Posted on 01/13/2008 3:31:02 PM PST by MichMash
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - The chief of the U.S. military said Sunday he favors closing the prison here as soon as possible because he believes negative publicity worldwide about treatment of terrorist suspects has been "pretty damaging" to the image of the United States.
"I'd like to see it shut down," Adm. Mike Mullen said in an interview with three reporters who toured the detention center with him on his first visit since becoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last October.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
All these appointments (England and Winter) have strong defense company backgrounds. Defense Companies defend their bottom lines not country. I have no idea what contracts (with Saudi Arabia for instance) are up with Northrup (Winter) and General Dynamics (England). And than you throw in Hesham Islam’s influence in the mix, I don’t know what to think. But the firing of Stephen Coughlin is very worrisome to me. At the very least there seems to be a culture of “Group Think” at the very highest levels it the Pentagon that is quite disturbing.
The President is the CIC as well. It is hard to separate the political from the military as von Clausewitz famously noted. My point is that Mullen’s comments have been sensationalized by Burns, but they really are in line with what Bush and Gates, his superiors, have been saying all along. It is not a departure from the Adiministration’s policy. Mullen’s statements support that policy.
YUP!
He and our DNI chief, McConnell, are kissing liberal butt, to ensure their respective political/career futures.
In Snow’s 31 Aug press conference, when he said, “I ran out of money,” he lied?
Here’s the important principle in my mind: allow military commanders to make military decisions. If the CJCS thinks Guantanamo is a drain and a PITA, then he’s in a better position to make that call than I am.
Housing POWs IS a MILITARY call and should NOT involve all the crap that the military has to put up with at gitmo.
If the politicians want to keep Guantanamo open, then let them allow the FBI or the Fed Pen System to run it.
Every president I’ve ever respected has said that commanders should run the military, especially in wartime.
Yea, but Bush said, he like to close Guantanamo whereas Mullen said it should be closed as soon as possible.
A HUGE difference.
I still don’t know why he’s talking policy not in his lane.
I don’t know but I do know that things have been getting funny in the aftermath of his departure like the NIE and the “peace process” at Annapolis.
Many Israelis see the noose tightening around them.
Lets not forget the “deal” with North Korea over their nuclear program.
The Japanese “loved” that.
Now we get this comment from the Chairman of the JCS.
The White House is in 2008 political mode “taking out” issues that the Democrats could raise during the campaign.
Tony’s reputation and his ability to work in talk radio would have been hurt by being associated with this set of things.
We all need money and at least Tony can make some now.
Interesting and thanks
No problemo. It took me years to get it thru my thick skull. It just seemed counterintuitive that the senior guy in the military wasn’t in charge of the military.
Depends on the circumstances:
If they close Guantanamo because they’ve taken all the inmates out over mid-Atlantic and dropped them from 30,000 feet, well then, fine! I’m all for closing Guantanamo!
He said “as soon as possible”. Most of us feel that way. Doesn’t sound like it means what the reporter is pretending it means.
Uh, except to keep them off U.S. soil?
Real, actual U.S. soil, not just what's called U.S. soil in some lawyer's fetid mind.
Gitmo isn’t really on US Soil. We lease 45 square miles of land from Cuba. It serves more than a symbolic purpose: it keeps them OUT of our country, which they want to destroy, limits - believe it or not, it really, physically does limit - the media’s ability to make the usual circus out of it and it’s hard to escape from an Island. Ask the people of Cuba.
Mike Mullen, supports L.O.S.T. 'nuff said.
Mullen is said to be the brain behind the 1,000-ship Navy concept. One story notes that Mullen’s concept is “to build on existing international security agreements to extend the global reach of sea power.” That power, he says, includes the ability to “share and unite” nations.
Sounding like a U.N. Secretary-General, rather than a U.S. military leader, Mullen says, “Our vision is to extend the peace through an interconnected community of maritime nations working together.” That includes UNCLOS.
I think the thing that drives the Left the craziest about the Gitmo camp is the fact that it’s on their favorite commie paradise island.
I found this so far:
http://mvdg.wordpress.com/2007/07/29/back-to-the-battlefield/
July, 2007 from theage.com.au
At least 30 former Gitmo Prisoners have gone back to the battlefield.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/15/news/CB-GEN-Guantanamo-Former-Detainees.php
Can anyone here claim that our Politicians have our Soldiers/Marines back?
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