On Wednesday, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to deny President Obama the funds he needs to shutter the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The stall may be temporary, but many are convinced that it’s yet another example of the tired political dynamic in post-9/11 Washington whereby Democrats cave to cowing Republicans the moment the conversation turns to terrorism.
Two weeks ago, though, the GOP got a little bit ahead of itself. “Do you know of any community in the United States of America that would welcome terrorists — former terrorists, would-be terrorists, people trained as terrorists — that have been incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay into any community in this country?” asked Sen. Richard Shelby (R-KY).
The question was directed at Attorney General Eric Holder, who basically punted. But it turns out there are at least a few communities in the country that might just welcome a suspected terrorist or two to stay for a while.
According to Congressional Quarterly, “Former Michigan Gov. John Engler, a Republican, suggested this month that creating a ‘Guantánamo North’ in the Upper Peninsula could net the state upward of $1 billion per year,” which led Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) to suggest that “[i]f the governor and the local officials are open to it, that’s something that should be considered.”
In a similar vein, the Hardin, Montana city council all but begged the federal government to hand GITMO detainees over to them. Two years ago Hardin cut the ribbon on a large, modern, private jail, which they believed would be the source of scores of steady jobs. Today, the prison sits all but abandoned, and the city sees an opportunity to provide the prisoners “a safe and secure environment, pending trial and/or deportation,” while making a bit of scratch in the meantime.
(Unfortunately, the not a single member of Montana’s congressional delegation sees things that way.)
Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) has offered to hold and try suspects in Alexandria, just outside the nation’s capital, if a more suitable location can not be found. And Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) have both said they’d be open to the same possibility.
Feinstein views the issue in a parochial way–“We have maximum-security prisons in California from which people don’t escape”–while Landrieu takes a broader, and more patriotic position, “We’ve got to have confidence in our prison system to hold any violent and dangerous persons.”
Both women voted with large majorities in both parties to block the Guantanamo closure funds.
No word yet from Alaska governor Sarah Palin on whether she could be convinced to use federal money to build a safe, isolated facility–complete with a panoramic view of Russia–to house suspected terrorists. On the one hand, it’s just the sort of pork-like project Alaskan politicians tend to love. But on the other, saying “thanks, but no thanks” to SuperMax, Wasilla would make for a great talking point on the presidential campaign trail.
