Posted on 06/26/2005 6:24:40 AM PDT by SandRat
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - During a tour of the U.S. prison for suspected terrorists on Saturday, House Republicans and Democrats, including one who has advocated closing the facility, said the United States has made progress in improving conditions and protecting detainees' rights.
The U.S. lawmakers witnessed interrogations, toured cellblocks and ate the same lunch given to detainees on the first congressional visit to the prison for suspected terrorists since criticism of it intensified in the spring. A Senate delegation also was visiting this weekend.
"The Guantanamo we saw today is not the Guantanamo we heard about a few years ago," said Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif.
Still, lawmakers from both parties agree more still must be done to ensure an adequate legal process is in place to handle detainee cases. In the meantime, said Rep. Joe Schwarz, R-Mich., "I think they're doing the best they can to define due process here."
Republicans and Democrats alike fear the prison at the U.S. Navy base in eastern Cuba is hurting the United States' image because of claims that interrogators have abused and tortured inmates. The White House and Pentagon say conditions are humane and detainees are well-treated.
Lawmakers wanted to see for themselves.
After getting a classified briefing from base commanders, the House delegation ate lunch with troops - the same meal of chicken with orange sauce, rice and okra that detainees were served. They then toured several of the barbed-wire camps where detainees are housed, viewing small cells, dusty recreation yards and common areas.
From behind one-way mirrors, lawmakers watched interrogators grilling three individual terror suspects. None of the interrogators touched detainees.
In one session, they questioned a man who defense officials said was a Saudi national and admitted al-Qaida member who was picked up in Afghanistan and knew nine of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers. In another, a female interrogator took an unusual approach to wear down a detainee, reading a Harry Potter book aloud for hours. He turned his back and put his hands over his ears.
At a communal camp for those given privileges because of good behavior, bearded detainees in white frocks, flip-flops and skull caps quietly lingered near lawmakers, although from behind fences. Later, the detainees played soccer.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, is one of many Democrats who have called for an independent commission to investigate abuse allegations and have said the facility should close. She said she stood by that position, but acknowledged, "What we've seen here is evidence that we've made progress."
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., questioned the criteria for determining when a detainee can be released. "Perhaps the standard's been too liberal," he said, noting that some of those released have returned to the battlefield.
The White House and Pentagon have defended their policies at the prison almost daily in recent weeks.
Yep Sen Dirtbrain, this is Just like the Nazis, the Soviet Gulags, and Pol Pot; reading Harry Potter books aloud for hours.
GITMO PING
Time to change the Dem's daily talking points about "Bush's War". This new term is straight out of the Vietnam playbook, along with "quagmire" and "We lost the war", and "Bring our boys home now!" The Gitmo ploy worked fine for week or two, lots of tv face time for Pelosi and Sheila Jackson Brown, not to mention Fat Teddy, but it's been exposed for the lie it always was. Oh, well, it was getting old. Dems need some new outrage to foam at the mouth about. Never fear, they'll make up something by Monday.
"Lawmakers wanted to see for themselves"
It's about damn time!! And the gall of Rep Lee to say Gitmo "has improved" .. how would she know .. since she had never been there before.
So where was Little Dickie? Surely he'd want to see the Killing Fields first hand! What a hypocrite (not exactly a News Alert there)!
As for the other Dimmies, how on earth can they say, "We're making progress" when this visit was their first? What they mean is that the reality at Gitmo doesn't match international Leftist propaganda. This gives the NYTimes, the Star-Tribune, and others cover. They can now headline a news story, "Progress Reported at Gulag Hell-Hole".
If they had been reading either Bill's or Hillary's book out lowd, I would have to call that torture.
Agreed. Time for the left to gin up a new "Article of Impeachment"..
What Lee and the other jerks saw was not "progress" on the part of our soldiers at Gitmo- what she and the others SAW was PROOF that she and her ilk LIED.
'Magine that...
Right, how could I have left out "Article of Impeachment"? That's what this is all about. 100 years of republican disgrace and complete dem power.
Because lady, what you heard was lies. They just don't get it, do they?
Go to Rush's site to see the Club Cuba's Gourmand Gitmo Cafe' Menu.
Stupid is as Stupid Does. A box of Rocks.
Or perhaps something to cause a extreme case of uncontrollable unstopping flatulence once airborne on on the way back to DC, n a reprise of the campfire scene in Blazing Saddles.
hehehehehehe
Typical AP Garbage.
These Seantors are a disgrace.
Those vermin at Gitmo aren't captured soldiers - they are worse than the modern equivalent of pirates. We should get as much information out of those sobs as possible then shoot them.
"Republicans and Democrats alike
fear the prison at the U.S. Navy base in eastern Cuba is hurting the United States' image because of claims that interrogators have abused and tortured inmates."
Spineless US Senate would rather protect Hanoi Kerry
than deal with the anti war crowd.
Anyone who thinks Hanoi Kerry isn't behind the anti war crowd needs to get a clue.
It's time to support our troops and ignore the jelly fish in the US Senate!
There is no need to impeach Hanoi Kerry from the US Senate
He is there illegally!
WAKEUP AMERICA!
For those who "forgot" what Hanoi Kerry
did in the past read on and learn the truth.
Hanoi Kerry was still a USNR officer while he:
gave false hearsay testimony to Congress
negotiated with the enemy
helped the US lose a war
abetted in the deaths of millions
created a hostile environment for all servicemen
Why is Kerry still in the US Senate?
This is in violation of
U.S. Constitution Amendment 14 Sec 3
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.amendmentxiv.html
And the FBI has proof of his treason.
Hanoi Kerry Timeline of a traitor
includes FBI files
May 1970
Kerry and Julia traveled to Paris, France and met with Madame Nguyen Thi Binh, the Foreign Minister of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Vietnam (PRG), the political wing of the Vietcong, and other Viet Cong and Communist Vietnamese representatives to the Paris peace talks, a trip he now calls a "fact-finding" mission.
(U.S. code 18 U.S.C. 953, declares it illegal for a U.S. citizen to go abroad and negotiate with a foreign power.)
http://www.archive-news.net/Kerry/JK_timeline.html
a) A person charged with absence without leave or missing movement in time of war,
or with any offense punishable by death,
may be tried at any time without limitation.
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ucmj.htm#*%20843.%20ART.%2043.%20STATUTE%20OF%20LIMITATIONS
Distribute these url's!
Links to Anti Kerry sites
212 LINKS
News reports,
Viper's Vietnam Veterans Page
http://members.aol.com/ga1449ga/links/links.html
EXPOSE HANOI KERRY!
MUST SEE WEBSITE!!!!
http://www.kerrystreason.com/index.html
Full details on these url's!
http://stophanoikerry.150m.com
There is a backup site
if the 1st url is unavailable.
http://tonkin.spymac.net/hanoikerry1.html
Did you see this...?
(The 'Kerry's Promise Counter')
http://polipundit.com/index.php?p=6628
Polipundit even tells you how to install it on your own page!
Swift Boat Veteran For Truth John O'Neill Comments on Kerry's 180 'Release'
6/7/05
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1418592/posts
John Kerry was dishonorably dismissed from the Navy:
(statement from lawyers there at the time)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1406760/posts
Why does Hanoi Kerry continue to refuse to sign
form SF 180 and release his military records to the public?
Sam Sewell 09 June 2005
http://www.intellectualconservative.com/article4388.html
There has been no abuse and NO Torture...it is SOP for the enemy combatnants to claim such.........the ever popular Club Gitmo T shirts (get yours from Rush store) needs another one that reads Have You Hugged a Detainee Today?
A few years ago?
Ummm .. More like a few DAYS ago?
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