Powell Hits Back At Cheney, GOP On Gitmo Closing (VIDEO)

Colin Powell hit back at Dick Cheney and other critics over the president's plan to close Guantanamo Bay on Sunday. Scoffing at the notion that U.S. jails couldn't house suspected terrorists, he said that the facility has become a blight on America's image.

In an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," the former Secretary of State noted that he had called for Gitmo's closure for "the past six years," and argued that the former vice president's defense of the detention center put him at odds even with his former boss.

"Mr. Cheney is not only disagreeing with President Obama's policy, he is disagreeing with President Bush's policy. President Bush stated repeatedly to international audiences and to the country that he wanted to close Guantanamo."

Watch:

Later in the interview, Powell continued to push back at his former Bush administration colleague. Arguing that Guantanamo "has caused us a great deal of trouble throughout the world," he brushed aside Cheney's skepticism about Obama's plan or motives.

"Mr. Cheney the other day said, well, we're doing it to satisfy European intellectuals or something like that. No," said Powell. "We're doing it to reassure Europeans, Muslims, Arabs, all the people around the world that we are a nation of law. It isn't so much Guantanamo. It's the people at Guantanamo. How do we deal with them? We can't keep them locked up forever. This business about making the country less safe by bringing these people to our prison system, we have got two million people in jail in America, the highest incarceration rate in the world. And they all had lawyers. They all had access to the writ of habeas corpus and they're all in jail. I don't know... if you've ever seen some of these prison reality shows on television where they show you what a super lock-up is. I'm not terribly worried about one of these guys going to a super lock-up."

The segment was, to date, the most impassioned and broad defense of the closing of Guantanamo to come from a high-ranking Republican official. But it may have come a bit late. The Senate soundly rejected money to pay for Gitmo's closure last week and, with each passing day, Republicans in Congress see a political opening in attacking the White House on this front.

Calling the process of closing Gitmo "complex" and referencing the difficulties Bush faced in trying to make it happen, Powell said that President Obama had underestimated and mishandled the heavy political lift involved.

"President Obama came in saying he would close Guantanamo and he has run into some of those same sorts of problems," he said. "So I think we need to kind of take the heat out of this issue. I think President Obama didn't handle it very well by going up to Congress and asking for $80 billion without a plan. And by frankly, giving enough time to opponents of it to marshal their forces as to why we shouldn't do this."

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Comments

[Puffin16]

All I remember is Colin Powell standing before the American people trying to convince us (and the world) that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. I remember the talk of uranium from South Africa, and that Saddam wasn't cooperating with the inspectors, blah blah blah. He should be held accountable for blatantly misrepresenting the truth. He should have stood by his principles and publicly denounced what the Bushies were attempting to do if he truly was against it. So no thank you, ReThugs, you can keep him.

[gothicus]

I agree with Sen. Webb. They aren't Americans, were not captured on American territory, so there is no requirement to bring them to US territory. No one is concerned they will break out of maximum security US prison. There are 2 concerns, (1) is that they will convert fellow prisoners to fanaticism unless they are in 24/7 lockdown in which case that would be difficult (2) a federal judge at some point will turn them loose. The latter could happen sometime in the future and obviously they will be turned loose on American streets.

[aspen]

What would solve the crime problem and killings in the US and around the world would be to lock up all males from the ages of 11 to about 60. Is that realistic, no.

We already have terrorists under max security in Florence CO. They are in isolation and have no opportunity to influence anyone. Why can't this bunch be walled off from the rest of the inmates??

As for a federal judge letting them loose and their wandering the streets of the US, a straw man and very unlikely to happen.

[tjdumas]

Talk about not knowing things!!! WOW, first off, there has been NO escape from a SUPERMAX prison so you can now stop parroting the GOP talkin point, we get it, you're a repug. Even if they do convert inmates, THEY STILL CANT ESCAPE! Here is the big one, at a supermax prison THEY ARE IN THEIR CELLS FOR 23 of 24 HOURS. And finally, the one statement that makes you sound totally like a loser, that they will be on american streets? come on man, you can't be that silly on purpose anyway. WHO SAID THEY WERE GOING TO BE RELEASED ON OUR STREETS? Hey to make you feel better though, I have a underground bunker that you can buy to keep your family safe in case of the boogy man muslims all escaping from prison and coming for you. WOW!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL some people are just dumb.

[Genna]

I think you forgot to mention the conservative argument that he announced he would close Gitmo BEFORE he had a plan to legally process the prisoners contained within. The argument was expounded on the Chris Matthews' weekend show. It goes something like Obama is running an amateur hour show because he sets out these broadly outline ideals/goals without telling anyone how he is going to do it.

I think the argument missing the point entirely by having the listener focus on the wrong area. Bush created the prison before he knew what he was going to do with the prisoners he haphazardly housed there, he placed us in the war in Iraq and against the Taliban before he knew how he'd win the peace, and trash talked most of the Evil enemies before he realized military strength alone would get us no where. In the midst of these costly morasses Bush left, Obama is trying to make the illegal legal, the immoral indisputable and tell us these ticking time bombs won't leave us destitute.

I would argue Obama continues to gives ideal and goals when it is obvious by continuing Bush's procedure he can never reach these ends. Congressional Democrats have not been reservoirs of courage either. I argue Obama fails to strike out on his own when he can't build consensus. The triple max prison stays for Guatanamo Bay is a symptom of a larger failure to lead and press his way through conservative diversions.

[anniegirl9]

I wish we could have a third party. Let the nut bags keep the Republican label, form a moderate party. It wouldn't be much at first as it would splinter what is left of the GOP, but eventually, moderate Dems could move over and the Democratic party would be the real progressive party. At which point, what is left of the GOP would lay spasming on the sidlines in the seach for realavance.

[Saidas]

I think the one thing Democrats and Republicans agree on is that they don't want a third party.

[Spiderxx1]

I wonder what President Obama could accomplish if he had the strong support GW had, in congress and with the people. President Obama is out to do the right thing, GW was out to do the wrong thing. Say what you will, I strongly support President Obama, period.

[demlover1]

One wonders what might have happenned had Powell aired his grievances with the Bush Administration over the Iraq War before we invaded by resigning, since he was reportedly against the policy. It's much tougher to speak your mind when it's unpopular, but Powell chose not to do so. If he had it would have made me admire Powell more than staying in an Administration and making the case to the UN which helped lead the country to war (when from what I understand he didn't agree with the policy). If Powell had spoke out before the Iraq War, I wonder if it might have stopped the invasion? I'm not that impressed that he's speaking out now when Cheney and Bush are unpopular. It's like jumping on the bandwaggon.

[aspen]

Colin Powell owes an apology to the families of those who died in the unnecessary, unwise war that he enabled George Bush to take the country into. He needs to apologize to all those grieviously injured, who will never be whole again. He needs to apologize to the Iraqis for their thousands dead because we did not have a large enough force to provide security for them as an invading force is obliged according to the Geneva Conventions.

The Iraq war went against the Powell principles for taking the nation to war. What happened to a clearly perceived threat, overwhelming force, exit strategy??? None of these principles were met by the Iraq war. The myth is that Powell objected to the war. Then why did he make that embarassing presentation to the UN? There was intel available at the time that argued against what he was selling.

He has never made an apology for his part in getting thousands killed and wounded in an unnecessary war that he helped usher in.

Then he claims to have voted for president those he thought were best qualifed. He voted for George W. Bush twice.

Powell shows the same bad judgement of the rest of the GOP. They can keep him.

[keldog4511]

One has to recall that Colin Powell was never for invading Iraq. He told George W. that we could never hold it, it would be another Vietnam. Tommy Franks and others agreed. W. asked Colin Powell to basically give up his integrity and go with the party. He did. However, it was a bitter pill to swallow and one he basically regrets. He was never a real player after that and eventually resigned. I think there is no love lost for the GOP that forced him to sell out.

[wesely]

excuse me, I think that many of you got to excited to see Powell fighting back for a conscience, and missed a pretty good indication that no matter how hard he tries he's a hopeless case. at 2:30 he says that the "hard core" problem is that we are holding prisoners with no evidence of their crimes. A sane person in his position would then continue to say that we have to release these prisoners and apologize for being part of a criminal administration, he doesn't. Sorry moderate republicans...

[smiththomas]

if Powell supports Obama, who is for such a big government, how can he be a Republican?

[NPA]

Well he did serve under Bush who extended government and the national debt by how much?! Hmmmm?

[SueEll]

Big government? Did you happen to see the size of the national debt at the end of George Bush's presidency? You are aware that when he became president there was a huge surplus, right? A portion of which was squandered on private government contracts in Iraq. Conservative. Yeah, right. They're just conservative when it comes to their own personal wealth, no one else's.

[Gatorray11]

Remember they sent Paul Wolfowitz -- who was one of the Neocons who planned this war with War Profiteer In Chief Tricky Dickey II during their period in exile 1990s under the name of The Project for the New American Century -- to tell us the war would not cost us anything. He said Iraq oil revenues would pay for the war. The thrice divorced family values man Rush Limbaugh repeated that lie on his radio program. He also said it would lower the price of gasoline. Rush likes to play back some of his tapes. Why doesn't he play back that one?

But lying us into war was not enough. They made sure they and their rich buddies didn't have to pay for it So to hid the true cost of the ear they financed it "off budget." And, of course, they gave the richest Americans very large tax cuts.

So you wonder why our national doubled from $6 trillion to $12 trillion. And the fiscal year debt will be over $1 trillion. In fact with Barack Obama having to pay for the mess George II left behind the deficit will end up near $2 trillion.

[JoeBlough]

Bush doubled the size of Government. Obama is trying to rein it in.

[nmforney]

Powell has not denounced his affiliation with the Republican party; he did some soul searching and is trying to help clean up the political arena. He recognized the hope, validity and integrity in which the President is trying to make America, America the great again! All that went on in the last administration will probably never be toldl, but don't forget Mr. Powell was there. I have three children and sometimes they do things that I don't like, but the fact remains that they are my children and I love them. Sometimes tough love is required, hopefully the two parties will work together.

[Saidas]

Who created the scenario for so much government involvement in the first place? Do you think any of this would be taking place if not for the destruction wrought by the Republicans? This was all caused by deregulation which was first initiated by Lord Reagan and furthered by any Republican who could do so.

The name of the Act that Clinton signed into law in 1999, is called the Gramm-Leach-Biley Financial Services Modernization Act. Note the first name of the Act... GRAMM. Yes, as in PHIL GRAMM, who was John McCain's Chief Economic Adviser. The repeal of Glass-Steigal was passed in a Republican Congress by 53 (R) to 1 (D) as was all the rest of the deregulation that brought us to where we are now. Btw...this whole mess didn't begin on Jan 20th.

[vinny]

"We have got two million people in jail in America, the highest incarceration rate in the world. And they all had lawyers. They all had access to the writ of habeas corpus and they're all in jail."

Yes We Can!!!

[blanco]

Liberals--you can have him---he's useless!

[vinny]

Useless? Powell got you into Iraq.

So you can keep him. Obamacrats might want him, because they often blow with the wind rather than stand on principle, but let's not confuse Obamacrats with Liberals.

[bryansmith]

It would seem to me, as an apparent Obamacrat, that your "principles" are clouding your judgment.

[Bronxdude]

In the face of mounting world pressure to expose the truth about torture and how America was manipulated into war, the ability of republicans to willfully suspend reality is impressive, but frightening. Even though Newt Gingrich continues to call for Speaker Pelosi to resign, republican cronies refuse to revisit the facts surrounding Newt’s adulterous affair with a staffer while he was simultaneously pushing for the impeachment of Clinton for the same thing. Clinton survived, while Speaker Gingrich was forced to resign in disgrace. Regardless of Cheney’s fear mongering, America will be hit again (at home or abroad) because our enemies are too many. External (and internal) threats based on extreme ideology will produce causalities, just ask Israel, Spain, Great Britain, India, Germany, etc. If Bush and Cheney were so keen about keeping America safe, why were we hit nine months into the Bush Administration? Since no administration (republican or democrat) will be able to keep us totally safe from terrorists (home-grown or imported), it’s simply unfair and unrealistic for Cheney to promote this as a benchmark of success. It’s like saying seatbelts will eradicate motor vehicle fatalities, or space travel is always safe. America is a country of laws; we are not barbarians, a fact that gives us unprecedented moral standing in the world. Right or wrong, GIs responded brutally during WWII and Vietnam to revelations that fellow Americans were being tortured. No doubt Al-Qaeda will respond the same way.

[rejoiceinit]

Yea, cuz Cynthia Mckinney or Dennis Kucinich would have been such a better choice.

[jimbeaux1961]

He was pretty handy at winning the Gulf War; like your hero, W, you just don't like hearing the truth. How's that working out for ya?

[kurtlockwood]

Powell said, "A new Republican Party will emerge." Maybe but it's first gonna have to get rid of the albatross that is Boss Limbaugh.

Kurt Lockwood

[American50]

Colin Powell = liberal

[King Cashaw]

This is bad?

[Cryostatic]

Progressive, actually. Sort of like Teddy Roosevelt.

[vinny]

Right, progressives can be communitarians, i.e. socialists, but let's not confuse Obama with the square deal rhetoric of Roosevelt, just yet.

[JoeBlough]

Colin Powell = duped conservative.

[Solex]

Colin Powell=big time Oreo & house slave.

[blimie]

Powell hits back at Cheney, GOP. Hmmm.

Is this headline supposed to imply that Powell will fight for what he believes in, that he will stand up for his principals?? PUH LEEZE, spare me.

[rdiaz921]

school principals are very different from values/principles.

Hell yeah he'll fight for principals! education is very important to him.