Another aspect of the Military Commission debate was highlighted by Andrea Prasow, Senior Counter Terrorism Counsel for Human Rights Watch.
She told The Public Record, --Military Commissions are new and untested. They have handled only five cases, three of which were plea bargains. By contrast, Article III courts have a proven track-record for prosecuting terrorism suspects. The Military Commissions remain deeply flawed and any verdict rendered by them might ultimately be overturned by the Supreme Court. The victims of 9/11 deserve better than to see such important cases prosecuted in a defective legal system."
And Chris Anders, ACLU Senior Legislative Counsel, injected a note of political realism into the issue. Noting that Rooney's bill was introduced last year and went nowhere, he said it may have a brighter future now because of Republican control of the House of Representatives.
But he told The Public Record that the Rooney measure is merely the first of many focusing on Guantanamo and Military Commissions that are likely to be introduced in this session of congress.
Rooney, who was elected in 2008, represents Florida's 16th Congressional District, which stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic coast. Rooney won election with 60% of the vote.
He is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on Agriculture. He was selected to serve as a Republican Deputy Whip for the 112th Congress, the only second-term member to be tapped for this post.
Though not a member of the Tea Party caucus, he spoke at the South Florida Tea Party's first rally on Tax Day in 2009.
Rooney spokesman Michael Mahaffey said, "Congressman Rooney is very supportive of the Tea Party Movement and its message of lower taxes, less government and more personal freedom." He added, "He believes the strength of the Tea Party lies in its grass roots support and its leadership from the people, not from Washington."
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