Just saw President Obama on Rachel Maddow regarding force feeding at GITMO

[Just Saying]

He said he's going to cut some slack to the woman who interrupted him because force feeding prisoners is something to be passionate about.

What a horrible situation! What action can the President take to stop this? Does he have the power?

[Cha]

1. I dunno, JS.. I read yesterday

that a judge said PBO is the only one who can stop it.. but, I'll need more information.

[Just Saying]

2. Rosa Brooks

Was the guest on the show and she said he could do it with the stroke of a pen which I assume means executive order. Of course then they may starve to death. That whole situation is such a mess and needs to be shut down. Yet another huge mess dumped on Obama by the Bush administration. And Congress continues to block attempts to shut it down.

You could plainly see that this weighs on the President. He's a good man so this must go against his moral beliefs.

[CountAllVotes]

3. yep

Been hearing this since before 2008.

I thought that change was commin' and that Gitmo would be one of the first places to say farewell too.

This goes on for one simple reason.

Like all things as this -- war profiteering is the sad culprit.

History repeats itself again and again and again and again ...

Enough already a long forgotten time ago. It is another broken promise. How many more will there be? How much time is needed ANYWAY?

[Cha]

6. Excuse me? This President has not broken his

promise. Congress will not fund the closing of gitmo.. that's just one reason why we need a Democratic Congress in 2014.

[CountAllVotes]

8. Why does he continue to send

Medical personnel, more medical personnel to force feed the hunger strikers?

It is against international treaties to do this.

Does any one give a damn at all?

I DO and I am SICK of this, all of it.

If you want to die by starving yourself to death as you are so very desperate, I believe that is just fine if that is what YOU want to do.

How many more YEARS will this take?

How much more money will be spent?

War profiteers should know exactly how much more they can suck out of this sicko deal!

[Cha]

9. I don't know why they're trying to keep them alive.

If congress would release the funds to close it, they could get them out of legal limbo and then they might not want to die.

But, I do know the President wants to close Gitmo.. he cannot do it without the funds from Congress.

[peacebird]

7. Sad, but you seem correct. Was he lying when he ran on hope & change, or has the NSA blackmailed him

Will we ever know?

[Cha]

10. No, he wasn't "lying", peacebird.

This is the Barack Obama Group and those who support President Obama are Welcome here.

But, silly speculation is not.

[peacebird]

15. I ardently supported him in his first run for the Oval, supported him for his 2 nd as well

but now question WHY he has brought more charges against whistle blowers than any other Pres? Why is he promoting trade agreements that attempt to force GMO's on Europe? That attempt to flood European markets with our cheap massproduced GMO feedlot fed meat?

[Cha]

16. Yeah, there are issues that aren't perfect right now.. but, we keep working for

it and appreciate the President for what has been accomplished.

That's what this group is about and there is the whole of DU other than here to continue with your disappointment.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

11. Your memory sucks, then

Because you obviously can't just free all the prisoners and Peter King & other unhinged GOP went ape shit at having trials back here in the states. Then people opposed and balked about having these prisoners in super max prisons in the U.S.

Obama stuck with no-win situation.

[orpupilofnature57]

4. He signed the NDAA, he can signed this .

[Cha]

5. Yes, that's exactly right. Dumped on him by bush and congress who

don't give a shit about anything.

And, we have this President who cares very much and wants to close Guantanomo but can't get the funds from congress. Now, we have this catch 22 regarding the prisoners who would rather starve than live in legal limbo.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/01/miami-herald-reporter-guantanamo-prisoners-would-rather-starve-than-live-in-legal-limbo/

It's fucking ridiculous.

[Just Saying]

12. I know it's a different situation

But it reminds me of scenes from "Iron Jawed Angels" where suffragists were force fed when they waged a hunger strike. It's barbaric.

Eight years of Bush and we'll be dealing with the aftermath for years to come!

[delrem]

13. Obviously Pres. Obama hasn't the power.

That's been the whole excuse for the continuation of this charade.

[Jamaal510]

20. It's not an excuse; it's the truth.

He's not some king who can just close the joint down. Republicans in Congress have to help him.

[dennis4868]

14. And if President Obama simply let them starve to death

the same people here, who are now bashing him for not letting them starve to death, would be bashing him for letting them starve themselves to death. They would say what kind of a human being simply allows people to starve to death when he can stop it and force feed them.

And it boggles the mind that some on DU actually think President Obama is wealthy enough to fund the closing of Gittmo and doesn't need Congress' assistance.

[treestar]

18. Absolutely right

They'd be calling him a killer.

I prefer the force feeding to letting them die, too. There's a big difference between life and death. This ought to be a burden to those who won't allow Gitmo to be shut rather than the president. People who sincerely want it shut would be after those politicians.

[IrishAyes]

19. It's called 'beat him to a pulp & then stomp him for bleeding'

Those people can't be pleased no matter what, because they don't WANT to be. It's passive-aggressive and borderline. The worst types to deal with.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

17. The thing is that we can not just let them starve themselves.

They have to eat. Just like when people try this in regular jails and in mental institutions.

The Gimo situation is on the shoulders of the Congress. They do what they need to do so the President can close it, this would be different.