For the fourth time since President Obama took office, congress voted in favor of continuing indefinite detention yesterday, and a by-product of that will be the continued operation of the prison located at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
WASHINGTON — The polarized US Senate on Tuesday beat back an attempt to set aside proposed rules on detention of terrorism suspects, defying a White House veto threat and criticisms from the FBI and the Pentagon.
By a 37-61 margin, senators defeated an attempt to strip the proposed regulations from a vast annual spending bill that has yet to pass but is seen as a sure thing because it affects US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I'm beginning to feel like a broken record, but it needs to be repeated.
President Obama signed an executive order the day he took office to close Guantanamo. Since then, Congress has voted no less than four times to continue policies that keep Guantanamo open. Congress has voted unanimously against civilian trials for detainees, voted against funding the closure of Guantanamo, and voted for indefinite detention.
In this case, President Obama has issued a threat to veto the legislation, but because it is attached to an overall omnibus defense bill, it's difficult to veto without adversely effecting servicemen and women deployed around the world who have nothing to do with the antics of congress. An obviously cynical congressional ploy.
The idea that President Obama lied about closing Guantanamo Bay irritates me more than possibly any other political meme out there, because saying that means you are willfully overlooking and excusing the actions of congress.
Presidents do not rule by fiat.