Posted on 05/28/2009 6:27:52 AM PDT by ksen
PRAGUE -- The head of U.S. Central Command, General David Petraeus, has told RFE/RL he thinks that "on balance" the expected closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and abandonment of so-called enhanced interrogation techniques will "help" U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the struggle against transnational extremist violence.
(Excerpt) Read more at military.com ...
I read the article and he is like everyone else who has gone on record. They support closing the base, but don’t have a solution of where the terrorists and combatants will go. Perhaps when one of these people interviewed come out with a plan of where to send these clowns that sounds reasonable, then I might agree with them. Until then, club Gitmo should be open for business. Have Colonel Jessup code red the ones that won’t cooperate.
Some / a lot of conservatives make the mistake of equating military prowess with “conservative” thought. They believe that a general who excels at his job simply cannot be a socialist...
Very little is known about his ideological bend, although this little bit of information does start to paint that picture.
I would also caution limited government type conservatives against blindly following dick and liz cheney as well. Even though they are strong debaters and strong on national security that does NOT equate to a strong belief in limiting the size and scope of the federal government.
Turned into a tool. What a pity.
winner winner chicken dinner you hit the nail on the head.
Just a comment on the title, which is meant to draw an emotional response versus what the article and quotes actually say. He never said he ‘backs’ closing it in his quotes. His statements are more nuanced. Typical reporting, they tell us what we should think about the statement versus just giving the information and letting us determine what he meant. His statement is pretty neutral and uncontroversial, however, just scanning the headlines, one wouldn’t get that impression.
I’m guessing that’s the writer as it wasn’t in quotes. But even so that’s not the ‘official’ PC phrase. The writer better check his liberal play book.
Note the careful qualifier, "in a responsible manner." He's not saying anything different than President Bush said. There was nothing in there saying he supports Obama's plan.
Not that so called "real conservatives" are going to pay attention. We just LOVE to eat our own. Besides, the timing of this article takes our minds conveniently away from the racist that the Racist in Chief wants to appoint to the SCOTUS, and her 60% decision overturn rate by that very same SCOTUS.
Send them back to the countries they came from and let their governments deal with them.
I agree the title of the article is very misleading.
The points you make are true on one level (*blindly* following) but we are still limited to supporting people who actually exist and who actually step up to the public debate.
Can you name any actual living person, active in politics, that articulates better positions than these? (This is not a flame, it is a serious question. I'm interested.)
Here's my idea of what to do with the Guantanamo detainees. I haven't heard this any where but I think it will work if you must close Guantanamo.
Where is the most secure location in the US? No it's not a supermax Cat 5 prison. Where can guards go in complete anonymity? Where can Red Cross, International Press, or whoever be taken in complete secrecy and not observe anything but the condition of the detainees? Here it is: I recommend that they be taken to some newly constructed facility in Area 51. Think about the isolation and the security of the area. The current people who work there are flown in from McCaren Airport in Vegas. The same thing could be done with the detainees and anybody that's needed for support. Congressional visits, Red Cross and every other human rights organization would be very controlled. They would be flown in and driven by windowless busses to the detainee sight. Anybody see any major flaws with using Area 51 to detain these extremists?
Good response. I think that too many of us are reacting without taking the time to understand why he’s saying what he’s saying. My first reaction is the same as most others on this thread. However, Petraeus has done an excellent job and given that, I want to go the extra mile to understand his thinking here.
I don’t know if hes a demo ,but I know hes a bilderberg
Exactly, what does anyone expect him to say. Notice there was minimal explanation and no discussion of alternatives.
Sorry; I was going to say good point and I heartily agree. Forgot to adtually ADD it :(
I know I would have given a very similar if not verbatim response as the one he did. Words matter. Which is why paying special attention to their usage and context is important.
Well then, by all means, let’s all retrofit our basements for that Adopt an Enemy Combatant program. Heaven know, Islam really was a Religion of Peace before Guantanamo came along. Just ask the embassy workers in Kenya and Tanzania, the crew of the USS Cole, the families of everyone killed on 9/11, etc.
Their positions on what they are currently publicly debating are the best positions.
However...
We have little to no information on what their positions are on the federal governments leap into socialism / marxism.
Therefore...
I believe that calls by conservatives for either Cheney to lead the GOP or run for office are staggeringly premature.
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