October 20, 2009 1:13 PM

New Ad Calls for GITMO Closure

By
Amanda Sterling
Topics
National Security
Updated 5:39 p.m. ET

A former Congressman has joined with two retired generals and an Iraq war veteran in a push to pressure lawmakers to close the Guantanamo Bay prison facility. The group is calling upon Congress to "ignore the scare tactics" of former vice president Dick Cheney, who they accuse of leading "a concerted right-wing smear campaign" against closure of the facility.

On Tuesday the group, called "The National Campaign to Close Guantanamo," released a 30-second ad which you can see at left. The spot will run on national television for a week at a cost of $100,000; it urges viewers to sign an open letter to Congress lobbying for the shutdown of the facility.

"President Obama said we should close it," a narrator says in the ad. "Colin Powell agrees. But Congress stands in the way, continuing to follow the failed Bush/Cheney policies."

President Obama promised to close the facility within a year of taking office, but there are questions about whether that deadline will be met amid opposition from lawmakers concerned about the transfer of detainees to prisons on U.S. soil. Though House Democrats recently blocked a Republican effort to outlaw the transfer of Gitmo detainees to the U.S., members of both parties, fearing political repercussions, have been skittish about detainees coming to their states and districts.

"We are launching this campaign to make sure that the voices of fear being led by Dick Cheney do not drown out the voices of reason that realize that Guantanamo is a failed policy and a black-eye for this nation." former Rep. Tom Andrews (D-Maine), who serves as Executive Director of the National Campaign to Close Guantanamo, said in a release.

Andrews said on a press call Tuesday that the larger campaign, of which the ad is just one part, will ultimately be in the "multi-million dollar" range.

The organization plans to target key Congressional districts as the 2010 midterm elections approach. They declined to comment on which members of Congress they will target.

The board of directors of Keep America Safe – Liz Cheney, Debra Burlingame and Bill Kristol – this afternoon emailed a response to the effort. They argued that the Guantanamo detainees are "hardened terrorists who are dedicated to killing as many Americans as possible."

"Guantanamo Bay is a secure, safe, humane facility where terrorists can be held, and when appropriate, tried," their response read, in part. "Americans expect their President to defend them from terrorists, not usher terrorists into the homeland."

Add a Comment
by getreal121 October 26, 2009 5:10 PM EDT
Tell the family members of 9/11 that the ones responsible have rights.you take a life you give up yours. It is that simple. They are Killing Americans So what rights do they have? None.
Reply to this comment
by hungry1968-16 October 20, 2009 3:25 PM EDT
by endurorob_5 October 20, 2009 3:17 PM EDT
Wake up hungry. Everyon in this country has the same legal protections. Even drug smugglers. You need to get off the Obama FOX bashing band wagon and take a look at reality.






You're partially correct - everyone that committed a CRIME in THIS COUNTRY is tried and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

And even if the terrorists did get those protections, which they wouldn't, they're still going to be convicted of their crimes, correct? They ARE guilty, aren't they?

Where are the terrorists that blew up the WTC in 1993?
Reply to this comment
by hungry1968-16 October 20, 2009 3:12 PM EDT
by endurorob_5 October 20, 2009 3:04 PM EDT
because once you bring them over here they automtically gain the same legal rights as the rest of us. These people are terrorist and war criminals. Much of the evidence against them is classified and can not be released to the public. Many would be relased on technicalities. They need to be kept in Gitmo and given mil;itary trials.







They will not automatically gain the legal protections of the US if they ARE NOT US citizens, and they are being detained by the US military.

That's a lie that was fabricated by Fox News.




What makes you think that ANYTHING would HAVE to be released to the public?

And if the evidence against the terrorists is LEGIT AND REAL, then the terrorists already know about it, so why would it have to be kept classified and secret, if they already know about it?

Sounds like another Fox News fabricated lie to me.
Reply to this comment
by endurorob_5 October 20, 2009 3:17 PM EDT
Wake up hungry. Everyon in this country has the same legal protections. Even drug smugglers. You need to get off the Obama FOX bashing band wagon and take a look at reality.
by hungry1968-16 October 20, 2009 2:51 PM EDT
endurorob_5: Why in the world would you keep a prison open overseas, when we could house them in a prison here in America, for a fraction of the cost?
Reply to this comment
by endurorob_5 October 20, 2009 3:04 PM EDT
because once you bring them over here they automtically gain the same legal rights as the rest of us. These people are terrorist and war criminals. Much of the evidence against them is classified and can not be released to the public. Many would be relased on technicalities. They need to be kept in Gitmo and given mil;itary trials.
by endurorob_5 October 20, 2009 2:02 PM EDT
O.K. I don't have $100K to spend on commercials so
I recommend anyone reading this to contact your senetors and representatives and tell them to keep GITMO open. By the way how many 30 second commercials on national tv can $100K buy?
Reply to this comment
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