"We will never win this war until we understand the effect that Guantanamo Bay has had on the overall war effort. And we'll never get the support of the American people if we can't prove to them that these folks that we're dealing with are not common criminals. We're going to keep them - keep you safe from them"
About this Quote
Graham’s line is a politician’s tightrope act: he gestures at Guantanamo as a strategic liability while reaffirming the security logic that keeps it open. The first sentence nods to a reality Washington long tried to quarantine from public debate: the prison’s existence isn’t just a moral controversy, it’s an operational factor. “Overall war effort” frames legitimacy as a battlefield variable, hinting that indefinite detention, abuse allegations, and legal limbo have been recruitment fuel and diplomatic friction, not merely PR headaches.
Then he pivots to the domestic audience, not international law. “Support of the American people” becomes the real theater of war, and persuasion hinges on classification. The phrase “not common criminals” is doing heavy lifting: it’s a demand that detainees be read as exceptional enemies rather than defendants with rights. That exceptionalism is the subtext of Guantanamo itself - a space designed to sit outside ordinary legal categories. Graham is effectively saying: we can’t sell this policy unless we convince voters these people don’t deserve the system we reserve for “criminals.”
The closing assurance - “We’re going to keep them - keep you safe from them” - is classic securitarian rhetoric, turning a contested institution into a protective barrier. The dash is revealing: a momentary stutter between “them” and “you,” between the faceless detainee and the citizen, meant to collapse doubt into fear. Contextually, it’s post-9/11 politics in miniature: admit the optics are damaging, insist the threats are extraordinary, and make safety the trump card that ends the argument.
Then he pivots to the domestic audience, not international law. “Support of the American people” becomes the real theater of war, and persuasion hinges on classification. The phrase “not common criminals” is doing heavy lifting: it’s a demand that detainees be read as exceptional enemies rather than defendants with rights. That exceptionalism is the subtext of Guantanamo itself - a space designed to sit outside ordinary legal categories. Graham is effectively saying: we can’t sell this policy unless we convince voters these people don’t deserve the system we reserve for “criminals.”
The closing assurance - “We’re going to keep them - keep you safe from them” - is classic securitarian rhetoric, turning a contested institution into a protective barrier. The dash is revealing: a momentary stutter between “them” and “you,” between the faceless detainee and the citizen, meant to collapse doubt into fear. Contextually, it’s post-9/11 politics in miniature: admit the optics are damaging, insist the threats are extraordinary, and make safety the trump card that ends the argument.
Quote Details
| Topic | War |
|---|
More Quotes by Lindsey
Add to List
