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History of Guantanamo  |  Conservative Fearmongering | Military Leaders Speak Out

Military Leaders Speak Out

Despite the fearmongering of Dick Cheney and other prominent conservatives, the vast majority of current and former military leaders agree that we should close Guantanamo now. That's why, when President Obama called for the closure of Guantanamo and an end to torture on his second day in office, he was joined by 16 retired Generals and Admirals. Here are what just a few of our military leaders have to say about the importance of closing Guantanamo:

Former Secretary of State, General Colin Powell

“If it was up to me, I would close Guantanamo. Not tomorrow, but this afternoon. I'd close it.”

General David Petraeus, Commander, US Central Command

 “We don't need it, and it's causing us far more damage than any good we get for it.”

Lieutenant General Harry E. Soyster (ret.), former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency & Rear Admiral John D. Hutson (ret.), former Judge Advocate General:

Hutson: "We can bring these people to the United States, put them in prison in the United States, prisons from which nobody has ever, in the history of America, escaped, and we will be perfectly safe.”

Major General Paul D. Eaton (ret.), former Commanding General of the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team in Iraq

The Bush Administration "allowed Guantanamo to become a recruiting poster for al Qaeda."