Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) arrives at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for a prison tour.
Posted on 08/05/2005 11:54:14 PM PDT by SmithL
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba -- As part of a major Pentagon public relations offensive, dozens of lawmakers are being flown to the maximum-security units here for VIP tours conducted by generals who portray the cells as safe and even comfortable places for suspected terrorists to spend their days.
The visits, organized by the military in a bid to blunt the impact of numerous reports of inhumane treatment and exotic interrogation techniques, have become such a routine part of life at this spartan, sprawling base that signs on the open doors of two maximum-security cells say "Tour Cell."
One aim of the PR offensive is to head off calls from lawmakers of both parties for an independent commission -- structured like the commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks -- to look into the conditions and activities at the Guantanamo Bay prison. The administration is also trying to fend off proposed Senate GOP legislation to ensure humane treatment of prisoners and to restrict interrogation tactics.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers say they are drawn to the prison out of curiosity and concern about the physical conditions and treatment of prisoners. House Government Reform Committee Chairman Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), who led a small delegation Monday, said close scrutiny is essential to improving the United States' image abroad and "winning the hearts and minds of the modern Arab world."
The lawmakers take the three-hour flight from Andrews Air Force Base aboard military aircraft that offer catered meals. The tours include visits to cells for both medium- and high-security detainees, a meal in the mess hall where troops are fed, and a classified briefing by the commanding general. The members of Congress are also invited to listen in on prisoner interrogations.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) arrives at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for a prison tour.
Couldn't they keep her?
Why is she smiling? Is it because she got to travel to a tropical paradise for a day on my dime?
LOL - She's terrible but close likeness!
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