For the first time since signing an executive order to close the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay, as he promised during the 2008 campaign, President Obama now admits his January 2010 deadline will not be met. The President would not set a new deadline, saying of the delay to close the facility he, “…knew this was going to be hard.” The President’s qualifier is not just “hard” by convenient definition, but rather, “technically hard.”
Technically hard? Try near impossible; the questions raised by critics were legitimate – where will the administration put 200+ detainees? Bermuda and Palau have already taken the first of those that have been cleared as non-combatants, the Chinese Uighurs, who dominated the 24/7 news cycle with video showing them lounging and frolicking in the island paradise.
Bob Schillerstrom, Chairman of the DuPage County Board, has requested Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to convene a Special Session of the General Assembly ASAP to deal with the many safety measures questions surrounding the prospective use of Thomson Correctional Center to incarcerate federal detainees now held at Guantanamo Bay.
The decision to close GITMO was made before Mr. Obama was sworn-in, a campaign promise he repeated. But ten months after issuing his executive order to shutter the facility, it remains open as there are real world consequences to campaign hyperbole turned on its head by reality. Mr. Obama practically guaranteed the American people he would restore the United States' standing in the world, yet has not been able to deliver. Not only are traditional American allies not actively giving assistance in the war efforts, they are quite hands-off when it comes to receiving GITMO detainees.
So the original question reposes itself, where will the US put GITMO prisoners once the facility is closed? A question the current administration won’t answer because it is unable to do so. Closing GITMO means the transfer of the detainees, plain-and-simple. And there aren’t any takers nearly a year later; as President Obama explained, "We are on a path and a process where I would anticipate that Guantanamo will be closed next year. I'm not going to set an exact date because a lot of this is also going to depend on cooperation from Congress."
With the midterm elections fast approaching and with all 435 House members up for reelection, that political landmine is best to sidestep, but sooner or later, the political and security realities will have to be dealt with.
-- Killswitch Politick
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Technically hard? Try near impossible; the questions raised by critics were legitimate – where will the administration put 200+ detainees? Bermuda and Palau have already taken the first of those that have been cleared as non-combatants, the Chinese Uighurs, who dominated the 24/7 news cycle with video showing them lounging and frolicking in the island paradise.
Bob Schillerstrom, Chairman of the DuPage County Board, has requested Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to convene a Special Session of the General Assembly ASAP to deal with the many safety measures questions surrounding the prospective use of Thomson Correctional Center to incarcerate federal detainees now held at Guantanamo Bay.
The decision to close GITMO was made before Mr. Obama was sworn-in, a campaign promise he repeated. But ten months after issuing his executive order to shutter the facility, it remains open as there are real world consequences to campaign hyperbole turned on its head by reality. Mr. Obama practically guaranteed the American people he would restore the United States' standing in the world, yet has not been able to deliver. Not only are traditional American allies not actively giving assistance in the war efforts, they are quite hands-off when it comes to receiving GITMO detainees.
So the original question reposes itself, where will the US put GITMO prisoners once the facility is closed? A question the current administration won’t answer because it is unable to do so. Closing GITMO means the transfer of the detainees, plain-and-simple. And there aren’t any takers nearly a year later; as President Obama explained, "We are on a path and a process where I would anticipate that Guantanamo will be closed next year. I'm not going to set an exact date because a lot of this is also going to depend on cooperation from Congress."
With the midterm elections fast approaching and with all 435 House members up for reelection, that political landmine is best to sidestep, but sooner or later, the political and security realities will have to be dealt with.
-- Killswitch Politick
Click here to subscribe
Click here to contact
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