The politics of the Guantanamo Bay detention center is one hell of a long and winding tale. Nicknamed Gitmo, the American military base located in southeast Cuba is the stuff of spy-movie legend. Now comes the news that "secret" Camp 7 has been shut down and its residents moved to Camp 5. That an estimated 14 men are being relocated to new digs at Gitmo is not exactly an earth-shattering bulletin. However, anything emanating from Guantanamo Bay sets leftist teeth on edge, and this recent announcement is a classic case in point. Gitmo is "the thing" (to quote the president) that the left loves to hate – but has never managed to do anything about. Perhaps this is because the detention facility is necessary?
A Few Not-So-Good Men
Those on the left imagine an evil, cigar-chewing Jack Nicholson-type stomping around Gitmo ordering the senseless torture of innocent men. The Daily Kos calls the detention facility the “jewel of the U.S. prison-industrial-complex …" The Daily Beast refers to Gitmo as a "room without a view." The Associated Press opined that Camp 7 was filled with folks who used to be imprisoned "in a network of clandestine CIA detention facilities, often referred to as 'black sites,' where they were subjected to brutal interrogation techniques." Dozens of other media outlets parroted this as fact, and it spread on down the news chain like butter on a hot slab of sourdough bread.
How does the AP know this? Could it be just another myth that comes from watching too many spy thrillers? Liberty Nation's Military Affairs Correspondent J. David Patterson clarified:
"The answer is simple. To my knowledge, any enhanced interrogations ended in the first half of the Bush 43 administration. Additionally, the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp is the most thoroughly visited, investigated, observed, and reviewed prison in existence. Brutal torture at Guantanamo is simply a popular fiction among bleeding-heart liberals."
Does anyone remember the promises of Barack Obama, who planned to close Gitmo in his "first 100 days"? This incessantly repeated campaign promise never turned into reality. Patterson explained:
"Those held in Guantanamo are the most dangerous, vile terrorists – essentially, these are men without countries. To bring them inside the U.S. has enormous implications and thus been met with staunch resistance for good reason. No one wants these vermin. They certainly do not deserve to be in the U.S. legal system.”
It is estimated that a grand total of 40 prisoners are being held at the Guantanamo Bay facilities. The AP reports the reason for shuttering Camp 7 is "structural issues" and claims the Pentagon did not want to go to the well for additional funding. This is probably a wise decision since President Joe Biden has also pledged to close Gitmo. A political lifer and former vice president, Biden is unlikely to see his wishes be made manifest. Still, it is music to the ears of leftists, so why not put it out there?
The dirty little secret is that closing Gitmo requires approval from Congress. It would also mean moving some of the prisoners onto U.S. soil for prosecution, affording these terrorists constitutional rights. That would turn into a holy mess that no one from either side of the political aisle wants to see happen. By doing nothing, Congress – for once – may have lurched uncontrollably into the right answer.
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Read more from Leesa K. Donner.
