Senate Dems "Wuss Out" Again

President Obama has been very clear about his plans for the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay. He says it has created far more terrorists than it ever held, and it must be closed down. Yesterday, he told Americans, "The record is clear: Rather than keep us safer, the prison at Guantanamo has weakened American national security. It is a rallying cry for our enemies. It sets back the willingness of our allies to work with us in fighting an enemy that operates in scores of countries. By any measure, the costs of keeping it open far exceed the complications involved in closing it."

Guantanamo has become a symbol for torture and a flaunting of the rule of law. It is a continuing embarrassment for the United States. Obama is right -- it should be closed down as soon as possible.

Senate Democrats know this is true, but once again most of them show they don't have the courage to stand up and act on their beliefs. Most of them have joined the Republicans and stripped $80 million out of a war-spending bill that was requested by the President to help close Guantanamo.

The senators don't want the prisoners to be transferred to any prison facility inside the United States. Here is what the spineless Majority Leader, Harry Reid, said, "Let me be clear: Democrats will not move to close Guantanamo without a responsible plan in place to ensure Americans’ safety. And we will never allow a terrorist to be released into the United States.

“This amendment is as clear as day. It explicitly bars using the funds in this bill to ‘transfer, release or incarcerate’ any of the Guantanamo detainees in the United States. When the Administration closes Guantanamo, we will ensure it does so the right way.”

Frankly, I don't understand what they're afraid of. Do they think American prison guards and officials are not capable of dealing with the Guantanamo detainees? If so, that is just plain stupid. American prison guards and officials deal with prisoners every day that are far meaner and more dangerous than the "terrorist detainees".

This is just one more example of liberal Democrats who know what the right thing is, but are afraid to do it. This is just the kind political timidity that makes me (and many others) not want to identify as a liberal. When I was younger, we used to say a liberal was a leftist who didn't have the courage to follow through on his/her beliefs. It doesn't look like anything has changed.

While discussing liberalism on another blog the other day, a commenter reminded us of a song by the great Phil Ochs (pictured above) that summed this up nicely. It's called "Love Me, I'm A Liberal", and here are the lyrics:

I cried when they shot Medgar Evers
Tears ran down my spine
I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy
As though I'd lost a father of mine
But Malcolm X got what was coming
He got what he asked for this time
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I go to civil rights rallies
And I put down the old D.A.R.
I love Harry and Sidney and Sammy
I hope every colored boy becomes a star
But don't talk about revolution
That's going a little bit too far
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I cheered when Humphrey was chosen
My faith in the system restored
I'm glad the commies were thrown out
of the A.F.L. C.I.O. board
I love Puerto Ricans and Negros
as long as they don't move next door
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

The people of old Mississippi
Should all hang their heads in shame
I can't understand how their minds work
What's the matter don't they watch Les Crain?
But if you ask me to bus my children
I hope the cops take down your name
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I read New republic and Nation
I've learned to take every view
You know, I've memorized Lerner and Golden
I feel like I'm almost a Jew
But when it comes to times like Korea
There's no one more red, white and blue
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I vote for the democratic party
They want the U.N. to be strong
I go to all the Pete Seeger concerts
He sure gets me singing those songs
I'll send all the money you ask for
But don't ask me to come on along
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

Once I was young and impulsive
I wore every conceivable pin
Even went to the socialist meetings
Learned all the old union hymns
But I've grown older and wiser
And that's why I'm turning you in
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

—Phil Ochs