Posted on 11/12/2005 5:50:03 AM PST by FerdieMurphy
This past Thursday, US Senate Republicans voted to bar terror suspects being held at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba military detention center from challenging their detentions in US federal courts.
The bill proposal is a result of a Supreme Court 5-4 ruling last year that gave terrorists access to American courts even though they are terrorists or enemy combatants captured during the global war on terrorism.
With the Senate's 49-42 vote, the provision written by Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, was added to the military budget bill.
On the floor of the Senate, Sen. Graham said, "For 200 years, ladies and gentlemen, in the law of armed conflict, no nation has given an enemy combatant, a terrorist, an Al-Qaeda member the ability to go into every federal court in this United States and sue the people that are fighting the war for us.''
However, Democrats didn't see things that way. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a Democrat, called the provision a major mistake and said it deserved closer scrutiny by lawmakers. "It's contrary to the way the court decisions have come down already. It is an extraordinary step for this Congress to be taking,'' he said.
However, most counterterrorists, military and law enforcement alike, believe it to be a slap in the face to American citizens to have citizenship rights extended to those who would kill, maim and imprison them.
Only three Democrats sided with 46 Republicans to insert the provision in the overall defense bill. Surprisingly, four Republicans voted against the amendment. These four members of the GOP are said to be RINOs or Republicans In Name Only by Republican loyalists.
Even more disturbing is that the overwhelming majority in the Senate voted to mandate National Intelligence Director John Negroponte to provide the Senate and House intelligence committees with details of any clandestine facilities where the United States holds or has held terrorism suspects. This is disturbing since this would jeopardize sources and methods as well as national security. In Washington, most leaks of classified material come from the US Congress. In fact, some lawmakers are known to be Washington's biggest leakers such as Senator Patrick "Leaky" Leahy.
The mandate is an overreaction to a recent Washington Post story that alleged the CIA is operating secret prisons for terror detainees in some Eastern Europe countries and elsewhere. In spite of pressure by the Democrats, the Bush administration continues to neither deny or confirm the existence of these so-called secret prisons, which house the most dangerous terrorists and those likely to have valuable information on terrorist plots and activities.
One intelligence officer told this writer, on deep background, that he believes it was Senator John McCain who leaked information to the Washington Post in order to pressure the White House into agreeing with his anti-torture legislation. A former Vietnam POW, McCain is know to be very sensitive to issues regarding prisoners of war and enemy combatants. In a recent interview, Senator Trent Lott, a GOP stalwart, claimed that the secret prisons leak came from a Republican.
This has caused a rift between conservatives and the Republicans who are seen as cooperating with the Democrats in giving aid and comfort to the enemy. The confrontation between the President and some Republican Senators is seen as another example of the Republicans allowing themselves to be manipulated by the Democrats, liberal groups and the mainstream media.
More distressing is the Senate Democrats attempting to bully the Republicans into cooperating with them on a proposal requiring Bush "to outline a timetable for a phased withdrawal of US forces."
Bush refuses to set a timetable because to do so would provide aid to the enemy in developing their terror strategy. Once the enemy knows the exact timetable for troop reductions, they can plan accordingly.
The anti-war politicians, activists and news media -- some operating covertly -- have achieved the first part of their plan which was to turn public opinion against the military action in Iraq. Now they are ready to start pushing for withdrawal which emboldens the terrorists to fight harder and kill more American and coalition soldiers. As usual the left is working vigorously to thwart an American victory in the war on terrorism, even if it means giving aid and comfort to the enemy through the legislative process and the US courts.
No, it wasn't. I never would have gone along with the handwringing over such stupid stuff. Rush Limbaugh is the only public person who kept it in perspective. And John McCain is someone who would sell out anyone or anything if he thought it would advance his interests.
I'd say both. They are not mutually exclusive. In fact being an enemy of America, historically speaking, is pretty close to being crazy.
McCain is, to our shame, a member of the U.S. Senate. If he asks, he has to be told. Normally information is only provided to select group of Senators and Congressmen. That's by mutual agreement between the legislative and executive branches. Back in the days when most CongressCritters had a modicum of honor and concern for something other than the next election. The days when even many Democrats were honorable men truly concerned about the interests of the Nation. Legislators like Scoop Jackson for example, as well as many Southern Democrats.
Lott is playing both ends against the middle..
Here is an example.
Frist and Hastert announce that they will open a joint investigation on the prison leak...fast forward a couple of hours later that day....Lott gives an interview to CNN in which he claims it was a Republican Senator who did the leaking.
Bombshell news..... which causes Frist to panic...and he doesn't sign the letter with Hastert until he winds up with major egg on his face....after dallying for hours trying to figure out who in his caucus leaked.
Fast forward to today.....McCain is all smug he has had a few days of good press over his stand on the torture bill.....along comes Lott who procedes to throw out in deep background...that the Leaker of the prisons was none other than McCain.
There is so much backstabbing going on we need a scorecard.
Thanks for the ping...
Okay...it answers one question, perhaps...but, I wonder who else was at that meeting...so we could ask him...who is telling the truth---Lott or McCain.
We're still not there, are we Tx?
No....we aren't there yet---and what makes it even more maddening is....
The idiot Senators went along with Kerry's stupid amendment making classified information that was JUST leaked..and had just had a call for a bicameral investigation...
to be regularly given to Senators that cannot keep their mouths shut...
AND...I do believe that Sen. Allen voted FOR it..and even my two Senators voted for it...I think...
What the heck were these people thinking???
I must have had a big glass of stupid because I cannot figure that out.
I really, really, really want to know if McCain is the leaker. If you learn, PLEASE ping me.
So that is how McCain knew it was a Republican?!!! I will refrain from calling him what I'm thinking! These people really don't care if what they do harms this country as long as they get their way! I'm sick of them all!
Lott said that he wasn't talking about this leak. He was talking about one that happened long ago that involved a Republican. The so-called reporter knew what he was talking about but made it sound as if Lott was talking about now. At least, that's what Lott told another so-called reporter later on.
I'm so sick of all of these self-serving elites who are only worried about getting re-elected! They might as well say to hell with this country and it's security!
Wouldn't you rat on McCain if you found out he was the source of the leak?
...isn't Lott also secretly behind the Gang of 14 ??
Not quite sure.
My question is this, rhetorically, why are we going after baseball players and oil executives when we should be getting down to the bottom of such things as this?
The US Senate is all about it's members and to hell with everyone and everything else.
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