Op-Ed: Putting Party Over Country

Move America Forward, the nation’s largest grassroots pro-troop organization , said members of the U.S. Senate are putting politics over their country by changing positions to support President Obama’s desire to close Guantanamo Bay and bring terrorists onto U.S. soil.

“This is exactly what sickens the American people with politics.  Members of the Senate have been making it clear they opposed funding the transfer of terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the United States.  But, now at the drop of a hat from the Obama Administration, they cave in and expose their true feelings – diametrically opposed by American citizens,” said Shawn Callahan, Executive Director of Move America Forward.

As the Obama Administration has been reviewing possible locations to relocate GITMO here to America, Congress has refused to give funding or authorization to enact such a move.  Now, the Senate has given the authority and the funding to bring terrorists to the United States.

 “Bringing GITMO terrorists to the U.S. is dangerous. Not only will it give the terrorists a platform to recruit more terrorists from around the world, but the constitutional protections that will not be afforded to these enemy combatants will allow them to expose some of America’s intelligence secrets through trial discovery,” asserted Callahan.

The Senate previously voted 90 to 6 with 3 abstaining against allowing Obama to bring terrorist from Guantanamo Bay into the United States. At that time even Senator Harry Reid said, “This is neither the time nor the bill to deal with this. Democrats under no circumstances will move forward without a comprehensive, responsible plan from the president.”  Yet in today’s vote, all but one Democrat who previously had voted against GITMO in the U.S. changed positions.

“The Democrats in the U.S. Senate had the right idea in the first place and they knew that it was absolutely irresponsible to give President Obama the freedom to move GITMO detainees to the U.S. without a rational and detailed plan as to how it could be done while guaranteeing the safety of the American people.

“We have not seen that plan, most likely because there is no way to do it without putting innocent Americans in danger. These Democrats have gone back on their word by voting to allow President Obama to have this power without a plan for how to implement it. Obviously these Senators care more about the politics of appeasing the left-wing than protecting Americans from terror and being responsible with our homeland security,” concluded Callahan.