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Back to Front Page Text size – + McCain attacks Guantanamo decision
Email|Link|Comments (27) Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor June 13, 2008 11:37 AM
John McCain today slammed the US Supreme Court ruling that terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay have a constitutional right to challenge their detention in civilian courts.

At a town hall meeting in Pemberton, N.J., McCain called it “one of the worst decisions in the history of this country.”

While McCain reminded voters that he has worked to prevent the torture of terrorism suspects, he also argued against giving those rights to enemy combatants who are not US citizens.

McCain also noted that US officials have said that about 30 detainees released from Guantanamo Bay have attacked American forces.

“There are some bad people down there,” he said, adding that the first obligation of the government is to ensure the nation’s safety. “This decision will harm our ability to do that.”

McCain also warned that the courts will be “flooded” with habeas corpus petitions, delaying the adjudication of the cases.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/06/mccain_attacks_1.html

You said:

McCain favored both of these things. He advocated Gitmo prisoners be given access to U.S. courts.

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2007/02/17 McCain states he will close Guantanamo Bay terrorist detainment center on his first day in office Video (same as date link on the left) (Video removed from YouTube, but quote remains on this site.)
2007/06/18 McCain's Gitmo problem, close the base, grant some Geneva Convention status reserved for lawful combatants, stop water boarding...

The problem with McCain is that over time he has been on both sides of just about every issue. Claiming to be strong on the Second Amendment, he was still able to muster support for some anti-gun legislation. Claiming to be anti-abortion, he still came out strongly for a person who was a devout pro-abortion activist. Claiming to hate the Supreme Court decision, he still found it reasoned to move Gitmo prisoners to U.S. soil.

So just how outraged was McCain at the Supreme Court ruling? Once the Gitmo prisoners were moved to U.S. soil, it would take very little time before they would demand and get access to our courts. You mentioned his criticism of the Supreme Court ruling. You don't seem to understand that his stance on closing Gitmo was going to facilitate the very thing he was loudly objecting to.

He stated he would close Gitmo on day one. That means that every prisoner at Gitmo would have to be transferred on day one. The guy just didn't think things through.

On day two of his administration about 380 suits would have been filed to demand access to our courts. And on day three they would have gotten it.

And on day four you would have been stating how rotten it was of the Supreme Court, and how John McCain was a stand up guy for opposing it.

John has had the proclivity to be a useful idiot for close to thirty years in Congress and the Senate.

BTW, my comments were not accurate, and I am sorry for that.

I remembered him coming up with decisions that would result in the detainees getting access to our courts. When I said what I did to you, it was based on that remembrance.

It wasn’t accurate to state that he advocated for access. I believe it would have been more accurate to state that his polices would have facilitated that access, despite his vocal objects to that access.

I should have address this in my response to you, and didn’t.