Independents want Gitmo to stay open

A year ago President Obama vowed to have the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention facility shut down by now, but Americans seem glad he's failed to keep that promise.

A new poll from Zogby International reveals a plurality of Americans, including a majority 55 percent of independent voters, do not want the camp closed.

The poll was commissioned by "The O'Leary Report" political newsletter, published by Brad O'Leary. O'Leary also is the author of "The Audacity of Deceit" and "Shut Up, America."

"Perhaps the most measurable failure of President Obama's first year in office is his inability to shut down the U.S. terrorist detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, as he promised to have done by Jan. 2010," the poll analysis notes.

"However … closing the facility is enormously unpopular with American voters," the analysis said. "The poll also finds that a strong majority of voters disagree with the Obama administration's decision to grant constitutional rights and a civil trial to the Nigerian national who tried to bomb an airplane over Detroit on Christmas Day."

That result coincides with a Zogby-O'Leary survey in December that found only 20 percent of American voters "strongly support" Obama's move to grant constitutional rights and civilian trials to five accused terrorists, including confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Administration officials have said the trials will take place in New York City.

The unpopularity of the decision even sparked the creation of an innovative new website, 911TerrorTrialTest.com. The site allows visitors to answer seven poll questions on the 9/11 terror-trial issue and then click to automatically submit their answers and opinions to their senators and congressman. The site is free for all users, and thousands have registered their opinions and sent e-mails to members of Congress.

The newest poll, which asked questions of 2,377 voters Jan. 19-21 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, asked: "A story in the New York Times says that an unreleased Pentagon report finds one-in-five terror suspects released from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility return to the fight. Critics of Guantanamo say holding prisoners without trial is against American values. Do you think the president should immediately shut down Guantanamo, shut down Guantanamo sooner rather than later, shut it down at a later date, or not shut down Guantanamo at all?"

"A strong 49 percent plurality of voters do not want Guantanamo shut down and an additional 8 percent think it should be shut down at a later date," the poll analysis said. "Nearly 25 percent want it shut down soon and 11 percent want it shut down immediately."

Among independent voters, 55 percent do not want Guantanamo shut down and an additional 9 percent think it should be shut down at a later date. Almost 24 percent want it shut down soon, and only 6 percent want it shut down immediately.

Among Democrats, 14.7 percent said Guantanamo should not be closed and 64.5 percent of the Republicans agreed, along with the 55.3 percent of the independents.

In a second question, the poll asked, "Do you think that Umar Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man who attempted to detonate a bomb aboard a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day, should be tried in a military tribunal, or be given U.S. constitutional rights and tried in a civilian court in Detroit?"

Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Sixty percent of all voters think the suspect should be tried in a military tribunal and only 33 percent agree with the Obama administration's determination that he should be granted constitutional rights and a civilian trial.

"Nearly 61 percent of independent voters think Abdulmutallab should be tried in a military tribunal, and only 31 percent agree with the Obama administration' decision to grant him constitutional rights and try him in the U.S. civilian court system," the analysis said.

WND reported a few weeks ago that even House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., has said the Obama administration may be making a big mistake by trying foreign enemy combatants in U.S. civilian courts. Skelton is the highest-ranking Democrat to challenge the decision announced by Attorney General Eric Holder.

Critics contend a civilian trial will give Mohammed and his accomplices a platform for slamming America and bring danger to New York City. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., warns that such a trial could move New York City "to the top of al-Qaida's target list."

The full results of the new poll can be seen online.

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