Tear Down Guantanamo Bay, Mr. President

Today's remarkable decision by the U.S. Supreme Court was a stunning rebuke to the Bush administration's handling of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. In the matter of Salim Ahmad Hamdan v. Donald H. Rumsfeld, secretary of defense, et al, the Supremes ruled the Bush administration had exceeded its authority by denying due process to those prisoners access to the courts and to legal representation. Specifically, the court ruled "the Administration violated both American military law and the Geneva Convention."

In a 5-to-3 ruling, the justices also rejected an effort by Congress to strip the court of jurisdiction over habeas corpus appeals by detainees at the prison camp in Guantanamo Bay.

In other words, for all who believes in the words chiseled into the facade of the Supreme Court building -- "Equal Protection Under Law" -- today is a victory for justice!

Several weeks ago, while awaiting the Supreme Court's ruling, President Bush mused that he thought Guantanamo Bay should be closed but that he did not want to act precipitously and before the court's ruling. Now that the Supremes have asserted that everyone has the right to his or her day in court, the people of the United States are calling on the president to do the right thing and close this disaster of a prison. For too long now, Guantanamo has been known as a place of torture and abuse.

In times like these, we remember the immortal words of Mr. Bush's fellow Republican and role model, President Ronald Reagan, when President Reagan challenged the Soviet Union’s tyranny and called on then-president Gorbachev -- and I paraphrase -- "Mr. President, tear down Guantanamo Bay."