THE TERRORISTS NEXT DOOR:

Democrats face hard time over Guantanamo: Obama's decision to close the detention facility puts lawmakers on the hot seat as word spreads that some detainees could be relocated to the U.S. (Janet Hook, May 7, 2009, LA Times)

States and municipalities around the country are saying "not in my backyard," and Republicans are raising the prospect of relocated detainees putting Americans in danger.

"By releasing trained terrorists into civilian communities in the United States, the administration will, by definition, endanger the American people," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

In several states, legislators have introduced or passed resolutions opposing the transfer of detainees to correctional facilities or military bases in their areas. One Montana town volunteered to take detainees into its empty prison, only to be denounced by the state's entire congressional delegation.

"Not on my watch," said Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.). [...]

The GOP effort to spotlight the issue is part of a campaign to sow anxiety about Obama's stewardship of national security. Shifting their focus from the economic issues that have dominated the Washington debate, Republicans have been trying to portray Obama's presidency as one that has made the nation less secure.

In a Web video that includes images of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) asks, "Just what is the administration's overarching plan to take on the terrorist threat and to keep America safe?"

To ask the question is to answer it: this is an administration that has done no long term thinking on any topic, they follow W's lead and they react to minutiae.

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 7, 2009 7:36 AM