A voice of reason, but a little late
Colin Powell appeared on Meet The Press today; during his appearance, he said the following (via Think Progress):
I think it is short-sighted not to talk to Syria and Iran and everybody else in the region.
[...]
And if it was up to me, I would close Guantanamo — not tomorrow, this afternoon. I’d close it. And I’d not let any of those people go. I would simply move them to the United States and put them into our federal legal system. The concern was, well, then they’ll have access to lawyers, then they’ll have access to writs of habeas corpus. So what? Let them. Isn't that what our system’s all about?
[...]
I would get rid of Guantanamo and I’d get rid of the military commissions system, and use established procedures in federal law or in the manual for courts martial.
Powell's reputation was permanently damaged, if not destroyed, by his dog-and-pony show at the UN; perhaps he's trying to rehabilitate his legacy by finally speaking up. Perhaps he's merely trying to rid himself of the stink of the neocons, against whom he battled and lost. Either way, I'm glad at least one Republican is willing to speak the truth.