New to Pentagon, Gates Argued for Closing Guantánamo Prison

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

In his first weeks as defense secretary, Robert M. Gates repeatedly argued that the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, had become so tainted abroad that legal proceedings at Guantánamo would be viewed as illegitimate, according to senior administration officials. He told President Bush and others that it should be shut down as quickly as possible.

Mr. Gates’s appeal was an effort to turn Mr. Bush’s publicly stated desire to close Guantánamo into a specific plan for action, the officials said. In particular, Mr. Gates urged that trials of terrorism suspects be moved to the United States, both to make them more credible and because Guantánamo’s continued existence hampered the broader war effort, administration officials said.

Mr. Gates’s arguments were rejected after Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and some other government lawyers expressed strong objections to moving detainees to the United States, a stance that was backed by the office of Vice President Dick Cheney, administration officials said.

As Mr. Gates was making his case, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joined him in urging that the detention facility be shut down, administration officials said. But the high-level discussions about closing Guantánamo came to a halt after Mr. Bush rejected the approach, although officials at the National Security Council, the Pentagon and the State Department continue to analyze options for the detention of terrorism suspects.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/washington/23gitmo.html?hp

[Captain Hilts]

1. The Pentagon and the military have wanted it closed for years. nt

[OnyxCollie]

2. Can't close Gitmo.

Wouldn't want anybody snooping around, investigating our torture, er, interrogations, and our kangaroo courts, uh, military tribunals.

[tanyev]

3. "Mr. Gates’s appeal was an effort to turn Mr. Bush’s publicly stated desire to close Guantánamo

into a specific plan for action.." He believed him? Defense Secretaries shouldn't be that gullible.

[autorank]

4. New To Job, Gates Argued for Closing Guantánamo

Source: New York Times

By THOM SHANKER and DAVID E. SANGER
Published: March 23, 2007

WASHINGTON, March 22 — In his first weeks as defense secretary, Robert M. Gates repeatedly argued that the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, had become so tainted abroad that legal proceedings at Guantánamo would be viewed as illegitimate, according to senior administration officials. He told President Bush and others that it should be shut down as quickly as possible.

Mr. Gates’s appeal was an effort to turn Mr. Bush’s publicly stated desire to close Guantánamo into a specific plan for action, the officials said. In particular, Mr. Gates urged that trials of terrorism suspects be moved to the United States, both to make them more credible and because Guantánamo’s continued existence hampered the broader war effort, administration officials said.

Mr. Gates’s arguments were rejected after Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and some other government lawyers expressed strong objections to moving detainees to the United States, a stance that was backed by the office of Vice President Dick Cheney, administration officials said.

As Mr. Gates was making his case, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joined him in urging that the detention facility be shut down, administration officials said. But the high-level discussions about closing Guantánamo came to a halt after Mr. Bush rejected the approach, although officials at the National Security Council, the Pentagon and the State Department continue to analyze options for the detention of terrorism suspects.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/washington/23gitmo.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

---

This is strike two for Gates. When Bush needed support for his claim that "higher ups" in Iran were providing weapons to Iraq, Gates was in Europe. He gave a half hearted endorsement of the concept, showed a picture, and said it might be Iranian markings. This was hardly what Bush wanted. That was followed by General Pace dismissing the whole concept right before a Bush press conference.

Now Gates is letting it be known he wanted to shut Gitmo...meaning he's not going to be held responsible for what's gone on there since he came into the position of Secty. of Defense.

A horse, a horse...

[annabanana]

5. "Mr. Bush’s publicly stated desire to close Guantánamo "

Rookie mistake, for sure. I expect he knows by now that he should pretty much ignore anything the idiot son says in public.

[autorank]

11. Interpreting *

You just believe the opposite. It's gets really strange when he takes positions against the world sex trade...but it's a rule of interpretation, gotta follow it strictly.

[Greeby]

6. Tsk tsk, Gates, what did you think you were signing up for?

:eyes:

[EFerrari]

8. He's an Iran Contra criminal and by now, expert at CYA.

[CJCRANE]

7. "...a stance

that was backed by the office of Vice President Dick Cheney".

I think we all know who really calls the shots.

[bklyncowgirl]

9. How long before Gates announces he needs to resign to spend more time with his family?

He is in the job because they were forced to fire the guy who they thought was the greatest Secretary of Defense in American history and hire someone who would appease the Republican realist faction, particularly the President's father.

He does seem marginally better than Rumsfeld but there's no way he's going to be able to do much of anything with Bush & Cheney calling the shots.

How long before he gets disgusted and quits?

[autorank]

12. "marginally better than Rumsfeld"

That's what's called a back handed compliment:)

I think this is part of his not so long goodbye. He's obviously got a load what's been going on
and it freaks even him out. Not comforting. It's like when Tandredo said Gonzo had to go. Things
are much worse than even we imagine, I suspect.

The short happy career of Secretary Gates, the accidental Secretary.

[Benhurst]

10. Dear God, it's like living in Crazy Joe's old Soviet Union, the New York Times

serving as Pravada.

"New to the job" -- what a joke. Robert Gates came to his job as Secretary of Defense after a stint as head of the CIA. His position against the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, was hardly that of a newbie finding his way.

So what are we to make of this? Some sort of message is being sent between the lines.

If only we had a free press.

Start reading your tea leaves. Something is afoot.

[autorank]

13. You know, that's correct. The NYT is now balancing factions...

...looks like old * is a gonner so they'll be nice to the next crew of despots.

Speaking of which, Gates is on the board of a voting machine company that thinks it's going to pick
up lots of vote counting business real soon. Comforting.

[Javaman]

14. Moron* to gates....

"you must be thinkin' that you were hired to actually do something"

[Javaman]

15. We must keep Gitmo open!!

other wise the commies win!!!, spouted the frothy mouthed right wing neo-con nut job.