I don't mean to be ignorant, but what do you mean? I know that he is planning to close Gitmo (not a move I agree with, and one that will prove more difficult to do than than the promise was to make), but who has been released? I don't watch a lot of news b/c it upsets me soooo much. My lyme makes every emotion harder to handle, so I am not the newshound that I once was. Please tell me what you mean.

Bush was considering closing it as well for the very same reasons Obama is doing it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/08/AR2005060801612.html

I don't think it's ever good to release dangerous combatants and all that either. It's unfortunate though that the prisoners that we may want to prosecute gave "tainted" testimony because they were tortured. This all totally sucks. I agree.

As far as I know, Obama has never been a Muslim. I am not a psychic, but I do know he put his hand on a bible and not the Koran. So, outwardly, he's definitely a Christian. I will give him credit for strategy...let's just hope his strategy to clean up the mess works -- for everyone!

I hadn't heard that he released any prisoners...just that he's put a time limit on closing it. I don't think that automatically means that all prisoners are set free.

Would you provide your source of info?

I'm not sure but it sounds like you've never noticed that pretty much ALL politicians say what people want to hear.

My source was CNN today while I was eating. If we don't hold these people accountable then you are going to see an increase in terrorist activity here. He also overturned one of Bushes abortion laws too. I believe (not 100% sure) that the State would start paying for them. I don't know about you but I do not want my tax dollars going to help people who don't know how to use contreception abortions. There are other reasons (rape, birth defects) I would have a better time understanding those but a life is a life. I don't know about you but every church I have been to around election time gives print outs on canidates and there veiws and how it would affect Christians.
Obama has nothing on his agenda that is good for us Christians. And he did put his hand on the bible and salute the flag but, that is only after it started to affect his ratings. He only did that to appease people.
I don't want someone running this country who is doing it on popular votes. And then to make downward remarks about Bush shows his ignorance. Bush made desicions with the info he had. He isn't the only President that brought this country down. At least he stood up for what he believed in. And he believed in the policies this country was founded on.
I actually know people who are flying their flags at half mass because he go in. Just hold onto your hats because were in for a bumpy ride!!! I pray that he does bring change but you have got to convince me first that he deserves to be there.

Hers is my pennies worth,
Guantanamo was not the best solution or conditions to keep these prisoners in, it was constitutionally illegal as the prisoners were
kept in prison without trial or evidence.
Secondly the FBI are not stupid and by releasing them they can be under surveillance and will hopefully lead them back to Al Qaeda.
I think to accuse Obama of releasing these combatants because he is a muslim is paranoid and completely inaccurate.
People should stop judging the president now and just let him get on with the job. BUSH made all this mess, not Obama.
For anyone who wants further evidence of just how badly the Bush
administration got it so wrong I suggest they read, "The Great Unravelling" by Paul Krugman, it will make your eyes stand on end.

I've been newsing myself silly, because I'm feeling so rough with herxing. Anyway, no one has been released from Guantanamo by President Obama. He ordered it to be closed within a year, banned torture and is seeking solutions to the problems. However, they did show a former prisioner who was released some time earlier, and is now in Yemen, but was released under the Bush administration. I don't know the exact circumstances of the release, but I'm sure that this one is regretted by all.

And yes, President Obama is not a Muslim, but is reaching out as he put it in his Inaugural address, to the Muslim world and to all who could meet his hand by unclenching their fists. If we don't start to open doors of understanding, the bloodshed and terror will continue. If the doors are open and people feel heard and gain hope for their future, there will be far fewer terrorists.

By the by, some of the militant terror groups have already denounced President Obama. His early efforts to help broker a solution to the problems in the middle east and Asia, and his stated goald of ending or easing long standing tribal animosity diffuses their strength and they know this, so they are attempting to villify him.

We are in for a bumpy ride, as we face a lot of challenges in this country, as does the world at large.

I'm grateful that President Obama was willing to take on this most difficult set of challenges.

European Union foreign ministers are discussing whether their countries should take in detainees from the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay.
The US has asked other countries to take detainees whom it does not intend to put on trial, and who cannot be sent home for fear they might be mistreated.
Some EU members have suggested they might agree to accept detainees, while others say it is solely a US problem.
US President Barack Obama has signed an order to shut Guantanamo within a year.
Last month, Portugal told the US that it would offer asylum to some inmates, and urged other EU members to "step forward".
Albania is the only country to have so far accepted Guantanamo detainees on humanitarian grounds, taking in five members of China's Uighur ethnic minority in 2006.
'American problem'
The closure of Guantanamo and the fate of its detainees are being discussed behind closed doors during a meeting of the 27 EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Speaking to reporters beforehand, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he believed countries would take in some inmates as long as they were given access to them and background information beforehand.

Many of Europe's politicians are almost mesmerised by the new American president... But when he starts asking favours there may be more than a bit of foot-shuffling
BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell

Euroblog: EU considers response
"This is an American problem and they have to solve it but we'll be ready to help if necessary... I think the answer of the EU will be yes," he said.
The US has said there are 50 to 60 so-called "hard cases" at Guantanamo, including several Chinese Uighurs, whom it has been unable to repatriate because of human rights concerns in the home countries.
Libyan, Uzbek and Algerian detainees are also said to be at risk.
Ahead of Monday's meeting, Portugal's foreign minister told the Publico newspaper that there were "at least six or seven" countries prepared to take Guantanamo detainees.
"We want a multilateral framework that allows the states to develop initiatives in accordance with their own guidelines," he said.


The prison camp was set up in 2002 to hold "enemy combatants"

Q&A: Closing Guantanamo
'Struggle' over Guantanamo
The UK is so far the only EU country to have taken any former inmates back, and is now focusing on the eventual fate of two former residents who are still being held.
BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell says the Germans, Swedes, Irish and Finns are likely to help, and the Portuguese are pressing for a co-ordinated EU response.
"[Guantanamo's] closure is necessary for the USA, especially if the US wants to restore its credibility in the Middle East and in the Arab world. If Europeans are asked, we should not rule out helping," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the BBC.
At the other end of the scale, the Dutch say Guantanamo was a US mistake they advised against, and that it is up to the US to sort it out, our correspondent says.
With Mr Obama likely to ask for more troops for Afghanistan and tougher sanctions against Iran, this may be the first of several challenges for European politicians from a US president they want to please, he adds.

This is definitely not the time to be partisan. Obama is reaching out to the other side of the aisle.

That's a very healthy sign since this hasn't been done in eight long messy negligent years.

Obama's approach is a clear departure from Bush. I don't know who coined this term, but we're moving beyond partisan business as usual and now and entering a phase of "post partisan" politics.

Either way, I hope it puts an end to the contentious nature of partisan politics once and for all. I'm sick of it -- it has gotten us absolutely nowhere. We need to come together as a country while we're falling apart and reeling from eight long years of bad governing. What good came out of the Bush years? I did not vote for him I admit, but I wished him well and did not fly my flag at half mast because of him. I consider myself an independent voter. One of those sought after swing votes, but I didn't believe Bush was good for the country and I still flew my flag high and proud even though I disagreed with his policies.

Bush pandered to his base -- the wealthy few -- cut their taxes even when he invaded Iraq -- a country he was ill-equipped to go to war with. I still recall Rumsfield saying "we'll be greeted with flowers". Tell that to the 1000s of wounded returning from that war. Afghanistan is where we should have focused our efforts. We should have continued our policy of containment with Iraq...Supporting regime change, but containing him too. There were no weapons there and in the meantime, Osama bin Ladin remains at large as far as we know.

I agree Standstrong, this article sheds some light on the bush administration and war.


Published on Saturday, December 20, 2003 by Reuters
Democrats Press Rumsfeld for Halliburton Records
by Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON - Democratic lawmakers pressed Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Friday for records that could shed light on a draft audit that found Halliburton may have overcharged the U.S. government by $61 million for fuel it shipped into Iraq.

Halliburton, the Texas-based oil services company run by Dick Cheney before he became vice president, refused to be drawn into what it suggested was a growing political fight as Democrats put pressure on the Bush administration over Iraqi contracts.


A Kellogg, Brown and Root sign adorns the Halliburton corporate headquarters near downtown Houston, December 12, 2003. Last week the Pentagon said a draft audit found Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root may have been overcharged $61 million by a Kuwaiti sub-contractor it chose to bring fuel into Iraq from Kuwait. (Tim Johnson/Reuters)
"We do not intend to debate these issues within the context of a political campaign, for either party," said Halliburton spokeswoman Wendy Hall.

A preliminary Pentagon audit disclosed last week found evidence that a Halliburton unit, Kellogg Brown and Root, potentially overcharged by as much as $61 million through September for gasoline imported from Kuwait under an Iraq reconstruction project.

Rep. Henry Waxman of California and Rep. John Dingell of Michigan, respectively the top Democrats on the House of Representatives' Government Reform Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee, asked for detailed information about subcontracts and bids by potential subcontractors.

They also sought records, by no later than Jan. 5, of contacts between the Defense Department and Halliburton, and between the Defense Department and the Kuwaiti Oil Ministry relating to gasoline imports.

INTERNAL AUDIT DOCUMENTS

Halliburton was awarded a no-bid contract in March to rebuild Iraq's oil industry. So far, it has billed the U.S. government $2.26 billion for related services.

Halliburton denies any wrongdoing and Hall said "KBR delivered fuel to Iraq at the best value, the best price and the best terms."

Hall denied a suggestion by Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, a Democratic presidential contender, the company had refused to turn over internal audit documents sought by the Defense Contract Audit Agency, or DCAA.

A Dec. 10 letter in which the audit agency complained about a purported lack of cooperation amounted to "old, outdated information," Hall said in an e-mailed reply to Reuters.

"We are with the DCAA and we have updated and provided materials to them following these numerous meetings" since the Dec. 10 letter, she wrote.

Lieberman, in a letter to Rumsfeld on Thursday, quoted Michael Thibault, DCAA deputy director, as saying Halliburton's own auditors had warned the company of "serious problems" with its fuel contracts with the U.S. government.

"The Halliburton auditors warned that the prices the company was charging to import fuel from Kuwait were excessive," Lieberman wrote.

Hall said all documents used for Halliburton's internal "evaluation" had been provided to DCAA.

A Pentagon spokeswoman said DCAA auditors were reviewing Halliburton's response to their draft audit.

Dave, thanks for posting the snippets regarding EU and how the attitude toward the US is beginning to change.

People - we have successfully isolated ourselves over the past 8 years from the rest of the world.

Our enemies attacked us. Our friends tried to reason with us, and we said basically, screw.

We bullied the world, turned a deaf ear to our friends, and ostrasized ourselves.

To me, that makes us MORE vulnerable to terrorist attacks; and puts us on our own if it ever happens.

I am hopeful that Obama can repair some of our broken relationships. Internally to the US is important, but perhaps even more important are the US's relations with other world powers.

No man is an island. Bush tried to be an island, and IMO only made us a bigger, more hated target.

Hate is not how we'll resolve these problems. It's simply not worked for the past 8 years, and I thank God those days are behind us.

It was my understanding that Gitmo violated
the Geneva Conventions on torture, that it
violated habeus corpus. I'm relieved that
Obama has a program to close in within a
year. And yes, I feel it's important to
get information correct so that more fear and
distrust isn't spread. My understanding is
the same, that a former prisoner was
released under Bush and returned to Al Caida
(however you spell it) in Yemen.
It's also my understanding that we live
in a country where under the Consitution
we have separation of church and state. So,
theoretically, even if Obama did put his
hand on the Koran, which he obviously
didn't, it wouldn't be a huge problem..
There would be no problem. If he bowed
to Mecca every morning, that would be his
own decision.
And to me, the larger question is not
Guantanemo, but how we managed to get in the war in the first place, and what he will now
do to end it. These would be long blogs and
probably more appropriate for other web
sites. I certainly realize these are
controversial topics but since I read all this here today, I feel getting factual info
is important It's very heartening to see
that people from other countries know more
about our laws and government than we
sometimes do...thanks for all of your
inputs..I appauld rising above the
differences and distinctions that divide
us!!!!

And a big Hurrah from Canada! We have Obama fever here, and are lovin' it. In this case, change is a good thing and are anxiously waiting his visit...

It does my heart good to hear positive things about the US from our international friends! We (the US) did such damage to our international relatinoships - that bothered me as much as anything else.

I have to echo some of the joy and optimism that I see reflected in some of the comments here. I feel like I'm starting to breathe fresh air for the first time in nearly eight years. Open dialogue with others and listening to what they have to say, knowing that there is no one right way on anything and that we can and will be only enriched by hearing other points of view and learning from them....... Ahhhhh. That feels so good!

I had wondered if I was the only liberal to survive eight years of suffocating double-speak, the seemingly deliberate alienation of other countries and resultant isolation of this country, and the nearly unprecedented truncation of our civil rights, as named in our Bill of Rights. Well, I guess not, on being the sole liberal as President Obama was elected by a landslide, surely some of those voters were long standing liberals, like myself.

And while we're on the topic of (well, we aren't actually, but this is my clever way of introducing the topic) of a seeming loss of collective conscience over the last 30 odd years. I'm so pleased to see glimmer of hope and light that we will return to the unfinished and even abandoned business of seeing to our need for renewable resources, reducing our conspicuous consumption of energy and all things material, and perhaps even (as in the 70's) return to the concept of living for something greater than ourselves, and learning to look outside of ourselves and our own sometimes personal and narrow interests.

I'm thrilled to live in a country where church and state are separate, as that allows both to flourish.

I've been wondering for years now why it was considered unpatriotic to question our government (I know when it became unpatriotic, 9/11) and its policies when the basis and strength of this country relies on exactly that, not only our right to question the actions of our government, but our duty to do that. The failure of our press and journalists to go for hard information and to soft and placatingly towards President Bush, post 9/11, took down one of the main checks that we have on ensuring that we are receiving accurate, unbiased and complete information. There is nothing to my mind as dangerous as the restriction of information.

I am thrilled to live in a country that consists of people, cultures and religions from all over the world. We are enriched by these things, as we are by our dialogues and friendships with those abroad or across our borders.

:::stepping off of my VERY high soapbox:::: :) But it felt soooo good to say that much.

I felt very proud of our country when I read all the tolerant and encouraging words written about Obama on this blog. On the other hand, I feel very discouraged when I read statements that are totally devoid the facts, and I wonder if some folks are actually HOPING Obama will fail?

Most of us are SICK of the intolerant, narrow-minded partisan bickering and falsehoods spread over the past 8 years, and the mean-spirited mind-set.

BTW, as Colin Powell said (paraphrasing) " It is INCORRECT to say that Obama is Muslim. He's Christain. But the RIGHT thing to say is even if he were Muslim, what is wrong with that? Is it wrong to be Muslim in America? What message does that send to every young Muslim in America? "

And this from a Republican in Bush's administration who endorsed Obama. I watched him live the day he spoke to the UN about WMD- I knew he was lying. I could see it in his eyes. Something was wrong. I told my husband, I think Powell has sold his soul, but why? I admire him greatly, so I've had a hard time justifying his actions. I hope it was because her knew that Bush was going to do what he was going to do regardless, and he felt it would be better if he were on board.

I was disgusted that the US, my country, would not abide by the Geneva Conventions guidelines RE: torture. Disgusted that we could lock people up for years without even charging them with a crime. How can that be justified?

Thank you, Obama, for lifting us back up, and for doing the RIGHT thing.

And LaurieG, thanks for your insightful comments. I like your soapbox!