Real Costs of Guantanamo are U.S. Leadership and Credibility, says Retired General to Washington Post

In a letter to the Washington Post published yesterday, retired General Charles Krulak emphasized what General Petraeus has also made clear–that Guantanamo has damaged our credibility and effectiveness of our operations and that “it serves as a lingering reminder of our missteps in the war on terror.”

The letter was in response to an article that ran a week ago outlining the financial costs–at least $500 million, Washington Post reported–of renovating the facilities at Guantanamo Bay since the U.S. government began holding terrorism suspects there.

General Krulak concludes, “The real absurdity of the Guantanamo boondoggle is that we never needed to spend a dime to create it.”

General Krulak is one of the founding members of a group of retired military leaders Human Rights First has worked with to advocate an end to torture and closing of Guantanamo. They spoke with Presidential candidates in 2007/8 and stood behind President Obama as he signed executive orders ending torture and pledging to close Guantanamo.

The group has recently taken to the campaign trail again, in the lead-up to the midterm elections. Earlier this month, they were in Philadelphia speaking with congressional candidates on the importance of closing the prison and using civilian courts to try terrorist suspects. They also reacted strongly against President Bush’s statement that he’d waterboard again.

To help lend your voice to our campaign, sign our petition to close Guantanamo and use our courts.