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I agree with several posters....I don't get the big deal of releasing the gitmo prisoners into the federal prisons, or state prisons. C'mon....we can house the unabomber, timothy mcphey, serial killers, cop killers, phedophiles, and the like, but people who haven't had a trial and suspected terrorist everyone is afraid of. Doesn't say much for what we Americans or the repubicans think of our prison system if they are afraid they will escape and walk the streets. Funny, I don't recall Charles Mason, or others like him being "released" anytime soon.

I'm glad that we have leadership that's willing to look at their decisions twice and back the truck up if they feel they are making a mistake. This is exactly what Obama promised us.

God, when are the democrats going to grow some balls, fulfill your promises and tell the republicans to pound sand.

Looks like all the change that was promised AIN'T going to happen. Obama is like the dog that chased his tail, he caught it, and now has NO idea what to do with it. You get what you vote for.

Get a back bone. Gitmo is synomsis with maltreatment of prisoners. If you can not do that at least put a federal judge in charge of the trials, or have the trials conducted under the UCMJ rather than a concieved tribunal.

Shame on all the Congressman campaigning on "not in my back yard" expecially those that voted in favor of permitting Bush to use military force in Iraq. It's okay to send servicemen and women into harms way but its not okay to share in the price of war which includes the providing of safe, secure humane conditions for prisoners.

Develop the plan, I am from Kansas send them here and leave Roberts and Brownback on the roadside.

@ he knew this would happen if he did not submit a plan, which he planned. This way people can blame someone else when the deadline is not met'
I think you are the only one on the comment segments that really has a clue. I would bet the farm that you are 110% correct.

Obama is good at saying he will do, but there isn't a plan or follow-thru.

Let's put them in Washington, with the rest of the bad guys..........

Quit rolling over for the GD GOP.

Close Gitmo and scatter the prisoners around the U.S. Our prison
system can handle it. Now get to work and stop dragging your behinds
on this issue.

Is there any issue important enough for Democrats to show a little spine?

OK all of you Democrats, It seems like the longer Obama and the Democratic congress is in power, the more they seem to be adopting the Bush policies. Isn't it interesting that the more information that they have access to, the more the seeem to understand that the last guy knew what he was doing.

There is a town in Montana which already volunteered to take the prisoners at Gitmo and house them in a currently unoccupied prison in their town. It's relatively isolated and would provide a needed economic boost.

Where's the issue?

What's wrong with ALCATRAZ? California needs help financially.

I can't believe what I'm reading...."Lock them up in American prisons" And you think waterboarding was bad. Wait until the prisoners here finish with them if they can still talk they'll be begging for Gitmo and some waterboarding. If your so concerned put them up in your house.

I think this article was poorly written, because a lot of people seem to be confused. If I read the article correctly I believe it says: There is no plan to close Gitmo as of yet, so congress decided not to pay $80 Million toward closing Gitmo, aka funds for moving prisoners and funds for preparing to close the base.

Seems like congress actually got something right. Why pay for something when there is no plan.

Republicans will complain about everything why worry about it. We made these prisoners our problem and we need to deal with them. Leaving them on another countries shore is not how we should do things. I know it is the Republican way to move everything off shore (money, jobs and now prisoners).

I am sooooo fed up with the Democratic Party!!! They couldn't grow a set if someone handed them some. Cowards and they have been for years. This is it for me and I am done! I will be checking voting records til the next election. I would NEVER vote republican again (usually state level, or lower level) and now I won't vote Demo again.
Obama has had to fight for anything he wants and loses because of the coward democrats. They keep saying the republicans don't get it. Well neither do the democrats.. We said change, we like Obama and the hell with both parties. Someone better start listening to us

Here's a crazy idea.Why not send them back where they came from?

The reason you don't house them in prisons within the US is so that those areas are not targets for future attacks, not that there is the possibility of a prison break. I thought that was common sense? I don't want my hometown to become a terrorist target, do you?

I am seeing posts that are questioning why this is such a big deal. They simply don't understand that it is not the fact that these criminals could break out themselves, it is the damage and casualties that may occur when their "friends" try to break them out. Most criminals would not sacrifice themselves by trying to break out their "friends", however, these terrorists would consider it an honor to die to promote their cause and they wouldn't mind taking a few Americans with them. It is very easy to come to America and get very close to a prison but it isn't easy to go into Cuba on our Military base to try to break them out and that is why they are there.

send them to san fran or boston......... let ms nancy or barney worry about them...

-Spineless Democrats

-Fear Mongering Republicans

-An electorate caught in the middle

@fair is fair "Simple solution. Take the $100 million you're sending to Pakistan. Subtract out the $80 million to close Gitmo. Take the remaining $20 million and send it to Pakistan.

Maybe I should run for congress."

Maybe you should – it is apparent that you have no soul or empathy.

The GOP shows signs of life. This is good, mainstream America didn't want terrorists on our soil. Leave them in Cuba where terrorism is fashionable.

I wonder how many Republicans are working to find suitable alternative accommodations for the inmates? It seems they are more interested in derailing Obama's agenda than they are in keeping these men secure. I'm sure most Republicans would prefer that Guantanamo remain open, but that ship has sailed. The Republicans had their shot at running things and they failed spectacularly. You want to remake the GOP into a competitive force? Grow up, dry your eyes, and conduct a responsible opposition in good faith.

It is absolutely amazing to listen to the christian right blather on and on about safety and personal responsibility for THEMSELVES but totally disavow helping others. The Pakastani's are fighting the Taliban and Al Queda. This is a good thing for America. It was ok to spend 3 trillion dollars invading Iraq, yet we are not to help those actually fighting Al Queda and the Taliban, the actual masterminds of 9/11?

If I hear another one of you righties saying there is no plan for gitmo "prisoners" I'll tell you this much, there are more county jail prisoners in Los Angeles on any given night then 500 or 600 gitmo prisoners.

What to do with them?
WHAT?
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

How about charging them with a crime in the US court, like the rest of us?
What, you don't have evidence?
Well my oh my, what to do with a prisoner of color when there is no evidence (I know wat you old Southeners are thinking and the answer is NO).

Either way, is a FAIR trial really too much to ask for?

Now that is government at work.
Just because the president wants something, doesn't mean he'll get it.
Show us a plan first.
I just wish congress would have applied that logic to the stimulus bill.

Thank you to the Democrats!
Please follow the same logic with regard to healthcare...do not set aside the $687 billion for healthcare. The Obama administration has not presented a plan. Setting aside enormous sums of money for a healthcare care plan that does not exist is criminal.

I vote to put all these prisoners in some of our hard-core prisons until they have a trial. There is no reason to keep them where they are. After a few weeks inside "the real prison world", they might tell us all we need to know. This way it doesn't matter what states get them. They may eat better than I do where they are!

This is why Democrats lose to rotten Republicans, instead of grabbing a piece of filthy mud and slinging it all over Boehners face (including his dispersion of tobacco company checks worth $10,000 on the CONGRESS FLOOR), they try to play nice with snakes and scorpions who will sting them anyway. Grow som cojones, and just bash their heads in you lousy democrats. I'll do it for you, just put a TV camera in front of my face.

Renee, I doubt Obama knows the rules of chess. His entire administrations has been run with about as much foresight as it would take to play checkers.

Obama sure tends to make promises that he can't keep. This is just the "lie of the day". For all of you who blamed Republicans in your comments, PLEASE wake up. Obama has been President for 4 months.

Meet the New president, same as the Old president. You fools elected George Bush the 3rd.....

Somebody tell Michael Steele that his "socialist" words are old and tired – that he should address the illegal war and torture issue his party inflicted, instead.

What's all the hub-bub about transferring them to U.S. prisons like Supermax? They guys are far less dangerous than some of the ruthless gangland killers in prison. These al-Queda guys would actually need to be secluded because they would get seriously ripped apart otherwise.

"Meet your new neighbor, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad?" – what the heck does that mean? He'll be locked up in a maximum security prison. If you happen to live next to one of those, why not go ahead and say "Meet you old neighbor that you have been living next to for 30 years, Charles Manson"?

Flippity- Flop Obo.

Hee hee hee.

For eight years the Democrats bashed Bush on everything and now they've basically adopted his agenda of isolating terrorists and bankrupting the government.

This is CHANGE?

Sure sounds like the same old thing to me.

Virginia has already said we will take the prisoners. I'd prefer they be kept in the U.S. They wouldn't last a day in a supermax or in Leavenworth.

wOw. when I first heard the term conservadem, I thought, these guys will replace the GOP...cool. Now, these guys caved because of criticism?!? oh senate dems...remember sticks and stones will break your bones but criticisism from the GOP won't do JACK!!!

These terrorists are criminals and as such should be tried in civil courts and jailed in US prisons. What is wrong with that ?

I think it's good that they want to wait to approve funding for when a plan is submitted to them. What I don't understand is why Republicans insist on continuing their fearmongering by telling people that detainees are going to be "your new neighbor." Do they not have faith in our military bases or federal prisons? How is it different from the thousands of prisoners we already have detained here in the U.S. that have actually been proven guilty of committing a crime?

Huh. Comments here are interesting.

The republicans get what they want, and they spin it as democrats "caving".

If they hadn't gotten what they wanted, they would have spun it as democrats wanting to house bloodthristy terrorists next to the bedrooms of our virginal daughters, or some such meaningless emotive pundit-freindly populist slander.

Basic republican "always attack regardless of the outcome" political grandstanding. No matter what, even if democrats agree with them, you can count on republicans finding a way to spin it negatively.

This gulag is a shame and not closing it is more of a shame. And the democrats in my opinion are as usual shameful.

I would think it would be obvious the prison at Gitmo cannot be closed until a decision is made where to send these guys. There are plenty of supermax prisons here to hold them. Let them share cell space with the guy who helped Tim McVeigh who's name i am forgetting now. They have a lot in common. Now you all guess whether I am rep or dem.

Why can't we just try GITMO detainees in a military tribunal or otherwise? Let's just get the process set up and started. The guilty ones meet the firing squad. Innocent ones go home. No need to worry about sending them to the US and the base closure will happen when all the detainees are tried. The only real tangible cost will be the bullets.

well of course a "newbie" like President Obama would make a mistake like that. I'm surprised he hasnt' been caught looking more dumb at things he's said and done except for the fact that the Dems seem to sweep his miscues (and Biden's) under the rug. Remember the whole Special Olympics fiasco? Ya I didn't think so. Republicans would have been crucified for that one and its lauged off by Democrats.

if it wasn't sad it would actually be funny, I mean Republicans trying to sound like they know what the F they are talking about.

Gitmo = prisoners without having a fair trial = UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Period, you righties seem to think that everybody that steals a pack of gum should get a life sentance w/o possibility of parole, yet you don't say a darn thing when Bush ignores the fundamentals of the costitution. But then again, I'm talking to selfish opportunists (republicans) who hide behind God, flag and their heritage (lucky to be born in the US).

Could this administration do anything to embarrass itself any more. I have never seen in my life so much back tracking in a presidants term. We are 4 months into this and they children are falling all over each other. What a funny joke that hope and change has become.

This was made public at least a week ago. This is why I no longer watch CNN.

@ Who Cares – Please send the name of your city and state to the White House, along with a petition of all your neighbors, stating you think it would be a good idea to house them there.

[...] administration has decided where to transfer the terrorism suspects who are detained there,” Political Ticker reports. Democratic leaders made the decision this morning, according to two Senate Democratic [...]

Wow! They actually want to hold off closing Gitmo until they have a plan! What a wonderful idea!

Geese you would think we were locking intergalactic SUPER villians that had Jedi knight like powers

How can we lock up the worst criminals we have with no problem yet can't lock these up ? BTW how many have escaped Cuba ?

Are our US prisons made out of swiss cheese or something?

I guess I am a tad confused why we have fear to house these criminals in US prisons. I haven't heard of a slew of prison breaks lately....have you?

I say we close Gitmo and send all the terrorists to San Quentin – just let the inmates know these are the the 9/11 co-conspirators. This issue should be dead in a couple of weeks.

Standard operating procedure for politicians –

Ready

Fire

Aim

OOPS!!!!!!!!

Look like we have some left leaning spine less Democrats who are also falling for the Repubs fear Mongering Rhetoric.

I see no problem with closing Gitmo.Turn them lose and send them to the White House they seem to feel the need to free them. Could come back to bite them later if their kin come back in 200 years demanding compensation.

I have a couple of suggestions as to where to move the terrorist. First it has to be an island to help prohibit escape. I would suggest Martha's Vinyard, Catalina Island, or Alcatraz.

Dems cave, GOP wins, Obama loses...how does America respond?

They don't have a clue what they are doing. All the promises Obama made were without any plans in how to do so. That didn't matter, getting elected was his only real goal. Too bad people voted for a trainee to learn on the job.

President Obama is playing chess...he knew this would happen if he did not submit a plan, which he planned. This way people can blame someone else when the deadline is not met....very smart chess player

Republicans launched a high-profile campaign against closing the base prematurely, just this morning releasing a statement headlined: "Meet your new neighbor, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad?"

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE REPUBLICAN PARTY?
FEAR AND SMEAR BABY. It's all they know.

Why didn't they do that during Bush's presidency? All they had to do was not pass bills and funding. And they controlled Congress from 2006.

Way to go Demarepublics.

80 million DOLLARS just to shut down one wood and barb wired built prison?? I would like to see how they came up with that figure?

Evil in the name of good is still EVIL. Close this torture chamber, as well as the secret ones in Europe, and restore America's moral fortitude before it's too late.

Sounds like a solid move to me. How are you going to shut down a prison if you don't know what to do with the prisoners? If our allies are so hungry for a sign of good will, then they can open up their prisons to these radical SOB that we have locked up.

So now the Senate Dems fear facing "an onslaught of criticism from Republicans." How pathetic! First they roll over for W's fake WMDs, then the Al Qaeda-Iraqi link, then GITMO, ... you name it. Then their mantra became "Yes, we can!" Politics in the US is devolving just at the economy has. The sky may not be falling, but it sure looks dark up there.

Well, when the going gets tough, Democrats cave in like a wet paper sack.

Obama has no choice other than to just let them all go. We should ship them back to wherever they came from. Many of them will be in a pretty cranky mood after the way they have been treated. This is not to say, of course, that they are good people. I'm sure many of them would cut our throats without a moment's hesitation.

However, no patriotic American would approve of keeping hundreds of men in prison for life without a trial long after the war is over. Only a totalitarian dictatorship, like our favorite trading partner China, would do that.

Senate Democrats are looking after their cushy jobs, not the nation. I am ashamed of them.

What's the big fear in moving them to American soil. They're our prisoners we captured. Put them in a supermax with 24 hour surveillance – end of story.

Simple solution. Take the $100 million you're sending to Pakistan. Subtract out the $80 million to close Gitmo. Take the remaining $20 million and send it to Pakistan.

Maybe I should run for congress.

So Congress is going to take money from our Military needs to get rid of people that want to kill us. Unbelieveable!!!!!

What's the matter, dems? Can't keep your campaign promises??

I'm SO glad Obama closed GITMO (eyes rolling). What did anyone REALLY expect from a guy who sat for 20 years in a racist church but says he never heard anything?

Wow, you mean you actually have to have a plan BEFORE you do things in Washington? What a novel idea.

Repubs 1 Obama 0