Obama Stands Firm on Closing Gitmo, Takes GOP to Task for Fear Mongering

Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly at 9:34 AM on May 21, 2009.

The Senate has been reluctant to follow President Obama's lead on closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. I'm assuming lawmakers were paying attention to the president's speech today.

"There is ... no question that Guantanamo set back the moral authority that is America's strongest currency in the world. Instead of building a durable framework for the struggle against al Qaeda that drew upon our deeply held values and traditions, our government was defending positions that undermined the rule of law. Indeed, part of the rationale for establishing Guantanamo in the first place was the misplaced notion that a prison there would be beyond the law -- a proposition that the Supreme Court soundly rejected. Meanwhile, instead of serving as a tool to counter-terrorism, Guantanamo became a symbol that helped al Qaeda recruit terrorists to its cause. Indeed, the existence of Guantanamo likely created more terrorists around the world than it ever detained.

"So the record is clear: rather than keep us safer, the prison at Guantanamo has weakened American national security. It is a rallying cry for our enemies. It sets back the willingness of our allies to work with us in fighting an enemy that operates in scores of countries. By any measure, the costs of keeping it open far exceed the complications involved in closing it. That is why I argued that it should be closed throughout my campaign. And that is why I ordered it closed within one year."

Of course, that's the easiest part of the case to make.

Obama noted that this system that he's trying to clean up is a nightmare that he inherited, not one he created: "We are cleaning up something that is -- quite simply -- a mess; a misguided experiment that has left in its wake a flood of legal challenges that my Administration is forced to deal with on a constant -- almost daily -- basis, and that consumes the time of government officials whose time should be spent on better protecting our country." He added that the debate over what to do with detainees isn't the byproduct of his decision to close the facility -- it would have been necessary anyway, given court rulings under Bush.

The president went on to note the political dynamic: "Listening to the recent debate, I've heard words that are calculated to scare people rather than educate them; words that have more to do with politics than protecting our country."

Republicans, I think he's talking to you.

Tagged as: congress, obama, gitmo

Steve Benen is "blogger in chief" of the popular Washington Monthly online blog, Political Animal. His background includes publishing The Carpetbagger Report, and writing for a variety of publications, including Talking Points Memo, The American Prospect, the Huffington Post, and The Guardian. He has also appeared on NPR's "Talk of the Nation," MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show," Air America Radio's "Sam Seder Show," and XM Radio's "POTUS '08."