No end soon for Guantanamo: White House

[cowcommander]

Source: AFP

WASHINGTON — The White House admitted Sunday it would be unable to shut Guantanamo Bay in the near future, even as it acknowledged the US naval prison camp is a rallying cry for Islamic extremists. Nearly a year has passed since President Barack Obama's self-imposed deadline to shutter the camp, but his spokesman said legal and legislative hurdles would prevent that goal being realized any time soon.

"It's certainly not going to close in the next month. I think it's going to be a while before that prison closes," Robert Gibbs told CNN's "State of the Union" program. Obama views Guantanamo, which conjures up images of water-boarding and other alleged torture, as a prime symbol of Bush-era war on terror excess that only serves as a recruiting tool for Al-Qaeda.

But his efforts to shut down the prison camp on the southern tip of Cuba have struggled as allies balk at taking in higher-risk inmates and prosecutions become bogged down in a legal quagmire. Only three of the remaining 174 detainees have been formally tried and found guilty. Dozens have been cleared but no foreign ally will accept them and there is strong American opposition to any being allowed on US soil.


Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i70QWX-luY-TvINNbbdA9LfJiW4A?docId=CNG.8bb558f13d1c0f827628d7e02ad5801c.41

[Angry Dragon]

1. Time to try bush for war crimes then

I bet if bush was arrested and tried for war crimes we could eliminate a large number of terrorists around the world
A good way to fight terrorism

[Zhade]

2. This is new -- now he's breaking the same campaign promise TWICE.

Such. A. Surprise.

[struggle4progress]

3. US Congress blocks Guantanamo closure

23 Dec 2010

... Both the House and Senate Wednesday approved a 725.9-billion-dollar defense spending plan for the fiscal year that began October 1, 2010. Included in the bill is language that makes it virtually impossible to close the prison ...

http://www.legitgov.org/US-Congress-blocks-Guantanamo-closure

[former9thward]

4. Is Obama forced to sign that Bill? No he is not.

[SpartanDem]

6. It passed with veto proof margins

hell dems put in the provisions to block funding closure.

[former9thward]

8. Yes I know

But one reason it passed with those margins is no one opposed it least of all Obama. He could have vetoed it because of those provisions. It would have sent a message and there would have to be another vote to overcome the veto. Would it have passed then? Probably, who knows, but at least he would have sent a message.

[Capitalocracy]

12. Hell, he could even line-item veto.

And this doesn't excuse the lack of action for the last two years.

[msanthrope]

17. You do realize that the line-item veto was declared unconstitutional

by SCOTUS in the 90's, right?

Read Clinton v. New York.

[Capitalocracy]

19. Actually, I didn't know that.

I agree with the decision though.

[Capitalocracy]

14. So force them to vote for an override.

Make it official. Make them vote on the record that they're going against the president's plan to close Gitmo, assuming he actually has one.

[panzerfaust]

16. Big assumption

[COLGATE4]

5. K&R

[rug]

7. Then release them.

[Capitalocracy]

15. But then they'll be in your backyard! And they might attack us!

No terrorist attack could do more damage to our democracy than indefinite detention and torture.

[JDPriestly]

9. That is completely unacceptable.

People cannot be imprisoned for their entire lives without a trial. If they are convicted, they should go to prison.

People are guilty of crimes. You have to prove that a person committed a crime in order to have the right to punish them.

[panzerfaust]

18. The Evidence is Against You: "People cannot be imprisoned for their entire lives without a trial"

Durn Sure Makes Me PROUD to be 'Merican!

[ixion]

10. Obama once again ties himself to bad neocon BS

I'm said that I'm no longer surprised by his behavior. :(

[Fearless]

11. You say compromise I say capitulate.

[Capitalocracy]

13. You say capitulate, I say participate. In war crimes.

Someone please explain to me why Bush should go to jail but Obama shouldn't.

Let them share a cell.

[fascisthunter]

20. what a fine example of a leader

:crazy:

[ThomCat]

21. From Day One many of us predicted that this administration

would find excuses, keep postponing, and never ever get around to closing Guantanamo. It was never going to happen. Talk about closing Guantanamo was just for spin. It was pure public relations ploys and playing politics.

And haven't be just been proved right repeatedly?

While they torture people, and maintain these tribunals instead of restoring the rule of law, and spy on defense attorneys, and do everything to guarantee convictions, they can't possibly allow an acquittal after everything they've done. They need everyone there to be guilty on all counts, even if they have to manufacture every last bit of that guilt, just to justify the whole brutal song and dance.

What a farce it has all become. :(

[defendandprotect]

22. Disgraceful ...

[PufPuf23]

23. The WH should write legislation to the Senate and the House and

have multiple reps from POTUS Obama down into the Pentagon, DIA, NAS, and CIA on the media speaking truth and not elite day dreams would inject a messure of reality..

The recognition of torture and premptive aggressive war based on lies should be repudiated as immoral and prosecuted.

I do not get why not Federal, State, and local politics do not act as an honest brokers; the trend does not help Democracy much less National Security or benefit to the People. The People with a count of one perperson are the predominant owner of the national public commons, Congress would indicateb otherwise in act and this is nothing new to our history.

Judge by actions, not words (except by the transperant on the internet).