would not be permitted to be released inside the united states, would not lose their status as unprivileged enemy belligerents eligible for detention and trial under the law of war, would not gain any right, any additional right, to challenge his or her detention beyond the right to habeas corpus, which they already have at guantanamo, as the supreme court has decided. i would ask unanimous consent, mr. president, that senator feinstein be added as a cosponsor to our side-by-side amendment, the levin-mccain amendment. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. levin: guantanamo continues to be a damaging reminder of a failed strategy that sought to put captured terrorists beyond the reach of the law and u.s. courts. a dozen years ago, the bush administration started sending detainees to gitmo in large part out of a desire to avoid the jurisdiction of the united states courts and ensure that detainees would have no legal avenue to appeal their convictions. now, whether or not one adopted -- whether or not one supported that approach, that argument ended in 2008 when the supreme court in t

they don't lose their status as unprivileged, enemy belligerents eligible for trial, if they are transferred to the united states. they gain gain no additional right to challenge their detention beyond the habeas corpus that has been affirmed by the supreme court. i would hope this could be broadly supported. senator mccain? mr. mccain: madam president? the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: i have a letter from 38 rear tired and flagged general retired officers. "as retired and general flag officers we believe it is imperative for congress to address guantanamo now. we have always believed that our detention policies should adhere to the rule of law and we as a nation are more secure when we do. guantanamo is a betrayal of american values. the prison is a symbol of torture and justice delayed. more than a decade after it opened, guantanamo remains a terrorism poster for terrorists which makes us all less safe." guantanamo has cost more than $400 million in the last two fiscal years and the department of defense estimates that there's $2.7 m