One of the most vulnerable senate Democrats is facing his second major national security blunder in several weeks. The Associated Press is reporting that two Colorado prisons are being scouted as likely destinations for Guantanamo Bay detainees – including suspected terrorists – being brought into the country:
Senior U.S. officials say a Defense Department team will be visiting a state and a federal prison in Colorado to assess their possible use to house detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of the Obama administration’s plan to close that detention center.
Officials say that within the next two weeks the team will visit the Colorado State Penitentiary in Canon City and the so-called Supermax federal prison in Florence.
If Sen. Michael Bennet’s past votes are any indicator, he appears ready to welcome detainees into Colorado with open arms. In 2013, he voted in favor of authorizing funds for the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the U.S. He also voted against legislation that would have prevented or put limitations on the transfers.
National security has already become a serious problem for Bennet since he threw his support behind President Obama’s dangerous Iran nuclear deal. The Colorado Springs Gazette wrote:
The Colorado Democrat’s support for President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran — opposed 2-to-1 by the American public — has not sealed his political fate. But it has substantially increased his vulnerability…
…From now until Nov. 8, 2016, Bennet will seek re-election as a man who trusted Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with a deal that will enrich the Iranian government in return for promises to curtail its nuclear program. Critics fear the arrangement will make Iran more dangerous, and the Ayatollah appears to agree.
Bennet’s apparent willingness to jeopardize national security and the security of Coloradans to appease national Democrats isn’t likely to help his terrible poll numbers – the most recent round of polling indicated that only 32 percent of Colorado voters believe Bennet should be reelected.