Rice Looking Forward to Guantanamo Closure

[cal04]

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday she looks forward to the day when the United States can shut down its prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but she gave no timetable. The prison will not remain open "any longer than is needed," Rice said at a news conference with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, her host for a two-day visit meant to be a chummy look at ordinary life outside the capital of Washington's closest ally.

About 490 foreigners are being held as "enemy combatants" at the prison. The Bush administration claims authority to hold them as long as they are still a threat, without either the full protection of the U.S. justice system or the Geneva Convention compact on treatment of prisoners of war. Anti-war protests large and small dogged Rice nearly everyplace she went, including the Blackburn town hall building where she met with local Muslim leaders. Angry shouts and police whistles sounded clearly outside the building during the session.

Demonstrations focused on the U.S.-led war in Iraq, in which Britain has been a staunch ally, and on U.S. policies in the pursuit of terrorists. The terror detention camp at Guantanamo Bay has become a symbol in Europe and much of the rest of the world for what is seen as a high-handed or illegal U.S. response to the threat of terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"We have to recognize Guantanamo is there for a reason, because we captured people on battlefields ... who were either plotting, or planning or actively engaged in terrorist activities," Rice said. The U.S. has released many Guantanamo prisoners, including some Britons, and will be "glad of the day when conditions permit the closure of Guantanamo," she added.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/rice

[Richard D]

1. Thought for sure this was an April Fool's

[gratuitous]

10. Wait for it . . .

You just know the inevitable "clarification" will come out tomorrow. Condi slips her leash when folks aren't sitting right on top of her, and little malaprops like "thousands of mistakes" just come out. Then comes the "do over."

[saigon68]

25. KINDA SLEEZY LOVES THIS PHOTO

[WhiteTara]

2. she hopes it will be shut down the week before

she is sentenced for crimes against humanity.
IMPEACH BUSH AND SEND THEM ALL TO THE HAGUE

[patdem]

3. From what the laywer today said..is everytime an inmate gets close

to a trial, like the day before he is released, so yeah there have been many released, cause the USA has no way to prosecute them..two have been proclaimed innocent of all charges of being enemy combatants..but still remain in gitmo...why is the rice baby?

P.S. it was on Washington Journal this AM

[Inland]

4. "Oh, I long for the day the War on Terror ends..."

"And the day that President Bush, who said he never wanted to be a War President, gets to turnover his extraordinary wartime powers and end martial law, which he never wanted. My husband and I can't wait for the end of his fifth term so that he can lay down the burden of ruling the nation...I'm speaking figuratively, of course. No, figuratively. Don't write that down, it's just an expression. Figuratively means I didn't mean any part of it."

[cal04]

5. UK, U.S. still disagree on Guantanamo Camp after talks

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a joint news conference in Blackburn's town hall with UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw that the United States didn't want the prison in Guantanamo Bay "any longer than is needed". "We have to recognize Guantanamo is there for a reason, because we captured people on battlefields ... who were either plotting, or planning or actively engaged in terrorist activities," she said.

But Straw, who invited Rice to his constituency to repay his October trip to her home state of Alabama, said "the prime minister and I agree that Guantanamo Camp should close."

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-04/01/content_4373126.htm

[Sarah Ibarruri]

6. Actually, ,the U.S. needs to leave Cuba alone and shut down Guantanamo

The U.S. makes me sick keeping that open there. Cuba doesn't want the U.S. there, but it's too little a country to do anything about it. Makes me sick.

[LynnTheDem]

7. Ok, so how about RELEASING the INNOCENT in the US gulag.

Like the Chinese men the US military, US Supreme Court AND the MFing bush Cabal have ADMITTED were INNOCENT.

Then there's the innocent men & boys who happened to be staying in guest houses, or wearing khaki-colored clothing.

And the KIDNAPPED men & boys sent to the US gulag by nations such as Uzbekistan.

ONLY TEN POWS in the US gulag have been charged with crimes. ONLY TEN. The rest sit in the US gulag WORSE than bush accused of SADDAM HUSSEIN'S "long -up to 2 years- detentions without charges".

[LynnTheDem]

8. "because we captured people on battlefields" BULLSHIT ALERT!!!

What a MFing LIAR she is, just like all the MFing bush Cabal!!!

This latest condiliar lie is fucking STUNNING!!! :wow:

FACT is, "...most (if not all) of the Guantanamo detainees were not captured on a battlefield..."


A high percentage, perhaps the majority, of the 500-odd men now held at Guantanamo were not captured on any battlefield, let alone on “the battlefield in Afghanistan” (as Bush asserted) while “trying to kill American forces” (as McClellan claimed).

The majority were not captured by U.S. forces but rather handed over by reward-seeking Pakistanis and Afghan warlords and by villagers of highly doubtful reliability.

http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2006/0203nj2.htm

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/200602u/nj_taylor_2006-02-07

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2002/05/30/usdom4007.htm

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/mariner/20031222.html

PDF;

http://law.shu.edu/news/guantanamo_report_final_2_08_06.pdf





CONDI IS STILL A MFing LIAR.

[EFerrari]

11. You are being too nice to this mofo sinkscum LIAR. n/t

[CoffeeCat]

9. She's starting to make FAKE reasonable comments now, because...

...she wants the NFL Commissioner job.

Rice-A-Wrongi is just now realizing that this fascist little power mongering position with Junior isn't going to go on forever.

She was a closed-minded, lying thug---who leveraged every one of Junior's sick, evil ideas. She lied like it was second nature--as if her life depended on those lies.

We really don't care if she admits that they made "a thousand mistakes" or is she wistfully looks into the sunset and longs for the days when the torture camp is closed.

Hollow words from a hollow woman.

You could have stopped the torture, the fascism, the desecration of our Constitution, the illegal wiretapping and the illegal war. You had the power Condi.

Don't frickin come to us after the fact--and make these half-assed, self-serving comments--made only to further whatever future agenda you're planning for yourself.

[EFerrari]

12. This is what evil looks like. Or, you can call it sociopathy.

Either way, it's evil.

:puke:

[MADem]

13. Not half as much as the poor bastards being held there...n.t

[deadparrot]

14. Rice presses on with bumpy British visit

BLACKBURN, England (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has made a second stop in this northwestern British town on a visit shaping up as a public relations nightmare on which little has gone completely as planned.

Anti-Iraq protests again dogged Rice and her host, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, on Saturday as they made another foray into the former mill town of 100,000 best known as a footnote in a Beatles song.

Some 200 demonstrators posting banners proclaiming "War on terror, war on Islam" and "Bring the troops home" greeted the two as they arrived at the town hall to meet with local Muslim leaders.

At a joint news conference, Rice reacted to a statement by her host, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, that the Guantanamo detention centre was "an anomaly," by saying the US would close the facility the day it was no longer needed.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/britainusricediplomacy

[WhiteTara]

15. I hope her ass is sore from the bumps

She said that she had never been anywhere there weren't protests. Do they all really think that is how a "normal" government official is treated? Doesn't she get it that it is personal and doesn't "just come with the territory"? Either she is very very obtuse or she is HellGirl

[shain from kane]

16. Jack Straw from Wichita.

Think about it every time I see that name.

[AndyTiedye]

17. They Don't Keep Protestors Out of Sight in the UK Like They Do Here

Must have come as a bit of a shock to her.

[pacalo]

18. I sure enjoyed reading that. It needs to be rated up at Yahoo.

[radfringe]

19. caught a brief clip - trying to back track on the thousands of mistakes

in a nutshell - she admitted to saying that thousands of mistakes were made in little decision making, but what matter was that the big picture decision was correct and that was to get rid of saddam

ok - couple of problems with this

the most obvious - we didn't go in there to get rid of Saddam, we went in there to get rid of Saddam's Weapons of Mass Destruction. gittin' Saddam was secondary to finding and neutralizing the threat posed by the supposed existence of WMDS.

the less obvious - she's using the "best intentions" logic to curb the criticism regarding the current state of affairs in Iraq. Well, Ms. Rice -- we all know what the road to hell is paved with...

[rodeodance]

22. I saw that clip. The reporter says she spent yesteday trying to correct

her initial boo boo

[radfringe]

23. need proper labeling

my partner was sputtering yesterday when CONdi said "..not to be taken literally..."

combine that with bush*'s statement about breaking the oil habit not to be taken literally

and all the statements before, and in between -- not to be taken literally

well - I think they should be wearing lables or at least a crawler or backdrop that says WARNING: NOT TO BE TAKE LITERALLY

yeah - there's a toon in this one... and I'm working on it

[gratuitous]

20. The US will close Guantanamo?

Oh, "the day it was no longer needed." Is that like the "thousands of mistakes"? Will another "clarification" be issued again tomorrow?

Condi Rice and the Bush administration: Often in error, never in doubt.

Enjoy your visit to England, Dr. Rice. I'm guessing that your passport won't get much of a workout as soon as you no longer have diplomatic immunity.

[Sparkly]

21. "Bumpy"... Sounds like Bette Davis in "All About Eve."

"Fasten your seatbelts -- it's going to be a bumpy diplomatic state visit."

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

24. RiF looking forward to Rice closure.

[Jack Rabbit]

26. Agent France Press (Sunday): Rice heading home after bumpy British visit

From Agent France Press
Dated Sunday April 2 5:58 am PDT

Rice heading home after bumpy British visit

Blackburn, England (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to head back from her trip to northwest England after a visit which shaped up as a public relations nightmare.

Anti-Iraq protests again dogged Rice and her host, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, throughout her two-day trip to his constituency of Blackburn, a dreary former mill town of 100,000 people best known as a footnote in a Beatles song.

Some 200 demonstrators posting banners proclaiming "War on terror, war on Islam" and "Bring the troops home" greeted the two as they arrived at the town hall Saturday to meet with local Muslim leaders.

Read more.

[peekaloo]

27. Democracy is on the Stumble!!!!

I'm sure her trip will be hailed as a triumphant success.

[Jack Rabbit]

28. This is democracy on the march . . . .

[saigon68]

29. Guess the POODLE didn't help her.

[Jack Rabbit]

30. The Frat Boy's Dog was off on his own foreign visit . . .

. . . where he was answering questions about scandals in his government.

[DoYouEverWonder]

31. You would think he would have stayed home

for a visit from the US Secretary of State?

Instead he went half way around the world to get away from her. LOL

[saigon68]

33. BLAIR AS LAP-DOG

[hadrons]

32. I guess better a public relations nightmare than a military one

like Iraq