Sen. John McCain has been
working with the White House on a plan to close the prison camp at Guantánamo. For years, McCain has been insisting that if the administration came up with a plan and submitted it for congressional approval, he'd shepherd it through. Language to that effect did actually make it into the defense authorization bill now up for consideration, although the language included in the committee's draft includes final congressional approval and the provision that if they don't like it, they can put
even more restrictions on closing the prison than currently exist. That's triggered a possible veto warning.
That's assuming that McCain manages to get the bill to the floor and passed. Clearly, McCain has not been taking into account the fact that his fellow Republicans are assholes.
Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) has filed amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would strip out the section allowing for the administration to submit a plan, along with another section that allows for detainees to be temporarily transferred to the United States for medical treatment.
Inhofe could face an uphill battle in getting his changes approved. The Guantánamo provisions garnered broad bipartisan support in the Senate Armed Services Committee, winning adoption in a 19-7 vote.
But that vote also split Republicans, underscoring the disagreements in the party about what to do with the controversial facility and its detainees.
Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Roger Wicker (Miss.), Mike Rounds (S.D.), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Dan Sullivan (Alaska) and Mike Lee (Utah) voted for the Guantánamo plan on the committee. But, Inhofe, as well as Sens. Jeff Sessions (Ala.), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Deb Fischer (Neb.), Tom Cotton (Ark.), Joni Ernst (Iowa) and Ted Cruz (Texas), voted against it.
Many of these Republicans simply do not want Obama to fulfill one of his chief campaign promises and top priorities as president. But the politics of this is interesting. Note that you've got rival presidential candidates in that list—Graham and Cruz—taking opposing stands. Beyond that, you've got Ayotte, who is having to think about re-election in 2016, breaking up the glued-at-the-hip trio she's formed with Graham and McCain. Clearly, she feels she has to protect her right flank going into the election.
All this makes the Democrats' decision to block the bill because of the spending gimmickry in it sort of a sideshow. It also makes for one more massive headache for Mitch McConnell, and the potential for another big disaster happening on his watch. Gee, too bad.