Cheney Discounts Guantanamo Reports

Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that the United States’ image had not been damaged by allegations of prisoner abuse at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and that people who urge the closing of the U.S. prison “probably don’t agree with our policies anyway.”

Cheney answered Guantanamo critics during an appearance at the National Press Club, saying that the prisoners being interrogated at the prison were properly housed and fed, received medical care and had religious needs met.

“If we didn’t have that facility at Guantanamo to undertake this activity, we’d have to have it someplace else because they’re a vital source of intelligence information,” the vice president said. “They’ve given us useful information that has been used in pursuing our aims and objectives in the war on terror.”

Some Republican lawmakers say problems over the prison itself and allegations of mistreatment there should cause the administration to consider closing the facility. The White House said all options remained open about Guantanamo Bay’s future.

“The individuals who are at Guantanamo Bay are dangerous terrorists who seek to do harm to the American people,” White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. “We’re always looking at all alternatives for how best to protect the American people.”

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) cited Guantanamo on Sunday as one reason the U.S. is “losing the image war around the world.”

However, Cheney said that “the track record there is on the whole pretty good.”

“Now, does this hurt us from the standpoint of international opinion?” he asked. “I frankly don’t think so. And my own personal view of it is that those who are most urgently advocating that we shut down Guantanamo probably don’t agree with our policies anyway.”

Human rights activists and some lawmakers -- mostly Democrats -- want the prison closed, highlighting allegations of torture and abuse of detainees. President Bush has said his administration is “exploring all alternatives” for detaining the prisoners, some of whom have been held for more than three years without charge.

In a statement Sunday, the Defense Department said it “does not wish to hold detainees longer than necessary, and effective processes are in place to regularly review the status of enemy combatants.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee plans a hearing on the issue Wednesday. Sen. Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the panel’s senior Democrat, said the U.S. had created a “legal black hole.” “We want other countries to adhere to the rule of law. And in Guantanamo, we are not,” he told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”