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Virginia Congressmen Debate Taking Gitmo Detainees

The fate and relocation of 241 prisoners currently at Guantanamo Bay, is presently under consideration at the White House, but Capitol Hill lawmakers are not waiting to weigh in.

Representatives from two adjoining congressional districts in northern Virginia have two very different opinions, which they both discussed on "Washington Unplugged," CBSNews.com's weekly politics Web show.

Last week, Rep. James Moran (D-Va.) wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post where he called on Virginians to realize their "duty" to accept some of the prisoners because "it serves the greater good."

In Friday's interview with host Bob Schieffer, Moran said "it's a defining moment."

"We need to act in such a way that subsequent generations read this history and are proud of it rather than shamed by it," he added.

Schieffer asked why so many of his congressional colleagues are against keeping the detainees in the United States - some have pledged not to give the president the funding he needs to close Guantanamo.

"A lot of this is the politics of fear," Moran said, "its rhetoric."

However, he then admitted that most "normal people" do not want dangerous people as their neighbors. He also noted that his constituents "probably don't" agree with him.

Watch the interview here:

On the other side, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) explained that the Uighurs, an ethic group who may be "releas[ed]" in his community, "are on the terrorist list."

"That is one group that, I think, if you are going to release them, they should be released somewhere abroad," Wolf said.

"There is potential radicalization," he added, "having been at Guantanamo for seven years."

Wolf implied that he fears for the safety of his constituents because since the last major terrorist trial in Alexandria, the city has new, threat worthy infrastructure.

"Since these al Qaeda people have an unwritten code that they will attempt to rescue one another," he said, dangerous detainees who may attract fellow terrorists should be transferred to a rural location, on a military base.

Wolf added that 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed could be in whatever community he is tried in for up to 6 years during the hearings.

You can Wolf below in Washington Unplugged, along with an interview with author Gretchen Peters. Also, click here for a roundtable on US prisons and the detainees with Bob Orr and Carrie Johnson.


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