summer Camp.
Remember how I told you about those nice men, Mr. Foley & Haggard?
Well, we were assigned a really, really mean counselor this morning.
His name is Dick. He made us eat nothing but pork this morning, and
cancelled our swimming trip. I don’t like this guy at all; he’s scary.
Please, please drive up here & get me. I don’t mind being tucked in & Mr. Foley staying in my bunk for awhile, but he promised we’d go swimming after the morning sermon with Rev. Haggard.
Hurry!
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:57 amWilly
They’re in the camp because they’ve been caught on a battlefield fighting our troops.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:58 amMAF54,
Aren’t you liberals something. Worrying about the terrorists in the camp and cheering when/if they’re released.
I worry about them because I or you could be next. If it is you, you can take comfort knowing that I will be worrying about you and rejoicing when you are brought to an hoest trial and found either innocent or guilty. I will rejoice because, not just the rule of law, but OUR law, the laws I live by, have upheld.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:00 pmWhy do you guys respond to MAF54? Either he’s intentionally egging you on, or he’ll never understand what’s wrong with his position. Either way, why bother?
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:00 pmCrump’s Brother,
They are in Gitmo, therefore they are terrorists. QED.
You liberals don’t understand, we need to put a bullet in those guys heads and THEN close Gitmo.
Come on, we’re in a war here. Our draft dodging coke snorting Jebus freak Pres said we are at war so as to ignore all of the checks and balances of the Constitution.
Can you guarantee me with 100% certainty that there are prisoners at Gitmo that aren’t terrorists? Well????
I have seen pictures of these guys and I can tell you they are scary. And brown.
I support my president because I am scared shitless. I piss my pants at least twice a day and George says he will protect me, all I have to do is give up a few liberties and trust him.
KKKarl sayss he’s a good man and I believe him.
Phhhhhhht.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:00 pmMAF54
“They’re in the camp because they’ve been caught on a battlefield fighting our troops.”
Then that would make them POW’s. Which would geive them legal rights that we are not allowing them. Geneva Convention protections would cover anyone who surrendered or was captured on the battlefield.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:00 pmnanlichi,
outstanding!
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:01 pm#15: Getting POW status requires that they’re wearing a uniform and part of the armed forces of a nation state. They’re neither. They’re rabble and deserve nothing.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:01 pm#14: Well, quite frankly, that’s an acceptable solution.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:02 pmOf course they’ll close Gitmo, as soon as its replacement is finished.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:04 pmHow about we release all these “innocent” prisoners into your neighborhood?
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:05 pmGlad you finally made it, Jake! Did you sleep late after “meeting” last night?
You wore me out, lover!!!
XOXOXO
Forever,
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:09 pmThey’re in the camp because they’ve been caught on a battlefield fighting our troops.
Comment by MAF54 — June 22, 2007 @ 11:58 am
Actually, most of these guys were sent to Gitmo long before we went to war. They were rounded up and sent to us by warlords. You know the bad guys turned in their enemies.
So, no you don’t have proof of any of them being terrorists.
You are now labeling all enemies on the battlefield as terrorists?
Wow, that is a leap.
But, what do you expect from another neocon chicken hawk who has never served.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:09 pmJake,
“How about we release all these “innocent†prisoners into your neighborhood?”
STRAWMAN!!!
No one is arguing this position. I’m arguing that we cannot sell out our values to battle those who love nothing more than to see us do just that. If these guys are bad guys, then lets show it in court. It shouldn’t be so hard if we have evidence. If we don’t have evidence that these are bad guys, then why are we holding them? Just a may think someone is a bad person who might do something bad, doesn’t mean I should be allowed to jail them. That is the definition of tyrannical government.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:10 pmGreat News Think Progress!!
Just in: N Korea ready to ‘disable’ reactor, says US envoy. What great news……….US Foreign policy eliminating 1/3 of the Evil Axis. Iraq down, N.Korea down, now all pressure can be applied to Iran. I don’t expect good news to be broadcast on TP……..keep counting explosions and deaths and dwell on the negative………..TP style…….while evidence of successes are completely ignored.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:11 pmNo one is in Gitmo merely for fighting on the other side in the Afghan war, Mark Foley Impersonator. Those people - who are recognized as POWs, by the way - were or are being held in Afghanistan.
The people in Gitmo are those who are accused of crimes - aiding Al Qaeda, committing war crimes while fighting for the Taliban, etc.
Except that the cases against most of them are so weak that the government is afraid to put them on trial.
P.S. - where’s bin Laden?
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:11 pmCan you guarantee me with 100% certainty that there are prisoners at Gitmo that aren’t terrorists? Well????
Yes, they have released thousands of innocent people from Gitmo already.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:11 pm#2 Obviously a trial balloon.
Comment by Eric — June 22, 2007 @ 11:47 am
Yup. . . . Trail balloon or an attempt to drag out the process until the end of bushco’s term? Are they hoping critics will pull back if there is a possibility of closing Gitmo? The problem for the prisoners is that bushco will never willingly allow them to have a day in court. So while Gitmo in Cuba may close, bushco will build more Gitmos in the USA and lock away “bad guys” without any recourse in the courts.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:12 pmHow about we release all these “innocent†prisoners into your neighborhood?
Comment by Jake — June 22, 2007 @ 12:05 pm
How abotu we have trials to find out which ones are guilty, then let the innocent ones go in my neighborhood.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:13 pmeric,
It is good that the Bush administration did a 180, and is following the strategy laid down by Clinton, Albright, Berger, Richardson, and Kerry regarding North Korea. Six and a half years too late, but better late than never.
Because, as you note, it works.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:13 pmFor the record, I think the President is justified in jailing anyone he doesn’t like. If someone looks at him wrong, there’s a high probability that person is terrorist. I fear terrorists. They want to have homosexual sex with our children. If anyone is going to have hot homosexual sex, it’s going to be me and Mitt Romney!!
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:13 pmJust in: N Korea ready to ‘disable’ reactor, says US envoy. What great news……….US Foreign policy eliminating 1/3 of the Evil Axis. Iraq down, N.Korea down, now all pressure can be applied to Iran. I don’t expect good news to be broadcast on TP……..keep counting explosions and deaths and dwell on the negative………..TP style…….while evidence of successes are completely ignored.
Comment by eric — June 22, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
Yay, the republicans finally did what WE said they should have done 4 fu*king years ago. Way to catch the fu*k up republicans. Score one for AMERICA and DIPLOMACY.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:15 pmJust because they close Gitmo doesn’t mean that they are going to release anyone. It just means that they will have to transfer them somewhere else where they might have access to the justice system.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:17 pmSo what.
Even if the Bush admin. did close Gitmo.,it would just mean that they’ve concocted even more devious ways to administer cruelty.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:17 pmI am sure that there are some really bad actors in Gitmo who should never see the light of day. There are probably some who are there because they were fingered by their enemy and are innocent.
The point is not that we should turn them all loose, but that we should identify the guilty ones and punish them and not brand them all as terrorists without proof.
Do we act like the civilized nation we purport to be or not?
The trolls here are defending indefensible acts. To a lot of the world, Gitmo looks like a gulag. Or a Dachau. And it does matter what the rest of the world thinks.
I can see the trolls supporting the internment of the Japanese, the slaughter of Native Americans, and the Salem witch hunts. Better safe than sorry.
I don’t know for certain that she was a witch, but I can say for certain that she won’t cast any more spells on my cows.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:22 pmWould the trolls feel the same if the detainees were white Baptists? I think not.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:24 pm#35: Uh? What’s the big deal with Baptists. Religious fools all of them.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:29 pmCheney must have said “no” again.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:49 pmHow about we release all these “innocent†prisoners into your neighborhood?
Comment by Jake — June 22, 2007 @ 12:05 pm
For one, I don’t believe all of them are (or were) terrorist fighters. There is no way to know because they were never charged and are not allowed access to legal counsel.
I don’t believe this is as much about the prisoners held at Guantanamo as much as it is about who we are as a nation and what we stand for. I have always believed that our nation was founded on the rule of law, our morals and principles. We have stood up and fought for the principles of Democracy. We have tried to be an example of a free society to the rest of the world.
We have thrown all that out the window since this Administration came into office and with the actions they have continued to pursue since 9/11. They have taken step after step, so much in absolute secrecy and much of it outside the laws that we stand for. Starting with suspending the great Writ of Habeus Corpus. I still can’t believe that one.. This wasn’t to protect US, it was to protect THEM and what they were doing.
This isn’t about “keeping us safer” or “fighting them over there so they won’t come here”. These rogues running this country at the moment have been systematically dismantling our democracy, our constitution, our laws, and destroying everything we have ever stood for that set us apart as a people. They have also been bleeding our treasury.
This ‘prison’ in Guantanamo represents everything that we as a nation do NOT stand for. If these are prisoners of war, then they should be tried and charged. We should stand by the Geneva Conventions for the sake of the protection of our own troops who are the ones in harms way.
I think Guantanamo has a lot to do with the visual. We are at war. Guantanamo represented a ‘POW’ camp with captured ‘terrorists’. It is very visual, that’s for sure. It gave a great visual early on of victories in catching ‘the enemy’. These were the people we needed to be very afraid of. Only thing is, we don’t know how many are true enemies, and how many were just scooped up (and who now undoubtedly ARE our enemies. They certainly have reason to hate us). You are right. We probably can’t afford to let them go now. They would probably join the other new recruits that our illegal war and occupation has fostered. If they were captured for acts of terrorism, then why NOT charge them and try them. I think the American people would get behind that. It seems to me it is much more beneficial to SHOW that we have a prison full of ‘terrorists’.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:52 pmMAF54, how’re those pages coming, anyway? Still wanna see their…ah, never mind.
MAF54, you say there are terrorists there? Well, get on the horn, partner! Call up your reps and demand that those terrible old terrorist boys get their trial and hangin’! Fer if they manage to git loose, they might kill your children, partner!!!
I’m all for those accused of terrorist acts having their day in court, which you, MAF54, are obviously not. Why? Because of this old adage about not saying anything when they came and took the jews and catholics away, then no one saying anything about them coming and taking me away. Unlike you, I trust this Government about as far as I can throw it, and the sad thing is that that covers Dems AND Repubs.
The rule of law, which you so nicely disparage, is designed to protect not just some Allah-worshipping raghead Arab, but to protect your pastey-white boy-loving ass.
It’s designed so that you know exactly what is coming to you. You commit a crime, they find out about it? Well, you’re assured a quick trial by your peers, with punishments already laid out for the kind of crime you’ve commited. And now matter how much you would rather it be so, mass premeditated murder by an individual such as bin Laden is still many multiple counts of Murder-1, NOT some undefined thing that justifies locking him in a cell without legal council and the chance to answer his accuser. And to your arguement that he’s not an American, well, Padilla IS an American. While he may be guilty of treason and conspiracy to commit murder, he is still entitled to trial by jury and the ability to face his accuser, which the neocons and their henchmen (of which you are a member) wish to deny him.
Your position is to trust the government. I. Do. Not. Why? Because the government does not have my best interests in mind — in fact, it has the best interests of people opposed to me in mind. I am NOT going to look the other way while this Government throws the Rule of Law to the wind, not while I still live in this country. Shit like this is a good way to make an expat out of all the true patriots, of which you, MAF54, are certianly NOT. You are a syphocant sucking on the teat of fascist authoritative corporate theocracy, MAF54, just like all the rest of the enabling trolls on this site.
The day Guantanamo closes down and those people are given a chance to answer against the charges that they have been accused of is the day America is reborn. The day they listen to you and your ilk, MAF54, is the day that America dies for good.
Oh, and MAF54? I leave you with two parting words.
ZIG HEIL!!!
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:53 pmAnd don’t kid yourself. Once Guantanamo closes down, they aren’t going to release those prisoners or send them back to where they came from, they are going to other invisble, secret prisons where no one will be able to find them, see them, know what became of them, etc.. Their treatment will undoubtedly NOT improve. They will disappear and the Administration will continue to work in secret doing whatever they want, away from the eyes of the American people (who they supposedly represent). There will never be charges or trials. Count on it.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:57 pmRamboTroll reports:
“Human rights†is a primary concern for us lefthugs. Back in the states, however, prison rape isn’t much to worry about. Minorities in jail should keep up the pressure.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:20 pmComment by JG
Good points.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:20 pmGo Mr. President! Do not cave to the moonbats!
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:34 pmAnd whenever someone’s caught pulling that shit, RamboTroll, then it’s the responsibility of the law enforcement agents running this jail to punish the rapist, isn’t it. However, class is now in session.
What, RamboTroll, is the difference between a man in prison raping the other inmates there and Guantanamo Bay?
No idea?
Not even an inkling?
How about you, MAF54?
Nothing coming to you?
Well, you haven’t been doing your homework. GUANTANAMO BAY IS RUN BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT FOR THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD TO SEE!!! Are you getting it now?
So, now that you’ve failed to draw the topic away from Guantanamo, and been suitably shown your folly, let’s talk a bit more about this, shall we?
Guantanamo is a blight against our record. It shows we can’t walk the walk on the talk of the Rule of Law. That’s what us ‘lefthugs’ are worried about. I’m all for any Guantanamo suspect who can be accused of attempting to kill American citizens standing trial for his crimes. In fact, most of us so-called ‘lefthugs’ are. We want to see bin Laden swinging from a pole after 12 New Yorkers say ‘Guilty’ in front of a judge. We also support the war in Afghanistan, as long as its properly executed, which you fuckers didn’t do.
Instead, you built you a little prison in Guantanamo, tried to claim the inhabitants are neither prisoners of War nor potential criminal suspects being interrogated in preparation for their being brought to Justice, then invaded Iraq and threw away almost a trillion dollars of OUR MONEY in your inept persecution of this war, making the whole wide world hate us in the process.
I used to be proud to be an American. Now I’m thinking a red maple leaf would make a better compliment to my personality than the stars and bars. Or maybe move up to Canada and help to build them into the image of the US that was before you inbreed hicks moved in and took over. But believe me, until I make that final decision, I intend on fighting you fuckers every step of the way.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:37 pmWhat is all this dissent?
Would someone please explain it to me? I though I had done good.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:41 pmm12,
“Go Mr. President! Do not cave to the moonbats!”
Go Mr. President! Just keep caving into the terrorist overall plan. Keep limiting our freedoms even though you said you wouldn’t. Keep ignoring the rule of the law, even though you took an oath swearing to uphold it. Give into the fear and we will be oppressed, but at least safe.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:54 pmFor God’s sake, they’ve just published a book of poems written by the prisoners of Gitmo.
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:34 pmeric,
It is good that the Bush administration did a 180, and is following the strategy laid down by Clinton, Albright, Berger, Richardson, and Kerry regarding North Korea. Six and a half years too late, but better late than never.
Because, as you note, it works.
Comment by joe — June 22, 2007 @ 12:13 pm
Clinton did it too!
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:35 pmSix and a half years too late, but better late than never.
120 lbs of weapons grade plutonium and one explosion too late…ah but we never negotiated with the Axis… oh wait, yes we did.
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:43 pmaCTUALLY maf54 SONCE fAUX nEWS HASN’T INFORMED YOU that there hasn’t been ONE trial at Guantanamo, you don’t know who’s a terrorist there and since the already have released over a hundred, OBVIOUSLY they have INNOCENT people being held there.
June 23rd, 2007 at 10:39 pmIn FACT, many were turned over to U.S. military by way of bounty, with nothing more then allegations from a warlord in Afghanistan .
So perhAPS you should bone up on some FACTS, before you make baseless accusations.