with hard work; still others have mediocrity thrust upon them. With Meinarsche’s post, it was all three.*

      Mein, in your post you have left out so much of the context and history about Mr. Obama’s promise and the expanded use of Gitmo as to create an almost completely false picture of his role in this problem.

      First, you forgot to mention that Mr. Obama in January 2009 signed an executive order requiring the closure of Gitmo in one year. That’s not a promise Mien, that’s a law.

     Okay, why is it still open? Well, Congress adamantly refused to allow Gitmo detainees to be resettled in the United States and surprise, surprise, other countries have been less than enthusiastic of allowing what Bush and Cheney called the “worst of the worst” to be sent to their countries. We can’t close Gitmo unless we have some place to send the bad guys can we?

     And now Congress has sent Mr. Obama a bill which actually cuts off all funding to transfer these guys.

       Second, you fail to mention that Congress included the Gitmo anti-transfer provision in a larger bill that provided funding for all military activities. Mr. Obama had no choice but to sign. But here is what he said:

"Despite my strong objection to these provisions, which my administration has consistently opposed, I have signed this act because of the importance of authorizing appropriations for, among other things, our military activities in 2011," Obama said in a statement.

      Third, with respect to the “usage of Gitmo to be expanded," you are confusing the use of GITMO to try the detainees for their alleged acts with the use of Gitmo as a prison. The 173 detainees already there will apparently be tried by military commission if at all. There are no Obama plans for expanding the prison population that I have heard about.

     Finally, you fail to mention that it is not Mr. Obama but the Republicans per Rep. McKeon who want to expand Gitmo as a prison facility -Last week, this Bush wannabe said the U.S. should grow the population to perhaps 800 from the current 173.

    So you took some true facts but misinterpreted them so badly that the best we can say of your post is that it is profoundly mediocre. Somehow you missed that your post should actually be about Congress, not Obama. Want to try again?


*Apologies to Major Major Major.


-- Modified on 1/23/2011 9:58:18 AM

I'd say more like down right dishonest!

your points are well argued. Except that mediocrity deserves a C. This OP gets an F.

...there is a single thing here that Mein has said that I disagree with. Mein hit the nail on the head with each and every sentence in this post.

...except for one thing: Progressive media (what little there is of it) has been quite critical of Obama, on all these topics.

but you agreeing with everything Mein posted is pretty much rock-solid evidence that he is off his rocker.

earned another week at the Priapus Pines Adult Campground (clothing optional for men).

    And this time, take Willy with you since he found your analysis to be spot on - with the two of you working together, the last piece of the puzzle could be in place.....