Even our staunchest ally can no longer abide the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay.
Yesterday, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw likened the prison camp to a Soviet-style "gulag." Today, UK Attorney General Lord Goldsmith called for the U.S. to close down our camp at Guantanamo. Goldsmith said its presence was "unacceptable" and it should be closed immediately, not just as a matter of principle or policy, but also in his personal opinion.
"The historic tradition of the United States as a beacon of freedom, liberty and of justice deserves the removal of this symbol."
He doubted the legality and fairness of the "enemy combatant" designations and added that his government was, "unable to accept that the US military tribunals proposed for those detained at Guantanamo Bay offered sufficient guarantees of a fair trial in accordance with international standards."
Although Downing Street remained mum on the comments of the ministers, both ministers have said they stand by their comments. Could this signal a change in the cozy relationship between Bush and Blair? Is the Labor Party finally realizing how little they got for their Faustian bargain with Bush?
3 comments:
Blair, like Bush, is on his last leg. He is on the way out. So bashing him and his relationship with Bush is safe and possibly expediant now that votes will soon be cast again.
// posted by unwest
What unwest said. The Iraq war is unpopular, Blair's association with Bush is a strong negative, Labour was slapped around in the local elections.
It is definitely expedient -- Labour has got to do something to improve its image, and getting humanitarian on Bush can't lose.
I suspect that one of the keys for Labour is delicately managing the timing of when Blair steps down, relative to the US elections, and how its attitude changes toward Bush.
// posted by Bob
I have not seen one prominent Democrat call for the closure of Guantanamo. Not one! If I'm wrong please point it out to me. (Feingold would be a good place to start looking, if there is such a quote out there)
// posted by Bell Curve
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