Debate Rekindled on Guantanamo

[steve2470]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704322804576303642328583846.html

WASHINGTON—Osama bin Laden will never do time in a Guantánamo jail cell, but the al Qaeda leader's death is sparking renewed debate over the role of the offshore facility as the U.S. prepares to draw down from the Afghanistan war whose prisoners it was built to house.

President Barack Obama entered office pledging to close the prison, but quickly lost the political debate to congressional Republicans, who won bipartisan support in stymieing administration efforts to transfer some detainees to a facility within the U.S. or to third countries.

Republicans were poised to seal that victory with legislation all but ensuring the offshore prison would remain in operation for years to come. Now, both sides are finding ammunition in bin Laden's demise.

"The operation against Osama bin Laden proves that intelligence derived from detention facilities contributes to the larger war effort," said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard "Buck" McKeon (R., Calif.), who plans to release revised detainee legislation later this week, ahead of a key hearing next week. The president should "change course by publicly stating that now is not the time to close the facility," Mr. McKeon said.

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. Well, we've set the precedent -

just shoot them all in the head, then close it.