.jpg?size=thumb)
White House: All Gitmo Detainees Who Joined Extremist Activity Released Under Bush
A couple months back I reported that Obama administration officials were privately arguing that all released Guantanamo detainees that joined extremist activity had been released not under Obama, but under Bush. The argument: Obama had put in place tough safeguards for releasing detainees that didn’t exist before.
Now the White House is going public with that claim, a move that is likely to infuriate some Republicans and conservatives and signals the White House is upping the stakes in the political war over Guantanamo.
The White House is making the claim in a letter — first reported by Jake Tapper — written by Obama counterterror chief John Brennan to Congressional leaders.
Brennan writes that the “Intelligence Community assesses that 20 percent of detainees transferred from Guantanamo are confirmed or suspected of recidivist activity.” He adds:
“I want to underscore the fact that all of these cases relate to detainees released during the previous administration and under the prior detainee review process. The report indicates no confirmed or suspected recidivists among detainees transferred during this Administration, although we recognize the ongoing risk that detainees could engage in such activity.”
Brennan says this shows that Obama has made “significant improvements to the detainee review process,” which is meant to reassure people who may be worried about the Obama administration’s Gitmo policies.
Brennan’s declaration is an interesting move, and could draw more attention to — and force a public debate over — a claim that White House officials were previously willing to make only privately. It also signals that the White House is ratcheting up efforts to push back on GOP claims that Obama’s Gitmo policies put us in danger, in preparation for the fierce political war over Gitmo that lies ahead.
This blog’s homepage is here. RSS feed here. Twitter feed here. Email me here.
John McCain will tell the media to report this as yet another example of “BIOB”, and the media will comply.
Next, Rudy Guiliani will tell George Stephanopolous that Bush never released any Guatanamo prisoners, and George will nod in agreement.
Finally, reporters will get Sarah Palin’s take on this, because she is the most important person in the political world today, and for all of recorded history.
Seriously, I’m glad they’re doing this.
Cheney made us less safe.
He should rename that Keep America Safe PAC his daughter and Bill Kristol are running to Keep America in Fear and Less Safe PAC.
Hey Greg: Does the report quantify how many recidivist detainees were transferred (as opposed to released)? Does it quantify how many were prematurely released by the transfer country even though they were supposed to be held/rehabilitated?
Does it quantify how many were prematurely released by the transfer country even though they were supposed to be held/rehabilitated?
Translation: It wasn’t Bush’s fault!!!!!
I can’t wait to see how this will be spun as bad for Obama. We know it will. Just a question of who, where, and when. Would be nice if the blogosphere can beat the GOP to the punch this time.
How about the Dems going on OFFENSE and releasing some aggressive press releases instead of always RESPONDING to GOP lies?
@CT Voter: “Translation: It wasn’t Bush’s fault!!!!!”
Hardly, if you were familiar with my comments about this issue you would know that I have, indeed, blamed Bush and the Pentagon for making mistakes. Please don’t misrepresent my opinions. It would be folly to claim Bush was not at fault. I have argued that the Bush example is a good reason to keep these guys locked up in Gitmo until the war is over.
Not sure how this helps. They are still missing the trees for the forest. The 20% figure is totally effing bogus and has been disproven several times. Now by trying to blame the bogus recidivism on Bush, while probably true, only serves to scare average Americans about letting detainees go at all. For as great a campaign as Pres Obama ran, his messaging has been p*ss poor since taking office.
Bush’s teams incompetence does not translate to Obama’s teams incompetence.
Well, Ethan, what some will do is that this is more proof that Obama is worse than Bush – see Bush released some detainees where there was no evidence whereas Obama won’t. This is surely just a cynical ploy by the Obama administration to justify prolonging Bush-ian detention policies.
then the right wing will simply say well that was another occasion where Bush was wrong (as with, for example, charging terrorists in court) and Obama simply isn’t learning from Bush’s mistakes.
Obama will be left as the only reasonable man in the room – a giant amongst pigmies if you will – but the press will frame it as Obama being severely out of touch with both the teabagging right and the his liberal base.
It was all part of the Bush/Cheney endangered Al-Qaeda species restoration program; AKA catch and release program.
That is why they let Bin Laden of the Hook, at Tora Bora!
“Bush’s teams incompetence does not translate to Obama’s teams incompetence.”
True. They are incompetent in completely different ways.
and then all the liberal bloggers usually supportive of Obama will say that Obama isn’t being reasonable in a sufficiently aggressive manner and that it is basically his fault that he is surrounded by nuts.
and before Palin-nut posts on her facebook page one more time, I apologise to the brazil, hazelnuts, peanuts, cashews and almonds out there for that horrible slur against nuts.
DailyKos.com (D) / Research 2000
1/20-31/10; 2003 Republicans, 2% margin of error
Mode: Live telephone interviews
(Kos release)
National
2012 President: Republican Primary
16% Palin, 11% Romney, 10% Cheney, 7% Gingrich, 7% Huckabee, 3% Pawlenty, 2% Paul, 2% Thune
C’mon. Seriously, how can Republicans even consider Palin after she’s been exposed as a serial liar?
The more she lies, the more Republicans love her. She and the rest of the anti-science crowd need to go. They are going to continue to tear down this countries competitiveness in the globe by using the Bible as a rule book rather than a guide.
Prolonging the Bush policies? I don’t know. If the Obama administration manages to convince people that his policies aren’t endangering the country, as Cheney et al keep insisting, it will allow him considerably more room to maneuver.
What’s so bad about pointing out facts, anyway?
Thanks Homerhk, unf you’re probably dead on.
OT, in case anybody actually cares about the economy:
Better news from the housing industry sent stocks higher Tuesday, including an increase in the number of people in contracts to buy homes.
[...]
The home sales report was the latest bit of encouraging news on the economy. Stocks rose on Monday after a surprisingly strong reading on the manufacturing sector, and on Friday the government reported that the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 5.7 percent in the final three months of 2009, a faster pace than expected.
Homebuilder stocks rose sharply after D.R. Horton Inc. posted its first profit since 2007 during its fiscal first quarter. Much of its $192 million profit during the October-December period came from a tax gain, but its revenue rose because of a 36 percent jump in home sales. Orders increased 45 percent.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35196079/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/
I hope that the Bush/Cheney catch and release team tagged those they released, so that Jack Hanna can track them in the wild, and perhaps recapture a few of them, to bring on the Letterman show.
SBJ…It’s simply too bad you’re too young. If you were my age you could have grown up in a time that would have been very comfortable for you.
When you went to school you could have participated in drills where you dive under your desk to prepare for the imminent nuclear attack.
Heck SBJ if you had lived back then you could have built your very own bomb shelter and stocked it with wonderful freeze dried goodies. Paranoia was considered De rigueur in the 50’s. See my frightened friend you were just born about 60 years too late.
@rukidding: What are you talking about?
But how many of these terrorists were represented by AG Holder and his crack team of prosecuters? The idea that Comrade Obama – friend of Bush’s detainee victims – can now claim he wouldn’t have let these people go is absurd. He doesn’t even want to treat a bomber caught redhanded trying to blow up an airliner (Abdulmutallab) as a terrorist detainee. If you people think this is a winning issue for you, you need to think again.
By the way, when is AG Holder going to respond to requests by the Senate that he identify which of his Justice Department lawyers represented terrorist detainees before they became part of his detainee prosecution team?
SBJ, is just another one of those Right Wing Bedwetters, who are afraid of their own shadows.
The Terrorists are coming, The Terrorists are coming. All three hundred million Americans; take to your beds and wet them now. That is the Mantra of the Right Wing Bedwetters Of America.
But how many of these terrorists were represented by AG Holder and his crack team of prosecuters?
Oh, jeepers, this is too damn funny. So the current AG is responsible because the former president failed to adequately examine who was being released?
I think your hat might be too tight.
@Liam and ruk: I’m at a loss to understand your “jokes.” What have I written that leads you to believe that I am scared that the terrorists are gonna get me?
I’m talking about your endless fears surrounding Guantanamo, draining every Al Qaeda swamp you see on the horizon…trying to fight people who attack us with bombs in their shoes and underwear with foreign invasions instead of improved police work.
Instead of worrying about the criminal conspiracy that is Al Qaeda you could have had an adversary with a REAL Army..a Real Air Force…and an excellent stockpile of Real nuclear weapons.
Certainly there is enough to be afraid of in this world but since my dad was a bookie I tend to look at things in terms of odds. Yes Al Qaeda could smuggle a nuke into our country..what are the odds that spending billions and billions in Iraq or Afghanistan affect that possibility…versus the odds of Interpol..CIA..FBI and good police work.
I’m more worried right now about a catastrophic illness for me or my wife that would literally leave us bankrupt than I am of a catastrophic terrorist attack.
Somehow I don’t believe the rest of our country has analyzed risk in a pragmatic manner or we’d have a lot more health care and a lot less military spending…and perhaps even less fear.
Whoa! Who’s off their meds today?
“I’m talking about your endless fears surrounding Guantanamo.”
Go to heck.
“Draining every Al Qaeda swamp you see on the horizon…trying to fight people who attack us with bombs in their shoes and underwear with foreign invasions instead of improved police work.”
Just like Obama?
“Instead of worrying about the criminal conspiracy that is Al Qaeda you could have had an adversary with a REAL Army..a Real Air Force…and an excellent stockpile of Real nuclear weapons.”
I also could have had a V8! What the heck does this mean?
“Certainly there is enough to be afraid of in this world but since my dad was a bookie I tend to look at things in terms of odds. Yes Al Qaeda could smuggle a nuke into our country..what are the odds that spending billions and billions in Iraq or Afghanistan affect that possibility…versus the odds of Interpol..CIA..FBI and good police work.”
So remind me – why did you vote for Obama?
“I’m more worried right now about a catastrophic illness for me or my wife that would literally leave us bankrupt than I am of a catastrophic terrorist attack.”
So are plenty of others. I do not live in fear of a catastrophic terrorist attack.
“Somehow I don’t believe the rest of our country has analyzed risk in a pragmatic manner or we’d have a lot more health care and a lot less military spending…and perhaps even less fear.”
Probably correct – stupid ignorant Americans. this is what they deserve for electing that war-mongering Obama – increasing forces in Afghanistan, escalating in Pakistan, starting a new front in Yemen. When will we learn?
No CT, the point is cocksuckers like you commenters here and AG Holder and his minions hounded the previous administration as Nazis over Gitmo and spread absurd rumors about Korans and toilets. This is the context of these releases, and it was terrorist-loving ******** like you who made it possible. Now you are all John ******* Wayne? Sorry don’t believe it. Your people have been the allies of these detainees as their lawyers and spent six or seven years raising the fuss that forced the release of these “freedom fighters” of yours.
It’s so refreshing to have a President who has moved beyond “partisan bickering” and forsworn the “permanent campaign.”
Oh, and, Ruk, you were just owned big time by sbj. Can’t imagine what you were thinking.
Baby Hugo: golly. You ARE wound a bit tightly, aren’t you?
The poor widdle Bush Administration, completely hounded to distraction by liberals. And you defend that? Seriously? After all the hate and derision for liberals, you’re now saying pool widdle Bushies simply couldn’t stand the heat?
Thanks for the laugh!
haha. Looks like it’s internet time at the chicken coop with all the usual chicken hawks showing up.
I guess since Cheney released all the terrorists that went right back to killing Americans that would mean he likes pallin’ around with terrorists.
Aren’t all you chickenhawks upset with Cheney since his (lets face it, he ran the intelligence war) decisions were responsible for American deaths?
Not to mention, I can’t imagine a better way of breeding terrorists than having your government round up some guys and lock them up for years in an extrajudicial hellhole.
I mean, a government which rounds up people on flimsy pretexts, abuses them horribly, and then keeps them imprisoned indefinitely is evil. But one that rounds up people on flimsy pretexts, abuses them horribly, holds them indefinitely until one day it LETS THEM GO is not just evil, but terribly, terribly stupid.
At the end of the day, it’s no surprise that the crack team which let Osama bin Laden get away is not very good at counterterrorism.
I notice you don’t contradict anything from the prior post CT. Just admit that letting these guys go was you and your people’s idea. Also apologize for smearing our troops at Gitmo (the Koran-toilet lie, also Dick Durbin’s comparison of our troops to Nazis stormtroopers) and then al shall be well. By the way, I think Dick Durbin would be an excellent choice to replace Reid as majority leader – assuming communists are still in the majority come January 2011.
Q.B. Yes owned LMAO
“Go to heck.” “Just like Obama?” “I also could have had a V8! What the heck does this mean?” “So remind me – why did you vote for Obama?” “So are plenty of others. I do not live in fear of a catastrophic terrorist attack.”
Wow Q.B. What a wonderful collection of pithy, “intellectual” responses.
Contradicting nonsensical drivel is a waste of time, so why do it? Seriously, take off the tinfoil hat, Baby. I think it’s limiting needed circulation. . .
CT your knowledge of the circulation of the blood is as reliable as your political and economic ideas: that’s not how blood gets to the brain genius.
And hey, look at anon’s post. There’s one of the open supporters of the detainees and their goals (unlike CT and the rest of you silent partners). Which abuses are you talking about anon, and have they stopped now that Obama is in charge of Gitmo? Is it an abuse that Obama splatters whole Muslim families over the sands of Pakistan without due process? Let’s just agree that you aren’t anti-war you’re just pro-the-other-side. Except when Obama needs to look tough for domestic consumption, then you are all John F’ing Wayne.
CT your knowledge of the circulation of the blood is as reliable as your political and economic ideas: that’s not how blood gets to the brain genius.
It’s like taking candy from a baby.
Baby Hugo. Al Qaeda and those Taliban elements in Pakistan are on the run. How else do you suggest we go after them?
Invade on foot? Do you think the Pakistani population would allow us to openly invade their country? I don’t think the Govn’t there could take the backlash since our Govn’t is about as popular there as Sarah Palin is intelligent.
Anyways, it appears Cheney is the enemy of this country as it was his decisions that allowed so many terrorists back onto the battlefield. I’m surprised there isn’t more of a backlash from AEI, CATO Institute, The Weekly Standard and all the other chicken hawk organizations out there that screech at the actions of Obama that haven’t had anything near the devastation as those of Cheney.
In fact, they are going after Obama for things that Cheney successfully did, and that’s make American’s less safe.
Ethan–the economy is so yesterday! Now that the good news are coming almost every day the Village wants to focus on something else!
and homerhk–a thousand times this.
All, check this out:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/poll-finds-dropping-health-care-plan-doesnt-help-dems-so-pass-the-bill/
Hi, recently found this blog but I have to say that it looks sweet. I fully agree with your post. Have a good day, keep up the great work and I will definitely keep reading.I just got in to the Battlefield Bad Company 2 PC Beta for free, check out this youtube video for instructions on how you can do it <A href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual