• Sarah Palin is against Obama's plan to close the Guantanamo
Bay prison and believes his plan is a reckless one. Palin is
generally against Obama's approach to terrorism, viewing it as
fundamentally flawed.
• Palin believes that the terrorists of Guantanamo should be
treated as wartime enemies and not as suspects who are only
alleged to have committed crimes. Palin feels that a terrorist
who is responsible for the massacre of hundreds of people should
not be treated as a common criminal.
• Palin believes that taking strong military measures might be
the right approach in dealing with the terrorists. The real
nature of terrorism must be addressed in the form of a military
commander-in-chief. Dealing the terrorists by a constitutional
law professor is by no means a wise decision. Thus Palin
discredits the importance of law and legal mechanisms in dealing
with the terror suspects or terrorists.
• Palin believes that radical Islam extremism, with which
America is at war, is not a mere law enforcement issue. It only
tends to compromise the nation's security as was witnessed in the
1990s and most importantly on 11th September 2001.
• According to Palin, the constitutional provisions which
Obama's plan tries to implement will grant the foreign born
terrorists the privilege to remain silent which will further risk
the lives of many Americans. Giving them access to the American
courtrooms will only result in the manipulation of the legal
system. This might also give them the access to classified
information too.
• Acts of terrorism are not isolated events but well
orchestrated events. They are to be dealt with stringently.
Closing down the Guantanamo prison and giving them a trial in the
mainland US is not the option.
Romney is a noted advocate
of GITMO and has been on record criticizing former President Bush
for contemplating its closure and President Obama for his calls
to close it.
“Guantanamo Bay plays an important role in
protecting our nation from violent, heinous
terrorists…”
June 22, 2007; Speaking to reporters during
a campaign stop in Helena, Montana
“ …You said they’re
gonna be at Guantanamo? I’m glad they’re at Guantanamo. I
don’t want them on our soil. I want them at Guantanamo where
they don’t get the access to lawyers that they’d get when
they’re on our soil. I don’t want them in our prisons, I want
them there. Some people say that we should close Guantanamo, my
view is we outta double Guantanamo.”
May 15, 2007; FoxNews
Republican Presidential Debate, University of South Carolina,
Columbia
"Today, the Supreme Court will once again hear
arguments on the detention of captured terrorists being held at
Guantanamo Bay. Some people view Guantanamo as a symbol of
American aggression. I view it as a symbol of American resolve.
"Our country is asking young men and women in our military and
intelligence services, and their families, to sacrifice beyond
all knowing to capture or kill radical Jihadists before they plan
and execute another attack on the United States. To win this
fight, we must be able to detain and interrogate the terrorists
they catch.
"The base at Guantanamo is designed to hold and question enemy
combatants who pose a threat to the nation or have intelligence
value. Closing and relocating the facility to the heartland of
the United States, as some have suggested, would pose an undue
risk to innocent Americans and, as today's arguments demonstrate,
could have profound legal implications. So long as it remains a
vital tool to keep America safe, I will fight to keep Guantanamo
Bay open."
December 5, 2007; Press release on Guantanamo
Bay
On Enhanced Interrogation
Techniques
Supports
“But I do not believe, as a
presidential candidate that it’s wise for us to describe
precisely what techniques we’ll use in interrogating people. I
oppose torture. I would not be in favor of torture in any way,
shape or form. As I just said, as a presidential candidate, I
don’t think it is wise for us to describe specifically which
measures we would and would not use. And that is something I
would like to receive the counsel of not only Senator McCain but
of a lot of other people. And there are people who for many, many
years get the information we need to make sure to protect our
country. By the way, I wanna make sure these folks are kept at
Guantanamo. I don’t want people who are carrying out attacks in
this country are brought into our jail system and be given legal
representation in this country. I wanna make sure that what
happen to Khalid Sheikh Mohamed happens to other people who are
terrorists. He was captured, he was the so-called mastermind of
the 9/11 tragedy, and he turn to his captors and he said,
“I’ll see you in New York with my lawyers.” I presumed ACLU
layers. That’s not what happened. He went to Guantanamo and he
met G.I and CIA interrogators and that’s just exactly how it
ought to be.”
November 28, 2007; CNN/Youtube Republican
Presidential Debate, St. Petersburg, Florida
