McCain: Guantanamo Decision One Of the Worst Ever

John McCain heightened his rhetoric about the Boumediene v. Bush decision, which grants the Guantanamo detainees to question their confinement in civilian courts:

"The Supreme Court yesterday rendered a decision which I think is one of the worst decisions in the history of this country," McCain said.

The statement met with great approval by voters at the candidate's town hall meeting:

The crowd of more than 1,000 supporters, packed into a gym at Burlington County College, exploded into applause at McCain's comments.

The presumptive GOP nominee then read from Chief Justice John Roberts' dissent, and predicted the courts would now be "flooded" with habeas corpus lawsuits.

The harsh rebuke is a sudden shift from McCain's position yesterday, when he first learned of the decision:

It obviously concerns me . . . but it is a decision the Supreme Court has made. Now we need to move forward. As you know, I always favored closing of Guantanamo Bay and I still think that we ought to do that.

Read Obama's response to the decision and other reactions.

Comments

[iamaperson]

Justices Scalia, Thomas, and Alito and Roberts' dissent is deeply disturbing. What is more disturbing is how Bush gave himsef the right (using executive order) to suspend habeas corpus against anyone " not just "unlawful" combatants but also to U.S. citizens. The Founders wrote in the Constitution the protection from being thrown into prison without first being accused of a crime and having a fair trail where the accuser has to show the evidence against you. Yet with Bush's pen he had Jose Padilla an American citizen thrown into prison for over 5 years without any charges and no legal representation and during that time he was tortured to get a confession.

We as a people believe that it is wrong to condone or contribute in any way to false imprisonment, imprisonment without trial or to torture anyone. We believe in this so much that we as a people wrote it down in the Constitution to protect us from it. After all one day it can happen to any one of us at any time. Yet Bush has usurped the Constitution and history will judge him as the President who failed to uphold and protect the Constitution. It is now time for us to demand the restoration of habeas corpus. We need to have a change and vote into office those politicians that will listen to our demands. Otherwise we risk losing not just our liberty but also our humanity and risk our own extinction as a human race.

[debrouillard]

From "I will close Guantanamo and have the detainees be fairly trialed or released them if no charges are brought foward" to "Giving the detainees the same trial as American citizens(fair trial) is the worst decision the Supreme court has eve made".

I always though when one makes a 360* turn,they usually return to their starting position,but McCain is saying my trigonometry is not up to scratch.

[sloan1212]

To get to the answer...remember to take the opposite divide it by the adjacent answer...and that should get your answer. I think that was the formula for TANGENT. Then again, I took Trig like 25 years ago....that could be totally wrong.

McBush just doesn't know what he's saying...

[lthuedk 1]

That was one of the most un-American statements I've read since the McCarthy witch hunts. McBush has lost his moral compass.

http://www.light-to-dark.com/McBush.html

[funwithwarcrimes]

"Gosh dang it." said McCain after the press left. "If the supreme court rules like that, when do I get my chance to detain civilians? Dubya got his chance -- when do I get mine? What about the prison ships? Do I get to keep those running?"

[JessWonderin]

Let's see . . . McCain born in a U.S. Base on Foreign soil, claims the Constitutional Right to RUN for President, yet decides that PRISONERS held in a U.S. Base on Foreign soil have no Constitutional Rights. So we can believe that "Constitutional Rights" are subject to random application in random situations . . . guess some States can go on and legalize slavery, remove women from voting rolls, arrest and imprison indefinitely anyone defined as a "terrorist" (jaywalkers TERRORIZE ME!!!) . . . .

Life gets REAL easy when you can use BushThink to adjust any Constitutional Right as you please.

BushCO has destroyed 200 Years of American Democracy better than ANY terrorist would possibly have dreamed of . . . .

[funwithwarcrimes]

right on JessWonderin...right on....

[speakingtruth2power]

We are one vote away from becoming a fascist state.

Early in 2009, we must institute SCOTUS13!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CTmom13]

McClatchy tracked down 66 men released from Guantanamo in the most systematic survey to date of prisoners held there. Many had no connection to terrorism, but their experience turned them against America.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/detainees/story/38773.html

[Durango]

Now there is a surprise.

[SEQUOIABISON]

As he defines himself to the American people, he reveals a personality that supports unnecessary wars and has little regard for the constitution.

He obviously thinks its okay to suspend adherence to the constitution and disregard human rights.

[MemphisBuffalo]

So what the Vietcong did to him was ok. Wow, torture is ok.

[SWEETPB307]

Did he forget Soldiers are in 2 wars. and around the world as he said...Nope "That's Not Important"
Just My Election!

[DCtrain]

cindy apparently likes drugs, money and power... but she seems to be more of a caniver than a thinker... it seems pretty wide open between those ears

[seal62]

You sir discust me.Back before the war started i emailed you,told you the death toll would be between 3500-4500..cost 100 times more than the white house stated and we,d be stuck in a no win situation.Above all i begged you that no matter what{the blind blood lust by the stupid was plainly seen}make sure the va is funded...give our wounded treatment...You sent me a hand signed reply...I was proud...i felt i can depend on you.Then came Walter Ried...our flagship facility,,,a man is only as good as his word and i find yours no longer credible.

[Probus]

The SCOTUS did the right thing here. This decision restores habeas corpus. People like McCain who is the worst kind of flip flopper believe that you have to violate the Constitution to fight terrorism when in fact the Constitution gives us all the tools to do just that. Denying detainees their rights guaranteed under the Constitution violates it. The last 2 times The SCOTUS rebuked the president he went to Congress to change the law to circumvent the decision of the SCOTUS. This time however I don't think this Congress will allow the president to do so.

[nypoet22]

For worst SCOTUS decisions ever, McCain need not look so far away...

http://www.hereandok.com/WorstSupreme.html

[sytgrl]

McCain would be right if we were talking like POWS like we should be, because they would be protected under the Geneva Convention instead. But once Bush started to make up categories like enemy combatant in order to circumvent international laws, things got effed up. The problem is that the government (thanks to the patriot act) can designate anyone as an enemy combatant, not just someone fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan. That means you or me. The court's only choice was to rule for habeas corpus, or risk stripping some of its citizens of a basic constitutional right.

[Raymondf]

Boy are you lost.