Political Quotes

“Madam Chairwoman, section 533 would prohibit any funds being used for the transport, release, or assistance in the transfer or release of any Guantanamo detainee housed in Cuba on or after June of 2009. My amendment would change that date to December 31, 2005. Now, in 2006, people who were truly the worst of the worst, those detainees who were housed in CIA black sites were transferred to Guantanamo. Now, prior to 2006, Guantanamo was populated with detainees who were simply not as deserving of indefinite detention, as this latter group, in my view, is. Eighty-six percent of the people of the first group, prior to 2005, were arrested in exchange for a bounty. The vast majority never committed an act of violence against the United States or any of its allies. About 5 percent may have been affiliated with al Qaeda. Now, Madam Chairwoman, it seems to me that it's time that we clarify the definition of who is at Guantanamo. I listened very closely to my good friends yesterday, including Mr. Wolf, who cited Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in defining who was at Guantanamo. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is one of those worst of the worst. I don't care what you do with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. As far as I'm concerned, from everything I know, he deserves whatever happens to him. But we're not talking about him if this amendment were to pass. We're talking about people who were brought there initially, more than half were already released, of the 779, by the Bush administration.…”