McCain slams Supreme Court on terrorist detainees

Associated Press
Sat Jun 14, 12:31 AM ET

Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Friday sharply denounced a Supreme Court decision that gave suspected terrorist detainees a right to seek their release in federal courts.

"I think it's one of the worst decisions in history," McCain said. "It opens up a whole new chapter and interpretation of our constitution."

McCain is one of the authors of the 2006 Military Commissions Act which set up procedures for the handling of detainees. The act denied the detainees access to federal courts.

The Supreme Court on Thursday said that provision of the law violated the constitution.

McCain on Thursday said he had not read the ruling and reserved his criticism. But on Friday, speaking to about 1,500 people at a town hall meeting in Pemberton, N.J., he attacked the decision, saying the law he helped write "made it very clear that these are enemy combatants, they are not citizens, they do not have the rights of citizens."

The issue could be potent for McCain, who often encounters questions from audiences about how he would go about selecting potential justices for the court. McCain often cites Chief Justice John Roberts as the type of justice he would nominate. On Friday he especially praised him for his dissent in the detainee case.

McCain spoke to reporters after the town hall, accompanied by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who helped him write the military commissions law.

"What happened yesterday was unprecedented," Graham said. "Americans are going to be shocked to find that that mastermind of 9-11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, now has the same legal standing as an American citizen."

news.yahoo.com...;_ylt=AjL2GvgoKHRLLKEZ4WEreXSSl7MF

Mccain makes me sick, I hope he lose in the Election.
Just think, he we a POW himself.

He is as dirty as they come, Mccain is unfit to be our President.

reply to post by cashlink

That's why McShame is McSame.

Here's the scariest part: "McCain is one of the authors of the 2006 Military Commissions Act which set up procedures for the handling of detainees."

Yikes! A true BushCo clone.


[edit on 14-6-2008 by GoldenFleece]

Associated Press
"I think it's one of the worst decisions in history," McCain said. "It opens up a whole new chapter and interpretation of our constitution."

McCain is one of the authors of the 2006 Military Commissions Act which set up procedures for the handling of detainees. The act denied the detainees access to federal courts.

The Supreme Court on Thursday said that provision of the law violated the constitution.

Good one McCain. It'll be one of the worst decisions in history when we actually start obeying the constitution?

he attacked the decision, saying the law he helped write "made it very clear that these are enemy combatants, they are not citizens, they do not have the rights of citizens."

How about humans..? Are they humans? Because I'm pretty sure that there's at least some human rights laws that George hasn't unsigned yet.

Just more of the same crap that's destroyed America's standing in the world and made a mockery of everything good we've ever done.

What would he do if he got into office and didn't have his boogey men sitting down in Cuba?

Weren't there a bunch of stories out about how the majority of these people we detain are not enemy combatants found out on the 'battlefield', but rather people handed over by authorities/citizens?

In Afghanistan we pay good money for those 'combatants' and the ruling class (war/drug lords) are all too happy to get some free money. The byproduct of the state sponsored 'people trade'.

Whatever though, they are evil, they are the enemy, they are these things in spite of being proven innocent.

edit: I shouldn't have to add this but: Of course I realize that not all those detained have been proven innocent or are innocent.

Let's not kid ourselves though; many, many are innocent.

[edit on 6/14/0808 by spines]

Originally posted by GoldenFleece
he attacked the decision, saying the law he helped write "made it very clear that these are enemy combatants, they are not citizens, they do not have the rights of citizens."

Thanks to guys like McSame and laws like the Military Commissions Act, citizens don't have the rights of citizens.

Most of these guys in Guantanamo are poor peasants who were captured by corrupt Afghans and turned over to the U.S. military for bounty money. The whole thing is disgusting.

McCain is playing for the Republicans who do not like him or his record. What the court did and how it has added rights to aliens of the USA is not for this thread.

McCain is looking for free headlines and publicity, which is what this article has done. I don't know what it would take for me to change back to a Republican nod towards the prez position, but this ain't it.

The thing to also think about here is, IF McCain ever became president, and if a Supreme Court judge was to retire, he would be able to put a judge in there that has the same beliefs he has!

Justice 5, Brutality 4

There is an enormous gulf between the substance and tone of the majority opinion, with its rich appreciation of the liberties that the founders wrote into the Constitution, and the what-is-all-the-fuss-about dissent. It is sobering to think that habeas hangs by a single vote in the Supreme Court of the United States — a reminder that the composition of the court could depend on the outcome of this year’s presidential election. The ruling is a major victory for civil liberties — but a timely reminder of how fragile they are.

[edit on 6/14/2008 by Keyhole]

A major victory for civil liberties?Hmm a known terrorist deserves the same standing as a law abiding US citizen who doesnt kill someone from disagreeing with them?Strange ruling indeed.This is the same guy who wants the death penalty for himself too i think.Hard to believe a person who doesnt respect his own life would respect other life as well.But thats just my opinion.

Originally posted by Justice11
A major victory for civil liberties?Hmm a known terrorist deserves the same standing as a law abiding US citizen who doesnt kill someone from disagreeing with them?Strange ruling indeed.

It's written right in our Declaration of Independence how our founding fathers felt, didn't matter if you were a citizen or not.

The Declaration of Independence

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness.

Our founding fathers view was that "all men are created equal", so that would mean that our justice system should treat EVERYBODY the same/equal. Everybody should be able to get a fair trial if you are being held for a crime by the US, doesn't matter if your a citizen or not due to the fact that "ALL men are created equal!