Ethics

Just To Remind Everyone

From December 10th

The Obama administration Thursday urged Senate leaders to reject a legislative ban on the transfer of any Guantánamo prisoner to U.S. soil, a move meant to corner the White House into staging a Sept. 11 mass murder trial at the U.S. Navy base in southeast Cuba.

The House of Representatives included the clause in a catchall spending bill Wednesday that passed by a 212-206 vote.

From two weeks later on December 22.

The US Senate and the House of Representatives on Wednesday gave final approval to a defense spending bill that includes a provision preventing Guantanamo Bay detainees from being transferred to the US for trial. The legislation would block Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other accused 9/11 conspirators from being tried in a US civilian court. The bill was approved by the House last week, prompting US Attorney General Eric Holder to send a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urging them not to include the provision in the spending bill.

Of course we can also take a trip back down memory lane to May 20, 2009

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to cut from a war spending bill the $80 million requested by President Obama to close the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and to bar the transfer of detainees to the United States and its territories.

Clearly its the president's fault that congress has repeatedly blocked the closure of Guantanamo and even blocked civilian trials for detainees. Yes you read that right -- congress has specificly denied the president the ability to really do anything about the problem.

Considering the circumstances, if you are against the use of military courts to finish the trials of the remaining detainees, then you might as well be advocating indefinite detention without trial because congress has blocked anything else from taking place.

If you believe this administration is left with any other choice, you are flat wrong.