Hopes dim for closure of Guantánamo

[maddezmom]

Source: FT

Hopes dim for closure of Guantánamo
By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington

Published: December 12 2007 22:43 | Last updated: December 13 2007 03:24

The prospects of closing Guantánamo Bay before the end of the Bush administration are dimming as the Pentagon struggles to find a solution on shutting the controversial prison, according to former and current ­officials.

Robert Gates, the defence secretary, told Congress in September that his push to close Guantánamo had run into “obstacles” from administration lawyers. But he assured senators the Pentagon was drafting a proposal that he hoped the administration would approve and then send to Capitol Hill.

But three months on, the lawyers have made little headway. In addition to facing complex legal issues involved in closing the prison and transferring detainees to the US, they are running into opposition from other parts of the administration, including Dick Cheney, the vice-president.

Asked by the Financial Times whether the Pentagon was making progress, Mr Gates replied that the process was moving, but “slowly”.



Read more: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/00a5fe3e-a8e6-11dc-ad9e-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

[Solly Mack]

1. Hope dims. Period.

[donkeyotay]

8. That was my reaction: HOPES DIM.

Hopes dim for an end to the war.
Hopes dim for health care.
Hopes dim for the economy.
Hopes dim for accountability in Washington.
Hopes dim for the environment.

Hopes dim.

[MikeNearMcChord]

2. Perhaps if gave Cuba a piece of the US, maybe that would

speed things up? WTF are we still holding on to their piece of soil anyway?

[ixion]

3. yeah, the big problem is that it's illegal

and to bring them to US soil would cause all sorts of legal blowback, because they've been using that loophole for the whole 'enemy combatants' bs.


GITMO is a gulag. And, like ALL gulags everywhere, it should be closed down.

[Rockerdem]

4. WOT

The whole War-on-Terra is being reframed. By July of next year, it will be accepted as business-as-usual by both parties. The GOP convention will be an orgy of self-congratulation on "victory", and at the Democratic convention there will be little mention of it, or a complete ducking of the topic. Or a defensive crouch. HRC will have steamrolled Obama and Edwards. You think that she will make it a top issue, other than tagging along with the military-industrial complex's wishes?

Sorry for a morning slap-in-the-face, but it's the reality of it. It's even running out of steam on this site.

[EFerrari]

5. This makes no sense to me. Another story says they are sending

most of these people home and only plan to try 80 or so.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3100487

How can they keep Gitmo open for 80 people?

[boricua79]

6. what struggle?

Give them trials in our courts (if we believe in the superiority of our legal system)...imprison those that violated REAL crimes and whose crimes stand the test of our legal system of discovery and challenge, and send the innocent back to their homes, with some type of monetary compensation for their wrongful imprisonment.

END OF FREAKING STORY.

That we're not doing this is related to the fascist mentality of those that govern us.

[Turbineguy]

7. I must have missed it

There was hope Guantanamo was going to be closed during the Bush Administration?

[PSPS]

9. Hitler's death camps weren't 'closed' until he was gone. This is no different.

The quandry for bush is how to liquidate any potential witnesses.