War position shapes lawmakers' view of ruling

By Ben Conery THE WASHINGTON TIMES | Friday, June 13, 2008

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NEWS ANALYSIS:

Whether politicians considered Thursday's Supreme Court ruling on Guantanamo Bay Naval Base detainees a victory for terrorists or for the Constitution was largely determined by their substantive stance on the war in Iraq.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican, said the decision will "hamper the ability to prevent a massive murder of our civilians."

"This is a setback for those who have made battling the war on terrorism their first priority," said Mr. Rohrabacher, a supporter of the war since the earliest post-Sept. 11 debates on overthrowing Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

But Rep. Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts Democrat, called the ruling "a stunning repudiation of the hubris and legal contortions of the Bush administration."

"The Supreme Court has reaffirmed what we are all taught from grammar school on: that the United States is a nation of laws and that our Constitution and Bill of Rights must be respected," said Mr. Markey, who has voted against funding the war and favors an immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

The reactions of both parties' presumed presidential nominees also mirrored their general stances on the Iraq war.

Sen. Barack Obama, Illinois Democrat, said the decision "ensures we can protect our nation and bring terrorists to justice, while also protecting our core values."

"This is an important step toward reestablishing our credibility as a nation committed to the rule of law and rejecting the false choice between fighting terrorism and respecting habeas corpus," he said in a statement on his campaign site. Mr. Obama has emphasized repeatedly on the campaign stump that he opposed to war, unlike many congressional Democrats, even before it began.

Campaigning in Boston, Sen. John McCain told reporters he worries about giving habeas corpus rights to enemy combatants, but the former Vietnam War prisoner also emphasized his longstanding opposition to torture, saying he supports closing the detention center at Guantanamo.

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