Posted by Joel Mathis July 13, 2005 at 9:48 a.m.

More on Gitmo

Today, [the Senate Armed Services Committee][1] receives a briefing about allegations that detainees at Guanatanamo Bay were treated harshly, amid reports that one investigation recommended a reprimand for the prison's former commander.In today's [Kansas City Star,][2] Sen. Pat Roberts makes the case that, if things were once bad at "Gitmo," they're fine now." I just returned from the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, (Gitmo) this past weekend and got a very thorough look at the outstanding job our hard-working men and women are doing - both military and civilian," Roberts writes on the Star's opinion page."Were there problems at Gitmo in the past? Yes. But, the small number of incidents have been investigated and corrected. Everything I saw is consistent with what we have learned from the Senate Intelligence Committee's ongoing oversight of operations at Gitmo: It is a tightly run ship with excellent internal, as well as external, oversight and supervision."Given who the detainees in Gitmo are, and make no mistake - they are terrorists - it's hard for me to imagine how much better they could have it. They are treated humanely and respectfully."Roberts adds: "The interrogation sessions themselves are something of which all Americans can be proud. I can't get into the classified details, but let's just say that they're using more carrots than sticks."And he concludes: "The brave men and women working at Gitmo, including several Kansans whom I met, have enough to worry about every day, handling very dangerous people, without being dragged through the mud by ill-informed accusations of abuse and calls for closing down Gitmo."Instead, let's give them our support and thanks for a job well done."Other links:Pat Roberts links [(Washington Post via MSNBC) GOP on offense in defense of Rove:][3] Wilson was a chief target of the new GOP offensive designed to take some pressure off Rove. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) said the White House did not have to discredit Wilson. "Nobody had to do that," he said, adding that "he discredited his own report" by including unfounded allegations. The RNC talking point memo included a list of anti-Wilson lines.[(Knight Ridder) Despite allegations, Bush still backs Rove:][4] However, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that while it was too early to determine whether his panel would examine Rove's role in the leak of Plame's name, he conceded that the matter is potentially very serious. "Yeah, we're concerned," he said. "The key to it is whether it was knowingly or inadvertent. ... If it's on purpose, it is a very serious problem."How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation [here.][5] [1]: http://www.suntimes.com/output/terror/cst-nws-gitmo13.html [2]: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/opinion/12116633.htm [3]: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8557461/ [4]: http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/nation/12120744.htm [5]: http://ljworld.com/extra/where_to_write.html#fed