With election day two weeks away, why hasn’t the president been campaigning for John McCain? White House spokesperson Dana Perino says Sen. McCain — who now goes to great lengths to distance himself from Mr. Bush, by saying “I’m not George Bush” - is running his campaign as he sees fit. Besides, Perino says, the president has had a lot on his plate the last few months: notably Russia’s invasion of Georgia and the economic crisis. Does this suggest he’s too busy to help Sen. McCain? “Not at all,” says Perino.

The possibility of a second round of economic stimulus checks is on the White House radar, but with Congress away for the next few weeks, the White House is not expecting anything to happen anytime soon. Does the White House support the idea? “We’re open to any and all ideas,” Perino says. But she points out the massive $700 billion rescue package approved by Congress and signed by the president is still in the pipeline: “It’ll take a while for that to have an impact.”

Perino knocked down the The New York Times article claiming President Bush has decided not to close the U.S. Navy prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where some 272 detainees are being held. “The president remains committed to closing Guantanamo,” she said, “But it is complicated.” Perino cited several reasons, including ongoing habeus corpus litigation, military tribunals and the unresolved issue of where to move any detainees that might be released. “Guantanamo would be easy to close,” she says, “If you don’t care about those issues.”

Attorney General Michael Mukasey spoke today at a hearing concerning “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice,” for the House Judiciary Committee. Although Mukasey was never sworn in, he defended the DOJ’s actions over the past few years and spoke about the changes they are making with voting rights, concerns over Guantanamo Bay and other domestic issues.

Mukasey spoke about the changes the DOJ has made with outreach and monitoring, they have been working with civil rights groups and state and local elections officials to identify and solve problems. Also, on election day, the DOJ will deploy hundreds of observers and monitors around the country, so that the American people have confidence in our electoral process.

Mukasey said that “I do feel that it is urgent to address the Boumediene v. Bush case,” because there is an ultimate risk that terrorists could be released in the United States from Guantanamo Bay. Congress and the Executive Branch are in a better position than the courts to create practical procedures and rules to govern the habeas corpus hearings required by the Supreme Court, procedures and rules that would both give the detainees what process they are due and accommodate the grave national security concerns involved, he said.

“We believe firmly in a comprehensive approach to law enforcement in stopping gang violence,” Mukasey said. The U.S. is facing on an international level more organized crime and the U.S. needs to do more, he said. On the issue of prison overcrowding, Mukasey said that federal prisons are handling the situation, but state prisons, especialy on the southern border are severely overcrowded.

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft spoke at the fifth part of a hearing entitled “From the Department of Justice to Guantanamo Bay: Administration Lawyers and Administration Interrogation Rules.” Ashcroft defended the Department of Justice’s action in Guantanamo Bay, saying that they worked within the framework of the law and never supported torture. (more…)

Talk Radio News Service bureau chief Ellen Ratner writes about the personal meaning of the landmark Supreme Court ruling on the rights of Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Click hear to read her blog.

Colonel Will Gunn, retired legal council for the Department of Defense office of military commissions, says the use of coercive testimony is still allowed as long as it was obtained before 2005, this is a fundamental shift in the U.S. system of justice. Gunn said that the United States’ actions amount to second hand justice. (1:10)

 

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The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing today about how the Bush Administration’s railed detainee policies have hurt the fight against terrorism. The witnesses discussed the lower credibility of the United States’ action in Guantanamo Bay from a legal perspective. (more…)

Matthew Waxman, an associate professor of law at Colombia Law School, says that despite any challenges, Guantanamo should be closed. Waxman explains that detention policy is not about eliminating risk, but about balancing and managing competing risks, including risks to U.S. values and legal system. He also says that by effectively completing closing down the detainee camp, the U.S. will simultaneously strengthen both its security and its adherence to core democratic principles. (0:39)

 

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Chairman Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) talks about the Guantanamo Bay prison. Hastings says that there has not been a single completed trial of those suspected of the most serious crimes committed against our country, including Khalid Sheik Mohammed and alleged “20th hijacker” Mohammed al Qahtani. Hastings also says that Qahtani may be rendered incapable of participating in his trial due to the methods of interrogation used against him. (1:09)

 

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The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commision) held a hearing on “Guantanamo Detainees after Boumediene: Now What?” Chairman Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) presided over the hearing and said that six years after the Guantanamo camp was opened, there seems to be little progress made in addressing the fundamental problems that plague the detention facility. Hastings also said that the fact that Guantanamo is still open is testament to the genuine challenges the U.S. faces in relocating its residents, and also “speaks to a lack of political leadership” in fixing the problems there. (more…)

Correspondent S. Dawn Jones is covering Amnesty International’s exhibit of a replica of a Guantanamo Bay Prison Cell. Correspondent Meredith Mackenzie is attending an energy forum with Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio). Legal Affairs correspondent Jay Goodman Tamboli will cover the Supreme Court. (more…)