Posted on 02/22/2009 8:46:25 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
President Barack Obama has told relatives of victims of the bombing of the USS Cole and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that his most important responsibility is keeping the U.S. safe.
Obama met with about 40 family members on Friday to explain why he believes closing the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will make the country safer and ensure justice for the terror suspects being held there.
Obama is concerned that terror suspects have been held for years without trial. He has signed an executive order to close the facility within a year.
One woman who attended said Obama assured them he wants the same thing they do -- justice for their loved ones.
Seventeen U.S. sailors including Gary Swenchonis Jr., 26, of Rockport and Ronchester Santiago, 22, of Kingsville were killed in 2000 when the USS Cole was attacked in a Yemen port.
Members of both men's families declined the invitations to the White House.
"I was pretty angry but I didn't want to go there," said Gary Swenchonis Sr. "We already knew what he was going to do. It wouldn't have made a difference either way."
"I'm upset and it's really hard for me," said Simeona Santiago, who said the notice of Friday's meeting was too short for Ronchester's survivors to attend. "Those feelings keep coming back to me -- I still think about my son every day. I don't know what else to say. He's the president and he can do what he wants."
The meeting came the day after a senior Pentagon judge dropped charges against an al-Qaida suspect Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who is accused of masterminding the 2000 USS Cole bombing and is held at Guantanamo.
The Associated Press and staff writer Stuart Duncan contributed to this report.
Families of Cole Victims Worry White House Meeting Is Window Dressing
President Obama is meeting with the families of victims from the Sept. 11 attacks and the USS Cole bombing, after a military judge on Thursday dropped charges against a suspect in the 2000 Cole bombing
President Obama is meeting Friday afternoon with the families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and the bombing of the USS Cole — but some invited guests say they worry that the gesture is window-dressing, since the administration has suspended trials of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and a military judge on Thursday dropped charges against a suspect in the 2000 Cole bombing.
The military charges against suspected Al Qaeda bomber Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri marked the last active war crimes case at Guantanamo Bay. New charges can still be brought against al-Nashiri, and he will remain in prison for the time being.
But at least two Cole families complained to FOX News that Obama should have met with them first, to hear them out, before a final decision was reached on the charges.
“We’ve already waited eight years for justice. Justice delayed is justice denied,” said retired Navy Cmdr. Kirk S. Lippold, the commanding officer of the Cole when it was bombed in Yemen.
Lippold expressed disappointment that he learned from FOX News, not the administration, that the charges in the al-Nashiri case had been dropped. Lippold, who is a fellow with Military Families United, said he would be among family members of victims who are meeting with Obama at the White House on Friday afternoon.
Gary Swenchonis, a Texas resident whose son, Gary Jr., was killed in the Cole bombing, told FOX News he turned down an invitation from the White House to meet with Obama.
Swenchonis said he received the invitation Thursday, and that he did not care to travel from Texas to Washington on such short notice to hear the “bad news” that charges were withdrawn in the al-Nashiri case.
Excerpt.
All that matters is that Obambi keep the daily kos and the huffington hag fest happy. He is such wuss..
SCUMBAG!!!!!!!!!!!
They should spit in his face, and I say that with all due respect to the President.
Bravo! I am thankful for your loved one's service and sacrifice, and I applaud your resolve.
Amen
Rockport paper had a great op-ed about this. But Google (I know) won’t link it.
Bull Crap!! He doesnt give a rats hiney about keeping this country safe! He,s only been in office a month and he turns loose the captive terrorists, spends a couple trillion for Dem dreams, and bails out the rat voters! What,s next?
Only God knows, my friend, but you can bet it's not going to be anything we want.
don’t ask we don’t want him to do more irrepairable harm to our country. He is NOT my president.
Zero only invites friendly audiences to meet with him. He must be really surprised when he runs up against true Americans who believe it’s the President’s FIRST priority to keep us out of harms’ way.
bttt
Nah, ya think?
This assclown magic negro s going to get a whole lot of Americans killed right here in the U.S.A.
I love it!
That expression “with all due respect,” clearly means “You’re obviously due no respect whatsoever, scumbag!”
LOL!
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