Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba — The first members of Congress to inspect Camp X-Ray hailed the conditions for suspected al-Qaida and Taliban terrorists Friday and said international criticism of the prison was unwarranted.
The 25 members of the Senate and House of Representatives who came for a whirlwind visit were permitted to go beyond the concertina-wire enclosure that separates the captives from armed guards and walk along a path next to the 8- by 8-foot chain-link cells.
"I think it's too good for the bastards," said Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., echoing what appeared to be a common sentiment among the legislators.
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., said he found conditions inside "were better than they deserve. We're dealing with terrorists here."
A member of both the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees, Inhofe said he would recommend approval of a permanent compound to house terrorism suspects that could accommodate up to 2,500 captives.
Based on a briefing by commanders, he said about 15 percent of the 158 captives on this American-controlled slice of Cuba were "not indigenous in some way to Afghanistan." He offered the opinion that, after that 15 percent had been interrogated, "many of them will likely be sent home" to their original countries.
"I think in the interrogation process we're going to find that some of them will be legitimately sent back to their countries, and they should be," Inhofe said.
Others, he predicted, could face military tribunals or in "rare cases" could be taken to the United States, "the same as John Walker," a reference to John Walker Lindh, the so-called American Taliban, who is being detained in suburban Washington, D.C., to face federal charges.
The delegations consisted of 22 House members and three senators.
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