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McCain in 2005: Gitmo Detainees Deserve Trials Or Should Be Released
NBC News Transcript ^ | June 20 2008 | Mark Nickolas

Posted on 06/24/2008 9:20:08 PM PDT by van_erwin

NBC News Transcripts
June 19, 2005 Sunday

SHOW: Meet the Press 10:00 AM EST NBC

MR. RUSSERT: Let me turn to Guantanamo. In October--excuse me, December of 2003, "John McCain said he is concerned about the failure to move ahead with prisoners' trials at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ...`These cases have to be disposed of one way or another. After keeping someone two years, a decision should be made.'"

That was a year and a half ago. It's now been three and a half years. Should we close it?

SEN. McCAIN: I don't think necessarily. But I think the important thing is it's not the facility at Guantanamo, it's the adjudication of the cases of the prisoners who have been held there without trial or without any adjudication of their cases. So the frustration is not the fact we have a facility at Guantanamo, although that certainly becomes symbolic. The frustration is, is: What are we going to do with these people?

Now, I know that some of these guys are terrible, terrible killers and the worst kind of scum of humanity. But, one, they deserve to have some adjudication of their cases. And there's a fear that if you release them that they'll go back and fight again against us. And that may have already happened. But balance that against what it's doing to our reputation throughout the world and whether it's enhancing recruiting for people to join al-Qaeda and other organizations and want to do bad things to the United States of America. I think, on balance, the argument has got to be--the weight of evidence has got to be that we've got to adjudicate these people's cases, and that means that if it means releasing some of them, you'll have to release them.

Look, even Adolf Eichmann got a trial.
I mean, these--we are signatories to numerous agreements on human rights, against torture, universal declaration on human rights, etc. So that means we have to do something with these people. And I hope we can move that process forward very soon.


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; dumpmccain; gitmo; idiot; mccain; mccainsucks; moron; newcandidatenow; notomccain; republicanteaparty; rino
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To: van_erwin

OK........let ‘em go....but do it this way....keep them in their bright orange uniforms, put them on a cargo plane headed to afghanistan....strap a parachute on them...just before you kick them out the door, hand them an ak-47...notify the seal team of the drop zone and have them waiting...the situation will take care of itself


21 posted on 06/25/2008 4:42:01 AM PDT by joe fonebone (The Second Amendment is the Constitutions reset button)
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To: DoughtyOne
A point of order. Virtually none of these people are POWs and have no rights as such. They are illegal combatants under the law of war and according to international treaty could be executed with no legal repercussions. Any pretender to the position of Commander and Chief should not only be aware of this but damned well willing to carry it out.
22 posted on 06/25/2008 4:49:38 AM PDT by LTCJ (God Save the Constitution - Tar/Feathers '08)
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To: MeekOneGOP

Sadly, that’s a bullseye, Meek.

The best thing about McCain is that he’s pro-life.

His downside is a long list.

The best thing about Obama is that he’s a 100%, unadulterated world socialist.

America will either wake up or go down sleeping while the enemy invades the land.


23 posted on 06/25/2008 5:06:36 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain -- Those denying the War was Necessary Do NOT Support the Troops!)
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To: van_erwin

They will be tried or released eventually.


24 posted on 06/25/2008 6:24:11 AM PDT by tobyhill (The media lies so much the truth is the exception)
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To: xzins

I haven’t made a photoshop pic in a long time.

I came up with that just recently because it states
exactly how I feel about this election, our choices.

Not much of a choice, huh??? :(

But McRINO doesn’t stink quite as much as Barack
“Milhous” O’Socialist does...


25 posted on 06/25/2008 8:01:13 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP (McRINO needs reach across the aisle to Conservatives for a CHANGE! Dang him!!!)
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To: xzins

And thanks.

Anywhoooo...

gotta head out to woik now.

Have a SUPER day!


26 posted on 06/25/2008 8:03:09 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP (McRINO needs reach across the aisle to Conservatives for a CHANGE! Dang him!!!)
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To: LTCJ
A point of order. Virtually none of these people are POWs and have no rights as such. They are illegal combatants under the law of war and according to international treaty could be executed with no legal repercussions. Any pretender to the position of Commander and Chief should not only be aware of this but damned well willing to carry it out.

You're not going to get any beef from me over that.  I've been making the same point for months.  The point is, even if you address this as if they were lawful combatants, John is dead wrong.  And if you recognize them as the unlawful combatants they are, he's a flat out moron for trying to advocate for their 'due process' rights.

We hold these people as long as we want.  End of story.  If we were to push for execution, I do think it reasoned to give them a military trial, definately not a civil trial.

27 posted on 06/25/2008 9:22:17 AM PDT by DoughtyOne ( I say no to the Hillary Clinton wing of the Republican party. Not now or ever, John McCain...)
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To: DoughtyOne
Yes, I may have skimmed over it but a military hearing is in order before execution of unlawful combatants. We're on the same page here.

Any way you look at it, the rule of law is going out the window and it's going to get much worse no matter who wins in November.

28 posted on 06/25/2008 10:08:08 AM PDT by LTCJ (God Save the Constitution - Tar/Feathers '08)
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To: ncalburt
Spare us this conspiracy crap.

I think of it less as a conspiracy (crap)idea, as an opinion.

I think that Obama could be put in the same boat, considering how much “crap” he has listened to for over twenty years under Pastor Wrong.

As for McCain … who knows what psychological “crap” he was subjected to during his incarceration.

29 posted on 06/26/2008 9:08:34 PM PDT by doc1019 (I was taught to respect my elders, but it's getting harder to find one.)
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To: doc1019

WE should be just as concerned about OBama time as a community activist aka radical left wing lawyer for ACCORN ! The voter fraud operation the Dem operate in all the ghettos and homeless shelters across the country . Obama knows in depth how to steal an election. So when you hear Osama or that lovely Michele peddle that community activist code thats what there talking about. Stealing elections with voter fraud.


30 posted on 06/27/2008 6:13:18 AM PDT by ncalburt
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To: ncalburt

I hope you don’t buy into the MSM lie that anyone against McCain is for Obama.

We do have other candidates, you know.


31 posted on 06/30/2008 6:06:11 AM PDT by van_erwin
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