7.01.2005
Guantánamo Thorny Issue for Democrats on Committee (NYTimes.com)
By NEIL A. LEWIS
Published: June 30, 2005
WASHINGTON, June 29 - A hearing before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday provided a stark display of how Democrats and Republicans are reacting in different ways to accusations about abuse at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
For Republicans, the mission was simple and direct: defend the military's detention center at Guantánamo as humane and deserving of admiration throughout the world.
For some Democrats, the task was more complicated: to praise the patriotism and work of the vast majority of military personnel at Guantánamo, while raising questions about abuse of detainees.
Representative Duncan Hunter, a California Republican who is the committee chairman, suggested in his questioning of Brig. Gen. Jay Hood, the Guantánamo commander, that it was probably the finest military detention facility in history. Mr. Hunter led a hastily arranged delegation of 16 committee members to Guantánamo on Saturday.
"What we saw was not the 'gulag of our times,' " Mr. Hunter said, referring to recent criticism from Amnesty International. It was, instead, "a world-class detention facility where detainees representing a threat to our national security are well fed, given access to top-notch medical facilities and provided an opportunity to obtain legal representation."
The trip and Wednesday's hearing were planned as a response to increasing calls to shut down the Guantánamo facility.
(More ... Guantánamo Thorny Issue for Democrats on Committee - New York Times) ¶ 08:40
Published: June 30, 2005
WASHINGTON, June 29 - A hearing before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday provided a stark display of how Democrats and Republicans are reacting in different ways to accusations about abuse at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
For Republicans, the mission was simple and direct: defend the military's detention center at Guantánamo as humane and deserving of admiration throughout the world.
For some Democrats, the task was more complicated: to praise the patriotism and work of the vast majority of military personnel at Guantánamo, while raising questions about abuse of detainees.
Representative Duncan Hunter, a California Republican who is the committee chairman, suggested in his questioning of Brig. Gen. Jay Hood, the Guantánamo commander, that it was probably the finest military detention facility in history. Mr. Hunter led a hastily arranged delegation of 16 committee members to Guantánamo on Saturday.
"What we saw was not the 'gulag of our times,' " Mr. Hunter said, referring to recent criticism from Amnesty International. It was, instead, "a world-class detention facility where detainees representing a threat to our national security are well fed, given access to top-notch medical facilities and provided an opportunity to obtain legal representation."
The trip and Wednesday's hearing were planned as a response to increasing calls to shut down the Guantánamo facility.
(More ... Guantánamo Thorny Issue for Democrats on Committee - New York Times) ¶ 08:40
