The White House is starting to distance itself from President Obama’s promise that the Guantanammo Base prison would be closed by January 20, 2010:
WASHINGTON — The White House acknowledged for the first time Friday that it might not be able to close the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay by January as President Barack Obama has promised.
Senior administration officials told The Associated Press that difficulties in completing the lengthy review of detainee files and resolving thorny legal and logistical questions mean the president’s self-imposed January deadline may slip. Obama remains as committed to closing the facility as he was when, as one of his first acts in office, he pledged to shut it down, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to more freely discuss the sensitive issue. They said the White House still was hoping to meet the deadline through a stepped-up effort.
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Obama promised soon after taking office – and many times since – to close the prison, arguing that doing so is crucial to restoring America’s image in the world and to creating a more effective anti-terror approach.
But eight months after Obama’s pledge and with only four months to go before the January deadline, a number of difficult issues remain unresolved. They include establishment of a new set of rules for military trials, finding a location for a new prison to house detainees and finding host countries for those who can be released.
As Kim Priestap notes, I don’t think there’s anyone who’s followed this issue closely who is surprised by this announcement. It’s nice to see the Obama Administration finally owning up to reality on this one.
September 26th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
[...] and Obama’s gas…. Post from: USA | Barack Obama News Post from: USA | Barack Obama News White House Admits Gitmo Might Not Close On Time – belowthebeltway.com 09/26/2009 The White House is starting to distance itself from [...]