Miniter's Notebook

One other thing: Simmons is no talking head. He has conducted his share of interrogations of drug lords, narco-terrorists and enemies of order in Central and South America in the 1970s and 1980s. He is looking at Gitmo with a professional eye, the way your dentist brother-in-law can help noticing the problems of a waitress' bridgework.

Here's Simmons' eyewitness report:

After traveling to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on Friday, June 25 to see first hand how the Enemy Combatants were being treated I have come to some startling conclusions. It became apparent to me that those on the Left trying desperately to undermine not only the President but also the United States are completely void of any real information about the treatment of detainees. It is clear now that along with some members of the press, the ACLU and other quasi-communist / socialist organizations and even some of our own members of Congress, the real play here was to spread false information about the treatment of detainees and undermine US efforts at Gitmo and in the war. Those who espouse these lies are liars. Those who have traveled to Gitmo and have seen the actual conditions and continue to espouse the lies are ignorant liars. From the clothing that the detainees are required to wear to the food they eat, everything is clean and healthy. They are provided soccer facilities and exercise areas. Some spend as much as 6 to 7 hours or longer a day relaxing outside playing chess or reading. The Koran is secured neatly on the wall above the ground. The exercise courts have an arrow painted on them pointing to Mecca. The cells have neatly folded blankets and prayer mats and most have air conditioning. They are provided prayer times every day 5 times a day. They are provided with 24 hour medical and dental attention. At about this point in the tour I started getting angry. Angry at those who had been telling the world how bad we were treating the prisoners and how bad the conditions were. Pure unadulterated BS. But the soft treatment didn't stop there. Along with the other military analysts we were allowed to view 4 interrogations. Interrogations? These were more like love fests or therapy sessions. If the terrorists tell the interrogators what they want to know and the intel proves true and beneficial, they are rewarded with chocolate and cookies or hard to get magazines and books. If the detainees throw feces or spit on the guards, which is done frequently, there are no repercussions. Only the hope that they will see our kindness and change.

By the end of a long day, one that began at 2:30 a.m. for me, I soon
realized that several things were taking place at Gitmo. The most
important was that General Jay Hood was the right man for a very tough job. He had some of the very finest the military has to offer guarding our facility and the detainees. General Hood has demanded the best from them and they have responded.

It also became apparent, to me at least, that though the interrogation techniques being used are finding some success, much stronger techniques should be used in conjunction with the techniques currently being used.

I am convinced that there is time sensitive intel not being extracted
and that some of the detainees are purposely withholding intel because they are allowed to continue in their cushy surroundings even if they don't cooperate with the interrogators. It became clear that ALL of the detainees being held at Gitmo have been proven to be Enemy Combatants. There were no mistakes. These are the worst of the worst. The most evil of the evil. It was while viewing one interrogation that I sensed evil in the room, a sensation that I had not felt since interrogating narcoterrorists over 20 years ago. These terrorists are capable of launching an attack within hours of being released from Gitmo. How do we know? Because at least 12 that were released did just that. Nursed back to health, given medical treatment, teeth fixed. In at least one case, given a prosthesis and released. He killed again within months. While flying away from Gitmo on Air Force Two with the sun slowly beginning to set, I faced the realization that we are not just facing Al Qaeda et. al. in this war on terror. We are facing attacks by those who, under the guise of humanitarian organizations, are attacking the US.

Some are even here in the US striking from within. This time, we have
proven they are liars and are collaborating with the enemy. We must
continue to expose those members of Congress who lie to the American
public and essentially collaborate with the enemy. Members who claim our interrogation techniques are too brutal and compared us to Stalin, Pol Pot and Hitler must be brought to task. This war is inside our sacred borders. If we do not continue to inform the American people with the truth, they will lose their resolve and we will lose the war. Americans can handle the truth.