There was an article in The Politico yesterday that discusses the efforts of Rep. Jim Moran (D-8th) to close down the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. According to The Politico, "the 385 or so remaining terrorist suspects" could be transferred "to military brigs along the East Coast -- including Quantico" Virginia by the end of 2008. According to Jim Moran, who has visited Gitmo twice:
It sets us back in the war on terrorism to be maintaining Guantanamo...It will enhance our reputation to close it down and to apply our system of justice to all of these detainees.
Moran adds that "[m]any of [the Guantanamo Bay detainees] have never engaged in any act of violence" but merely "hold beliefs that are anathema to ours."
It will be very interesting to see how this plays out, especially since President Bush himself has said, "I very much would like to end Guantanamo; I very much would like to get people to a court." Also, from a local angle, will we see Gitmo detainees coming to Quantico, Virginia by the end of next year? Any thoughts on that angle of the story?