Guantanamo Bay: Best defense is offense

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan - excerpt

What was your question about the United Nations?

Q The U.N. committee call on Guantanamo.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I'd point out a couple of things. First of all, the U.N. team that was looking into this issue did not even visit Guantanamo Bay. They did not go down and see the facilities. They were offered the same kind of access that congressional leaders, who are responsible for oversight of these matters, have been provided. Yet, they declined to go down there.

I think that what we are seeing is a rehash of allegations that have been made by lawyers representing some of these detainees. We know that these are dangerous terrorists that are being kept at Guantanamo Bay. They are people that are determined to harm innocent civilians, or harm innocent Americans. They were enemy combatants picked up on the battlefield in the war on terrorism. They are trained to provide false information. And al Qaeda training manuals talk about ways to disseminate false information and hope to get attention.

source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060216-1.html



"...enemy combatants picked up on the battlefield in the war on terrorism" [see left]