Senate Bill Offers Aid and Comfort to US Enemies
Sierra Times  | 11/12/2005 | Jim Kouri, CPP
 

This past Thursday, US Senate Republicans voted to bar terror suspects being held at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba military detention center from challenging their detentions in US federal courts.

The bill proposal is a result of a Supreme Court 5-4 ruling last year that gave terrorists access to American courts even though they are terrorists or enemy combatants captured during the global war on terrorism.

With the Senate's 49-42 vote, the provision written by Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, was added to the military budget bill.

On the floor of the Senate, Sen. Graham said, "For 200 years, ladies and gentlemen, in the law of armed conflict, no nation has given an enemy combatant, a terrorist, an Al-Qaeda member the ability to go into every federal court in this United States and sue the people that are fighting the war for us.''

However, Democrats didn't see things that way. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a Democrat, called the provision a major mistake and said it deserved closer scrutiny by lawmakers. "It's contrary to the way the court decisions have come down already. It is an extraordinary step for this Congress to be taking,'' he said.

However, most counterterrorists, military and law enforcement alike, believe it to be a slap in the face to American citizens to have citizenship rights extended to those who would kill, maim and imprison them.

Only three Democrats sided with 46 Republicans to insert the provision in the overall defense bill. Surprisingly, four Republicans voted against the amendment. These four members of the GOP are said to be RINOs or Republicans In Name Only by Republican loyalists.

Even more disturbing is that the overwhelming majority in the Senate voted to mandate National Intelligence Director John Negroponte to provide the Senate and House intelligence committees with details of any clandestine facilities where the United States holds or has held terrorism suspects. This is disturbing since this would jeopardize sources and methods as well as national security. In Washington, most leaks of classified material come from the US Congress. In fact, some lawmakers are known to be Washington's biggest leakers such as Senator Patrick "Leaky" Leahy.

The mandate is an overreaction to a recent Washington Post story that alleged the CIA is operating secret prisons for terror detainees in some Eastern Europe countries and elsewhere. In spite of pressure by the Democrats, the Bush administration continues to neither deny or confirm the existence of these so-called secret prisons, which house the most dangerous terrorists and those likely to have valuable information on terrorist plots and activities.

One intelligence officer told this writer, on deep background, that he believes it was Senator John McCain who leaked information to the Washington Post in order to pressure the White House into agreeing with his anti-torture legislation. A former Vietnam POW, McCain is know to be very sensitive to issues regarding prisoners of war and enemy combatants. In a recent interview, Senator Trent Lott, a GOP stalwart, claimed that the secret prisons leak came from a Republican.

This has caused a rift between conservatives and the Republicans who are seen as cooperating with the Democrats in giving aid and comfort to the enemy. The confrontation between the President and some Republican Senators is seen as another example of the Republicans allowing themselves to be manipulated by the Democrats, liberal groups and the mainstream media.

More distressing is the Senate Democrats attempting to bully the Republicans into cooperating with them on a proposal requiring Bush "to outline a timetable for a phased withdrawal of US forces."

Bush refuses to set a timetable because to do so would provide aid to the enemy in developing their terror strategy. Once the enemy knows the exact timetable for troop reductions, they can plan accordingly.

The anti-war politicians, activists and news media -- some operating covertly -- have achieved the first part of their plan which was to turn public opinion against the military action in Iraq. Now they are ready to start pushing for withdrawal which emboldens the terrorists to fight harder and kill more American and coalition soldiers. As usual the left is working vigorously to thwart an American victory in the war on terrorism, even if it means giving aid and comfort to the enemy through the legislative process and the US courts.