This would be unbelievable, except that given the track record of this administration, it's totally believable. The United States government has announced that it may hold Guatanamo detainees indefinitely, EVEN IF THEY'RE ACQUITTED BY A MILITARY TRIBUNAL! Yes, you read that correctly. Even if a jury of United States military officers, in a proceeding that has been highly tilted in favor of the prosecution, decides to acquit a detainee, our government nevertheless claims the right to keep him at Guantanamo (or presumably wherever else we decide to hold him) forever.
The following is from an AP article published today:
A jury of American military officers is expected to begin deliberations Monday in the case of Salim Hamdan, a Yemeni who faces a maximum life sentence on charges of conspiracy and supporting terrorism.
Even if he is found innocent, he may not leave this U.S. Navy base. The military retains the right to hold those considered to pose a threat to the United States — even those who have been cleared of charges at Guantanamo's "military commissions."
The commander, Navy Rear Adm. David Thomas, said he has been looking for the most appropriate facility to isolate prisoners who have had their day in court.
A number of years ago, my wife had occasion to host a delegation of German government officials who were visiting her employer. Seeking to make small talk, she asked one of them if he had ever been to Maryland before. He had been, he told her. She asked whether he'd had a chance to visit many of the sights in the Maryland/DC area, and he replied that hadn't, since he'd been here only as a POW late in World War II.
My wife was embarassed about this and apologized for bringing up what must have been an unpleasant memory. Not at all, he assured her, he'd been fond of America ever since, because he'd been treated very well during his time as a POW, and if he hadn't been captured, he might well have been sent to the Eastern Front and been killed.
Somehow, if any of them are ever released, I don't think that will be the reaction of those who have been treated to the tender mercies of Gitmo, or the "Gitmoized" Abu Ghraib, or any of our other still-secret detention facilities. Perhaps that's why we're so reluctant to release any of them, even if they're acquitted.
I weep at what George W. Bush has done to this country and its reputation in the world. And while John McCain has talked a good game, and while he, of all people in the world, should know better, when it's really counted, he's enabled Bush at every single step.