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Home Front: WoT

Bush Rejects Call to Shut Gitmo Prison

2006-01-14

President Bush rejected a suggestion by Germany's new leader that the U.S. close its prison at Guantanamo Bay, saying after a first meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday that the facility is "a necessary part of protecting the American people." Guantanamo has become a symbol in Europe for what many people see as Bush administration excesses in hunting down and interrogating potential terrorists. At least one German is among about 500 foreign-born men held indefinitely at the prison camp on Cuba's eastern tip.

Did he happen to live in Hamburg, by any chance?

"So long as the war on terror goes on, and so long as there's a threat, we will inevitably need to hold people that would do ourselves harm," Bush said at a White House press conference with Merkel.

The two leaders seemed determined to get off to a good start after chilly relations between Washington and Berlin under Merkel's predecessor, the staunch Iraq war opponent ~~and Putin puppet~~ Gerhard Schroeder. Their discussions also included Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans. Bush was fulsome in his praise of Merkel as smart, spirited and "plenty capable." Merkel smiled, but showed she is no pushover.

Both she and Bush called their 45-minute, one-on-one session "candid," diplomatic code for a meeting with real debate and differences."We also openly addressed that there sometimes have been differences of opinion," Merkel told reporters. "I mentioned Guantanamo in this respect." Merkel said last week that while she thinks the prison should not remain open indefinitely, she did not plan to demand its closure when she met with Bush. "We addressed this issue openly," Merkel said. "And I think it's, after all, only one facet in our overall fight against terrorism."

Posted by:Seafarious

#7 Close Gitmo, send the pack of 'em to Bern.

Posted by: Perfessor 2006-01-14 14:36

#6 ..move the inmates to Bikini Atoll.

What about Johnston Island? Don't they have a chemical weapons incinerator there? Execute these terrorist bastards, throw their bodies in with the chemicals. Everything goes up in smoke and no one will know the better.

Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2006-01-14 14:31

#5 Actually I think they should close it. Hang a sign outside that says "Closed for Renovation" and move the inmates to Bikini Atoll. Don't tell anyone where they went.

Posted by: Fred 2006-01-14 11:19

#4 President Bush rejected a suggestion by Germany's new leader that the U.S. close its prison at Guantanamo Bay, saying after a first meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday that the facility is "a necessary part of protecting the American people."

Poking your nose directly into someone else's business is not a way to make a good first impression. I can imagine the stir if GWB had called for scaling back socialist policies on his first visit to Germany.

Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2006-01-14 09:53

#3 How about a new Gitmo sign at the front entrance, say, "Arbeit macht Frei" - you like it better now, chancellor?

Posted by: Raj 2006-01-14 08:00

#2 I always thought extending Gitmo to house more would be a better solution , but hey wadda I know :p

Posted by: MacNails 2006-01-14 01:53

#1 The audacity of some people! Should have told her no and then throw her ass in Gitmo for good measure for letting the killer of Bob Steadham out. In may be the policy of Germany to let terrorists loose but it sure aint goingto be ours.

Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2006-01-14 00:33

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