7 of 10 say Gitmo treatment not unfair

A new poll reveals seven of 10 Americans believe the terror detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp are being treated "better than they deserve" or "about right."

The poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports found 36 percent of respondents believe the prisoners are being treated "better than they deserve," while 34 percent said "about right."


Just 20 percent of Americans polled believed detainees have been treated unfairly.

The issue of prisoner management was heightened last week when Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., on the floor of the U.S. Senate, compared treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay to the Nazi Gestapo, Soviet KGB, and Pol Pot's killers in Cambodia.

On June 14, Durbin read an e-mail message from an FBI agent describing alleged prisoner abuse. The senator said if he didn't identify the source of the information "you would most certainly believe this must have happened by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags or some mad regime � Pol Pot or others � that had no concern for human beings."

Yesterday, Durbin took to the Senate floor to apologize.

"Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line," the Senate's No. 2 Democrat said. "To them I extend my heartfelt apologies."

The Rasmussen poll found 14 percent agree that prisoner treatment at Gitmo is similar to Nazi tactics. Sixty-nine percent disagree with that comparison.


There were stark differences of opinion based on party affiliation with just 7 percent of Republicans saying Guantanomo prisoners are treated unfairly. Thirty percent of Democrats hold that view along with 22 percent of those not affiliated with either major party.

Among Republicans, 45 percent say the prisoners are treated better than they deserve. That view is shared by 28 percent of Democrats.