Americans overwhelmingly oppose closing Gitmo

August 25, 12:49 PMPhoenix Conservative ExaminerScott Martin

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A majority of people now favor holding onto our little slice of island paradise, our island retreat from the stress of jihad. Add closing Gitmo to the growing list of harebrained Obama schemes to remake America that are being soundly rejected by the American people.

Seventy-five percent (75%) of U.S. voters are at least somewhat concerned that dangerous terrorists will be set free if the Guantanamo prison camp is closed and some prisoners are transferred to other countries. Fifty-six percent (56%) are very concerned... just 24% are not concerned about the potential danger.

Apparently those 24 percent are not aware that it has already happened, that dangerous detainees who have been released from Gitmo have already resumed killing Americans on foreign battlefields.

One of the more interesting things to note about President Obama is that ideas that once sounded fairly reasonable to many people no longer sound so good once he gets into the details.

Support for the president’ s plan to close the prison camp for suspected terrorists at the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba continues to erode. It’s been steadily dropping since Obama announced the camp closure just after taking office in January. Only 32% of voters now favor closing the prison camp, down six points from May and down 12 points since the President announced his decision in January.

At the same time, closing Gitmo was never particularly popular outside the loony left. Most Americans are rational enough to understand that we need a place to detain enemy combatants. They understand that a place can not be inherently evil, and that if any practices need to be changed, that is no reason to destroy a valuable national asset.

Still, 50% of voters now say it is at least somewhat likely that the Guantanamo prison will be closed by January, including 17% who say it is very likely.

Half of the country thinks it doesn't matter what the desires of the American people are. The President will do what he will do, like it or not, rational or not. Overall, Americans do not buy the leftist claims that detaining or otherwise punishing evildoers is bad for relations with the Muslim world.

Just 18% of voters say closing the Guantanamo camp will improve America’s relationship with the Muslim world. Fifty-seven percent (57%) believe closing the prison will not help that relationship, and 26% are not sure... The president has argued that the camp weakened U.S. national security, although only 25% of voters agree with that view.

Finally, Americans overwhelmingly do not want detainees on American soil.

If the camp is closed, the inmates need to be transferred elsewhere. One facility under consideration is a maximum-security prison in Michigan north of Detroit that is scheduled for closing in October. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of U.S. voters oppose housing Guantanamo prisoners in Michigan, while 28% favor the idea. Opposition nationally is stronger than in Michigan itself where 50% are against housing Guantanamo inmates in the prison there, while the other half are Marxist, statist tools of their government masters.

Give Obama a few months to explain things and support dwindles to the loony left. If Obama had to spend ten minutes explaining why it was a good idea, he couldn't sell water to a thirsty illegal in the Arizona desert. I can't wait for the Cap and Trade discussion.