Last updated on: 3/10/2016 1:56:03 PM PST
Should the United States Close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp?
Pro (Yes)
Pro
"I have been on record in favor of closing Guantanamo for a long time, since 2008. When I was Secretary of State, working closely with the President, I had a special envoy to find places that could take back some of the prisoners... I believe the President is right to try to close it. I think it is a continuing recruitment advertisement for terrorists...
There is no reason for us to continue to have Guantanamo."
Source: Stephen Collinson, "CNN Town Hall: Clinton, Sanders Make Pitch to Minority Voters," cnn.com, Feb. 23, 2016
Pro
"[C]lose Guantanamo, abolish secret kill lists, and repeal indefinite detention without charge or trial."
Source: Jill 2016, "Power to the People Plan," jill2016.com (accessed Apr. 27, 2016)
|
Con (No)
Con
"[Interviewer:] Governor, should we close Guantanamo Bay? Should the people who are there either be tried in federal district courts or returned to their country or should we keep it open and let them stay there uncharged, untried for the rest of their lives?
[Gary Johnson:] Well, when President Obama didn't close Guantanamo, when that was one of his promises, I really looked into the issue and I've had really a lot of prominent Libertarians tell me that, if it weren’t for Guantanamo, that we would have to create that situation somewhere else. So I've kind of been sold on the notion that this is something that we have to have whether, if it's not Guantanamo, it's going to be somewhere else. That these are enemy combatants so and not US citizens so I'm on, I've been, I've been wooed over to side that there’s a reason for keeping it open."
Source: Erik Kain, "Gary Johnson Would Not Close Gitmo," forbes.com, Apr. 29, 2011
Con
"This morning I watched President Obama talking about Gitmo, right, Guantanamo Bay, which by the way, which by the way, we are keeping open, which we are keeping open. And we're going to load it up with some bad dudes. Believe me; we're going to load it up.
But here's the thing I didn't understand. I heard this but I didn't understand it. We spent $40 million a month on maintaining this place? Now, think of it - $40 million dollars a month. What do we have left in there, like, a hundred people, or something? So we're spending $40 million dollars. I would guarantee you that I could do it for a tiny, tiny fraction. I don't mean like 39, I mean like maybe $5 million, maybe 3, maybe, like, peanuts.
Maybe in our deal with Cuba, we get them to take it over and reimburse us, cause we're probably paying rent... We're going to keep it open by the way, but we're going to get the cost down."
Source: David Weigel, "Trump: Maybe Cuba Should Take over Guantanamo 'and Reimburse Us,'" washingtonpost.com, Feb. 23, 2016
|
|
FORMER CANDIDATES
(Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria appear below in black and white and in alphabetical order.)
Pro (Yes)
Pro
"We must also, finally, close the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The mere existence of this camp, and the misguided policies that led to its creation, continues to damage the United States' moral standing in the world, undermines our foreign policy, and fans the flames of terrorism rather than deters it."
Source: Bernie Sanders 2016, "War and Peace," berniesanders.com (accessed Feb. 25, 2016)
|
Con (No)
Con
"Well, if it was such a good idea [closing Guantanamo bay] I guess it would have been done seven years ago. Obviously it's not a great idea and I don't support it. And, you know, the assumption is that all Presidents coming after him [President Obama] will also think it's a good idea. It's, I think, ill-conceived if you think it is better to kill people, rather than to capture them and obtain information from them, then I guess you like this idea [to close Guantanamo]."
Source: MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts, "Carson: I Don't Support Closing Guantanamo Bay," msnbc.com, Feb. 23, 2016
Con
"You know, just today President Obama announced his plans to try to shut down Guantanamo terrorist detention facility.
Let me say this Mr. President, don't shut down Gitmo, expand it, and let's have some new terrorists there.
How on earth does any President look in the eyes of a mother or father, whose son or daughter lost their lives capturing these terrorists and justify - we're going to release 'em again when we know a very high percentage of them are going to return to waging jihad...
I believe that President Obama intends to try to give the Guantanamo naval facility to Raul and Fidel Castro as a parting gift."
Source: David Weigel, "Cruz Warns That Obama Will Hand Guantanamo Base over to the Castro's," washingtonpost.com, Feb. 23, 2016
Con
"I don't favor closing Gitmo. I don't understand it. Look, these are people, some of whom are the worst of the worst. And why would we send them into our country? I just don't understand it. So, look, he promised it in the campaign, when my people said this morning he was going to do this, I said, 'Why is he doing this?' They said, 'Campaign promise.' So, all I can tell you is I profoundly disagree."
Source: America's Newsroom, "Kasich: 'I Profoundly Disagree' with Closing Gitmo," video.foxnews.com, Feb. 23, 2016
Con
"You wake up this morning to the news that the president is planning to close Guantanamo — maybe even giving it back to the Cuban government. This makes no sense to me. No. 1, we're not giving back an important naval base to an anti-American communist dictatorship.
No. 2, we're not going to close Guantanamo. In fact, we shouldn't be releasing the people that are there now. They are enemy combatants...
These are literally enemy combatants. In essence, soldiers — though not soldiers — terrorists of foreign terrorist organizations, many of whom as soon as you release them, they rejoin the fight against us."
Source: Al Weaver, "Rubio: Obama's Guantanamo Plan 'Makes No Sense,'" washingtonexaminer.com, Feb. 23, 2016
|
None Found
Withdrew on Feb. 20, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Feb. 10, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Feb. 10, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Dec. 21, 2015; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Feb. 1, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Feb. 1, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Feb. 3, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
|
|
|
RECOMMENDED to you...
|
|
1
|
|
2
|
|
3
|
|
4
|
|
5
|
|
6
|
|
7
|
|
8
|
|
9
|
|
10
|
|
11
|
|
12
|
|
|
|
CITE THIS PAGE
Who is the author?
|
|
SHARE
|
|
